As part of the Professional Studies brief, Students are asked to exhibit their work in a public place, whether it be a Gallery, Town hall, cafe, empty shop or local business. I wanted to explore the correct produce to go about doing an exhibition. I have exhibited in the past, but I felt it would benefit my knowledge both for this brief and for future exhibitions.
I spent a while looking through several websites, to find some help.
The BPPA (British professional photography association) not only offer several different groups, which photographers can join, such as: society of wedding & portrait photographers, society of international sport & leisure, society of international travel & tourism and society of international media & press. Below is a list of each society they cover.
Whilst looking through their website I came across an interesting article, describing in detail how to hold a successful exhibiton. I found it such an invaluable read. Below is an extract from the article. I found it important to include this article, for my own reasearch for future exhibitons.
The information below is taken from: http://bppa.ws/exhibit/setting_up_an_exhibition.htm
People will not buy what they cannot see, so why not consider an exhibition of your work?
Location is all-important
The first step you need to take is to establish the location for your exhibition; this could be your local shopping centre, library (many of which have their own exhibition areas), a gallery, restaurant, a visitors centre, garden centre etc. Have a good look at the available space and talk to the people who look after it. A tape measure comes in handy so you can work out how many images that you can display.
Do not over cram the area.
It is better to have fewer pictures of a high standard than a clutter of everything and anything. Research is vital, by seeing what other exhibits comprise of will give you a good idea of what is appropriate to exhibit in that location. Talking to the staff will also be helpful, as they will have the knowledge of what has worked well for others.
Your first decision is to which images to display in order to demonstrate your style of imagery. It is a good idea to print out small sample images and experiment as to the order of the images which you would like them displayed.
Through discussion with the venue you will have to decide on the date for the exhibition, do not give yourself too little time to prepare as you could end up franticly trying to get images framed and prepared.
The time of the year that you decide on your exhibition can be critical, for example if you choose August then many people may be away on holiday, though alternatively if you site your exhibition is a holiday 'hot spot' which is popular with tourists then the opposite applies.
Presentation is all-important
One of the decisions that you will have to make is to frame your images or just display them uncounted. It is always better to display your very best work, presented in the best manner this is usually framed.
You may think that buying frames is expensive, however a professionally presented product will achieve a much higher selling. The reason for this is that it will be perceived as a finished product with a far higher visual impact.
Frames should be chosen carefully, avoid clip frames, as they are fragile and while some say look modern they are perceived as cheap. Each print should be window mounted if appropriate (either single or double) and a site line considered. The frame should also be considered carefully as it will add to the visual impact the image.
The cost of framing can be recouped through the sale of images, a professionally presented image, will stand a far better chance of selling than a flimsy mounted print. The frame gives the images a much greater perceptual value in the eyes of the client.
Cutting your own mounts can be difficult if you do not have the correct equipment, though investing in a mount cutter may prove to be a sound investment if you are considering displaying and selling your images. Mounting boards can be bought relatively inexpensively from art and craft shops and give you far more flexibility and choice of colours to harmonise with your work.
Once you have selected your images, mounted and framed them, decide on how you would like them to be arranged. Make sure that there is continuity and that colour schemes do note clash.
Remember that framed images are fragile, so packing your exhibition for transporting to the gallery is important. Bubble wrap can be purchased on the roll and is relatively inexpensive and will insure that your work will be ready for display in pristine condition.
Publicity & Pricing
The next thing to consider is that now that all the hard work has been done it is time to get people to come along and enjoy seeing your work Do contact your local papers with a pre-written press release, let local radio stations now as they often give out information on what’s on. Make some eye catching posters and ask if they can be displayed at other locations.
Remember to make up some posters (mounted) to display at the exhibition to let people know who you are and how they can contact you. After all if visitors are impressed by your work they may seek you for further commissions.
Pricing - Perhaps one of the hardest decisions to make
Always remember that the value of an image is what someone is prepared to pay for it. Therefore don't under-value your work, by just charging a little over what it costs you to produce it. Remember that you will also have to pay the gallery, library, etc with commission on what you sell, so do take everything into consideration.
The last paragraph is probably the most important. I personally find pricing my own work, really difficult to do. It can be a matter of just having a little confidence in your own abilities and as it suggests, don't under value your work.
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