Showing our work
And why it matters
Hello, I’m Gill and I write a photography blog inspired by the landscapes of Suffolk and beyond. Please subscribe to read more of my writing and visit my website to view my images.
I have spoken to many photography clients over the years and I always ask them what they do with their photographs once they have processed them. Many people share them on social media, some use them for camera club competitions and a few have their own websites but most never do anything really tangible with their work. Clients who print their images or who produce zines or books are definitely in the minority and it got me thinking how few people actually do much with their work. Sharing images digitally is great but in my opinion it is not how photography is meant to be viewed.
Back in 2009 I was offered some wall space in my local pub to hang a section of my images. I jumped at the chance and remember vividly the day I received a call from the landlord to tell me that I had sold something. I dashed down to the pub to chat to the person who had made the purchase, interested to hear the reasons behind his choice. It turned out he was a sailor, his boat was in the image and the picture reminded him of the many happy hours he had spent on the river.
As we were chatting he told me that he thought I should do more with my images and that I was too talented to hide them away. Lacking in self confidence I didn’t believe him but it was nice to hear and it did give me a boost and maybe it was the push I needed to take my photography forward.
This week I am hosting my fifth solo exhibition in a beautiful art gallery in my local town. I have 30 framed images on display that I have printed myself and when this newsletter goes out I will be half way through my residency.
It is always nerve-racking putting on a solo exhibition especially when you do it for the first time or move from a smaller venue to a bigger one. Spurred on by my sales in the pub, I signed up for a stall at the local Christmas market. It always amazed me when anyone bought my work, but I think the real benefit I got from doing these events was confidence. People were generally very friendly and supportive and I started to believe a little bit more in my abilities as a photographer.
Eventually I progressed from local markets to the village hall and ran my first solo exhibition in the summer of 2016. I chose a tourist location where I felt the footfall would be good and I had an amazing weekend of sales. This prompted me to look at a bigger gallery and I exhibited in the space where I am now showing for the first time in 2017.
Selling my work is always lovely but that is not really why I like to exhibit. Putting together enough good images for a big gallery is not an easy task and choosing images that work well together and harmonise colour wise when viewed as a whole is always challenging. However it is a good challenge and has taught me a lot about my work, my style and what I like.
Exhibitions also offer a great opportunity for feedback and I enjoy the discussions that can crop up around how pictures are taken and processed. Often members of the public relate much better to images that create an emotional connection so exhibitions can be a good gauge to see if my work resonates.
I realise that not everyone wants to show their work in a public gallery and I am not saying that you should. But there is a more important point that I would like to make and that is I believe the natural end point to making a photograph is printing it and I don’t think enough people print their work. Producing a print from an image you have made and hanging it on the wall is ‘showing your work’. It is there in a tangible form for everyone who enters your home to see and I think it is something we should all do. There are a number of good photo labs out there so you don’t need expensive equipment to turn your images into works of art and there is nothing like seeing your photographs presented on fine art paper.
In my experience print brings an image to life. It enhances all the subtleties that can get overlooked when viewing something on screen and it allows you the luxury of looking at it for greater lengths of time. I guarantee if you hang a print on the wall you will ‘see’ it differently the more you look at it.
As my exhibition draws to a close I am beginning to reflect on my experiences. It has been lovely to see all my work together in one place and to have the opportunity to share my photography passion and experiences with so many visitors.
In general exhibiting has given me a good excuse to print more of my work and it has introduced me to a wider audience than I would have achieved through social media alone. This may sound strange but I think when you see people face to face they have a chance to buy into you as an artist rather than just your photography which is generally all they see online. I have been fortunate enough to sell a nice amount of work during the week and I have also had the chance to formulate some more ideas for where to take my photography in the future.
My exhibition runs until 5pm on Wednesday 11th December at the Artspace gallery in Woodbridge. Please pop in if you are in the area.
What are your thoughts on showing your work. Do you think it is important? Do you print your images, hang your work at home or produce photo books of your own projects. I would love to hear your thoughts on ‘showing your work’ in whatever way you like to present it, so please leave a comment below.
Thank you very much for reading and until next week enjoy your photography.
Gill
Like most amateur photographers, the vast majority of my shots end up deep in the digital archive, never to be seen again, but for the last ten years or so I’ve been producing a calendar for my friends and family. Choosing the theme and the images makes me think about my work much more deeply, and is actually a great learning experience. I have 50 calendars printed each year, and they make great Christmas presents. Often during the year when I visit friends or family, I see my calendar on their wall, and I must say it gives me a great sense of accomplishment.
Agree about printing Gill. There’s a learning curve to climb to do it, but seeing your own image in print is very rewarding. Entering club competitions has nudged me to learn it. I have a frame in the living room which I display my latest favourite and revolve to something different monthly. Some of my photography friends may put an image on their wall if we’ve had a judge score it lower than we feel did it deserved, just to remind ourselves that we feel it’s something good. I enjoy making the odd photo book but find I need to do it very soon after a trip or it never gets done.