My First Bucks Art Weeks: Lessons, Laughs & Lovely Visitors

So, I’ve just wrapped up my very first Bucks Art Weeks experience, and wow — what a whirlwind! If you’d told me a few months ago that I’d be printing, framing, and showing my work to over 200 visitors across three weekends, I would have raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, that sounds ambitious and will anyone show up?!” But here we are, and honestly, it’s been one of the most rewarding creative adventures I’ve had.

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 - test printing — Test printing on my Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer

Why I Did It (Despite That Gremlin Called Imposter Syndrome)

Let’s get honest for a sec. Signing up for Bucks Art Weeks wasn’t just about showing off prints and hoping someone buys one. A big part of me was wrestling with classic imposter syndrome. You know the voice — “Will anyone come?”, “What if they hate it?”, “Should I just hide under a blanket with snacks instead?”

This is something I battle with whenever I post online or share my photos, so doing something in person was even more daunting.

But here’s the thing: I craved connection. Not the online-scroll-past-a-post kind — I wanted to meet people, talk about my photography, and share the stories behind the images (the way I do in my blogs, but with real-life facial expressions). There’s something magical about seeing someone react to your work in person, and even more so when they share a memory or story that your photo reminded them of.

So I felt the fear… and printed anyway.

Thinking I Was Organised... Ha!

I went into this thinking I had it all sussed. I mean, how hard can printing and framing your work be? Turns out, very hard if you’ve never done it before and if you want it to look professional!

First came the image selection stress. I wanted a mix of my favourites, some from the local area (it was Bucks Art Weeks after all), and something that might actually sell. Enter: the non-photographer friend with the surprisingly good eye who suggested a print I never would’ve chosen… that ended up being my bestseller. Go figure.

Fotospeed Natural Soft Textured Bright White 315 Paper — In the end, I printed all of my work on **Fotospeed Natural Soft Textured Bright White 315** to give a consistent look and feel. All my prints were signed and editioned, along with a certificate of authenticity!

Then came to thinking about the right paper choices, which for me ended up being Fotospeed Natural Soft Texured Bright White 315 for everything. I toyed with a semi-gloss or lustre paper for some of the images I selected, but in the end I liked the consistency and look of everything being uniform, and whilst the semi-gloss and lustre papers gave lovely depth to some of my more colourful images, I also knew once they were behind glass this would also help them ‘pop’ a bit!

Next up came framing and glass choices, but this was driven in parallel by my hanging space. The unique thing about Bucks Art Weeks (and similar events) is creators open up their studios, or homes to show their work. In my case this would be my home! I had hoped to join up with another artist who hosts up to 11 artists in her home, to get some moral support and comapny for the event, plus making it a different experience for visitors being able to see multiple artists in one venue, however she has been doing the event for over 5 years and a very well formed group of artists had already secured their spot - so I therefore decided to just jump in with both feet and take advantage of the high ceilings I have at home and host it there!

Once I decided this, I’d mocked up an online gallery to check sizing and placements as best I could to finalise the prints I wanted to hang.

Gallery Mock up for exhibition — To help me plan my wall space, I used an online tool called Art Placer (www.artplacer.com) to visualise the flow of images.

Reflective and non-reflective glass examples. — Example of reflective and non-reflective glass.

I worked with a local framer to select simple black frames for my prints. I wanted something fairly neutral but also with the backup plan that if work didn’t sell it wouldn’t go to waste as I could hang it at home afterwards. Glass was a big decision for me, I knew non-reflective glass would be ideal as I have a lot of windows at home that would cause reflections, but I also needed to be pragmatic. This was already a huge investment for me, and I had that nagging voice in the back of my head of ‘what if no one shows up’, I had both options priced up and whilst I negotiated a great deal with the framer for a lot of framing, I just couldn’t make the investment of non-reflective glass this time around. It is mind-blowing how different the glass looks when you see the samples and I think it’s well worth the investment if you are hanging in a space with a lot of light/reflections.

Printing Nightmares: Mac Meltdowns & Lightroom Lows

Of course, it wouldn't be a true creative project without some tech chaos, right?

MacOS update mid-printing spree? Naturally.
Printer drivers mysteriously vanishing? You bet.
Clogged print head nozzle?! Sure…
Lightroom catalogue corruption one week before launch? Chef’s kiss for drama.

There may have been expletives. Possibly a few tears. Bonus error: printing on the wrong paper size… multiple times. If nothing else, I now have a lovely collection of “test prints” for wallpapering a small room.

But when the prints came together, I was so pleased with them! This was the first time I’d ever really printed my work in any volume, and having heard others say it really brings images to life, I can now see why.

Reminder to self: BACK. UP. THE. CATALOGUE.

Coffee cups and photography — Lots of coffee and cakes consumed over the three weekends!

The Visitors (aka The Best Bit)

Over 200 people came through my doors. Two hundred! They wandered, browsed, asked questions and told me stories. A few even reached out after the event to commission prints for their homes — something I hadn’t even imagined when I nervously signed up.

The best part? Hearing how the images made people feel. Whether it was a memory sparked by a landscape, a connection to the location, or just a simple “wow,” it reminded me why I love doing this. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by, supported, and shared a moment with me.

Lessons I’ll Take into Next Year

Oh yes, I’ll be back for Bucks Art Weeks 2026, and here are some things I would do differently as well as continue to do:

✅ Don’t procrastinate!

I thought I had everything fairly well planned out, but what I didn’t account for were the technical glitches and the finishing touches I wanted to add. The framing also took much longer than I was quoted, leaving me with some last-minute stress that I could’ve done without in the week leading up to the event. So next year everything will be at the framers’ well in advance!

✅ Reconsider my smaller items for purchase

I had gift cards and small photoblocks for people as a more affordable purchase option than prints. There was a mixed reaction to these, and whilst they sold ok, given the time and investment that went into the photoblocks in particular, I think my time was better used elsewhere, so I need to rethink this for next year. Any suggestions - I’d love to hear in the comments!

Reprinting more of my most popular print from the exhibition!

✅ Print Choices: Be Open Minded!

✅ Not take it personally when my favourite print sells… to no one

My favourite image that I printed sold none! But I don’t regret printing it, and it’s still my favourite! It would be so easy to be disheartened about this, but what people choose to hang in their home is such a personal choice/taste, and we’re all different.

I definitely made a conscious decision to print a combination my favourites, local work and prints that I thought would sell. Personally, I think this worked well, I felt I remained true to myself but also found a balance that if I wanted to make sales, I needed also to offer some items that would appeal to others (aka not everyone likes moody/foggy/icy images Rhiannon!!). This lesson will also have me thinking more consciously in future about the images I’m taking, especially if I intend to print with the intention of selling.

✅ Continue with the finishing touches— they made people feel something

The small finishing touches make a difference! I’m so glad I stressed over these at the end. I got some lovely compliments on how professional everything looked, and fellow Bucks Art Weeks artists also came for a browse and said they’ve stolen some ideas for next year!

These small touches included small descriptions of each photo next to the print; this meant if I was busy people could still enjoy the stories behind the images, but also meant I didn’t need to pounce on everyone for a conversation, and I think some people appreciated that. That leads me to another one of my finishing touches, I had a lot of comments about how peaceful it felt, I had my tv scrolling though a selection of my images and some relaxing music playing - I had a lot of visitors who just sat on the couch with a cup of tea and watched the images scroll through - and that was part of my goal and how I’d described my gallery to visitors:

‘Whether I’m tucked into a hide, hiking up a hill, or launching a drone into golden hour light, I’m always chasing that sense of wonder and stillness that photography gives me – and I hope to pass a little of that feeling on to you.

I hope you feel a sense of wonder, calm, and connection when you explore my gallery. Whether it’s the serenity of a misty sunrise, or the raw energy of an erupting volcano, my goal is to bring you a little closer to the beauty that’s all around us, even when life gets busy'‘

✅ Oh, and backup Lightroom religiously. Honestly, let this blog be your cautionary tale.

What About You?

Have you ever shared your work publicly or taken part in a local art event? Got any tips for a first-time exhibitor? Or perhaps you've had your own tech-tantrum mid-project (please share, it'll make me feel less alone). Drop a comment below — I’d genuinely love to hear.

Couldn’t Visit? Online Store Launching Soon!

If you couldn’t make it in person (or want to see more), you’re in luck. I’m launching my online print store very soon, featuring a curated selection of my favourite images — including those shown at Bucks Art Weeks.

👉 Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when the store goes live — plus get exclusive previews, behind-the-scenes chaos, and early bird discounts.

Printing and Exhibiting my work!