Advice gratefully received: Exhibiting my personal work

[OurManInTangier]

Thanks Steve and Yannick.

Yannick, I'm not sure what pictures you mean when you say 'hat & broom' and 'roof' shots but you may have a very good point concerning refraining from trying to intellectualise the work too much.

I try to leave pictures to work or fail simply in the eyes of the viewer but as you say, images posted here will most likely be seen by those who view images regularly whilst this will not be the same at these venues. Thanks for making such a good point.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

Go with a WHITE flat wood frame, .75", with a very generous white matte. Seriously. Black is too 'common,' distracts from the image, and the buyer has to figure out how to integrate it into his decor. White works anywhere, with a modern or a very conservative older design scheme.

When you sell a print, does the buyer have to take it down from the wall immediately? Can't they buy and have it shipped to them at the end of the exhibition? Either that, or as noted above, sell from a limited run set. Leave the framed pieces on the wall, and send them an edition/numbered print - framed or more likely, unframed.

 

[gdmcclintock]

White frames with white mattes are so over-exposed they have become a cliché and look terrible against a white wall. (Please pardon the puns!) Limited editions of numbered prints are usually a scam promulgated by art galleries to raise prices, increase profits, and prevent the "common" person from purchasing original works of photographic art.

 

[yanidel]

Thanks Steve and Yannick.

Yannick, I'm not sure what pictures you mean when you say 'hat & broom' and 'roof' shots but you may have a very good point concerning refraining from trying to intellectualise the work too much.

I meant the picture of your avatar and the one called Whitewash, which I would love to see in B&W.

 

[keeds]

Sods law - I'm just finishing a course at IP City tomorrow! Will have to find an excuse to pop in and have a look. Good luck.

Keeds - I'm having 10-15 largish prints and possibly a wider selection of smaller 8x10 prints showing at the IP City Centre building in Ipswich at some point in the next month. It differs from this opportunity in that its based in Suffolk, smaller in scale and is just being shown along with various artworks along corridors and meeting rooms - though all the work will be for sale, has my contact/website details and will hopefully perk some interest in these tougher times.

 

[NathanJD]

Absolutely well done Simon! i'm really pleased for you 🙂 i would also make a point of saying that you should go for the best frames and mat you can - a cheap frame that doesn't support weight and warps will make your images look cheap too. how about contacting some little local framers and asking them if they can offer any discount as you have a bulk job on and even mention that this may be a regular thing and that you would like to use their services in the future.

also, would you consider doing a limited run on your prints? maybe you could number your mats with pencil with 1/50 on one side and your (the artist's) signature on the other?

i would also say that you might consider the size of the space the images will take up as well as the likely size of any prospective home that the images may then enjoy - if your pics will be sold to private buyers to hang in their homes what size would you expect them to be happy to hang? it will be difficult to tell the prospective purchasers that you can print to size order if you're not there to tell them yourself.

congratulations again mate 🙂

 

[JohnTF]

And probably the most important-- use two nails for each print-- easier to keep level and if one goes, the other should hold. ;-)

More seriously, the aluminum style corners come in a huge variety of styles and colors, one silver one I like has a separate groove for the glass, to provide a bit more separation-- I used to have a box of corner samples to try on prints.

You are also right on the price of frames, the frame shop prices have gotten so high I have not used them for a while, the frame is more expensive than the print.

Used to be a good one in Cleethorpes-- but the guy retired.

I suppose you know you want to consider 4ply 100% rag for the mats.

I have seen quite a few exhibitions in Paris and Prague -- they usually get a nice write up in the weekly tabloids-- and some business as a result-- am sure you will enjoy the whole thing, after the nails are driven and the prints up.

Now you have to ask what lens to use to photograph the display, that should take a few pages, what about the other prints in the back ground and the bokeh?. Then there are the scantily clad models standing around serving the cheese. ;-)

Regards, John

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

White frames with white mattes are so over-exposed they have become a cliché and look terrible against a white wall. (Please pardon the puns!) Limited editions of numbered prints are usually a scam promulgated by art galleries to raise prices, increase profits, and prevent the "common" person from purchasing original works of photographic art.

Yeah, this is hideous:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nybx6/4247205596/

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1zGI45V5Q.../-eEj16EFIko/s1600/interior+divine+blog+1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photograham/2435731925/

As for the concept of limiting editions, whether it's a scam or not depends on the integrity of the photographer. Ignoring the 'great numbering conspiracy,' if the OP is trying to sell prints, numbering, at the least, gives the consumer/collector a sense of greater value. If the edition IS, indeed, limited, the value actually IS greater than if the photographer will make an infinite number of copies in the future. How much is a Steichen worth if they're still making them?

 

[gdmcclintock]

When I was in high school, an art teacher suggested making limited editions of photographs, then drawing an "X" through the negative to prevent future editions while keeping the negative to prove ownership of the original photograph. Where would be be if this was common practice among photographers?