Hit 50 bookstore windows photographed, now I see two sides of the trend

Last Saturday in Portland I stopped counting my display photos for the year and it landed exactly at 50. Some windows are pure art, like the one with floating paper cranes and a single spotlight on a poetry collection. But I'm starting to wonder if these setups are just pretty backdrops for Instagram, or if they actually drive people inside to buy. At that 50th window, a tiny shop on SE Hawthorne, the owner came out and said she changes hers twice a month because 'photographers outnumber buyers 3 to 1'. Is our hobby helping or just giving free marketing? Anyone else hit a milestone that made them question the whole point?

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avery_fox931mo ago

The part about photographers outnumbering buyers 3 to 1 really hit me, because that shop owner basically said out loud what I've been scared to admit. I've got a folder full of window shots from this year too, and I honestly can't remember the last time one of them made me walk in and buy a book. That said, a few of the shops I shoot do post my pictures and tag me, and I've seen comments from people saying they went to check the place out, so maybe it's not totally one sided. Still feels weird when the display gets more love than the books inside it.

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