Portraits at my Favorite Event to Photograph in NYC: Hester Street Fair!

With the weather getting warmer in NYC, the city is springing back to life with live music, markets, and fun outdoor events, one of which is Hester Street Fair. This pop-up market at South Street Seaport is one of my favorite events to cover as an event photographer in NYC!

I may be biased, but I think they certainly deliver on their tagline of “EAT, SHOP, PARTY.” The fair is home to 60+ vendors representing a diverse array of creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners offering all kinds of handmade products, apparel, food, trinkets, and beyond.

Tons of effort goes into running this outdoor market in one of the most highly trafficked entertainment districts in NYC. Because of that, the organizers understand how important it is to capture professional quality content during the fair, which is why they hire me to photograph it! Cell phone photos just won’t cut it for use in advertising, press kits, or sponsorship decks for an event of this level.

When I’m at the fair, my goal is to photograph all that’s going on, from the customers shopping to the different products offered for sale. One thing I always try to shoot for as many vendors as I can is a posed portrait of them at their booth.

For many of these vendors, selling at Hester Street Fair can be a vital step in building their brand and growing their customer base in NYC. Having a nice shot of them “doing their thing” makes for great social media content - it shows that they were a part of the fair and can be an invitation to their followers to invite them to future events!

I’m sure you can see why Hester Street Fair is one of my favorite events to document as someone that’s a supporter of local small businesses, and an owner of one of my own. I feel a strong connection to the vendors and artisans who participate in the fair. Proving them with great-looking marketing material makes me feel like I'm playing a small part in supporting the local economy and culture of New York City!

These are the people that make NYC the unique and awesome place we know it to be and it’s an honor to capture their personality and style through these portraits.

For more info on Hester Street Fair and to get the dates of their upcoming events: https://www.hesterstreetfair.com/