photo exposition advise

[navcom]

Originally Posted by karwash

There's no telling what would happen. The first picture I managed to sell was this one:

OK, the lighting helps, but it's just a kitchen utensil...

Yes, but anyone who was in the right place at the right time could have taken this photo.



OK...bit of sarcasm. But I just love people who make comments like that. Your photo shows exactly why they are simply wrong. If this is true, why weren't they asked to show their photos instead of Alexandra?

Some folks honestly think that good photographers just "fall upon" the magic moments more than others...that they are somehow just "luckier". Fact is, they don't see the preparation that goes into getting the right composition and making plans to BE THERE at the right moment. Or the many times you were there and the light just wasn't right so you went home and came back at a different time. Or the hours and hours spent mastering composition with bad photo after bad photo until you got it right.

It's like watching a professional sports match and saying, "I could do that. That's easy. They just got lucky enough to be picked for the team." They don't see the years of practice and sacrifice that went into creating the skills to "make it look easy".

Alright...done with the rant. Good luck Alexandra!

[karwash]

Hi Alexandra,

Thanks for sharing. I looked through your pictures and I can see you like B&W. Personally, I think those stick out from the rest, especially the "lonely path" and "little lady". In fact, I would chose it as the common theme amongst the photos on display: black and white.
The other two pictures I would add are the "lost wall" and the city picture, as the first shows urban decay while the second shows urban life at it's peak.
Between the lonely path and the city there are similar lines in the composition. Most movement is upward, while both the skyscraper windows as well as the wooden planks add a horizontal patern to the picture.
Not sure how much time you have left before the exposition. If you have some more time, I would say: focus on what you like (and thus do) best, which is clearly the B&W pictures. I think you have enough pictures to choose from to fill your space.

Hope this helps! Good luck once again!

[Alexandra]

Hi Karwash,

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my pics... I do love BW... For me they have some sort of character and moodiness about it and also seem timeless... But thats me...

I still have about two weeks until the exposition, which before printing and framing leaves me one more week to work on it (lol, on top of everything else). I took some more pics in the last couple of days and will take few more, but i agree with you, the theme of different faces of the city in BW sounds very appealing to me, so i might just focus on that...

Just a question... But please answer me honestly and i wont take offence as all i want is to learn... Do you think that my photography is okish or is crap? I keep jumping from i like it, its half decent to i totally hate it... and a honest opinion would be highly appreciated...

Thank you so much for all the time you are giving me.

Alexandra

[navcom]

Originally Posted by Alexandra

Just a question... But please answer me honestly and i wont take offence as all i want is to learn... Do you think that my photography is okish or is crap? I keep jumping from i like it, its half decent to i totally hate it... and a honest opinion would be highly appreciated...

Crap? No way! Your work is NOT crap! You can tell by your images that you are serious about photography and that you care about your art. You have the "knack".

You need to judge your work as a whole, not just on individual photographs. We all have some of our own photos that work for us and some that don't. And sometimes what you hate is what others like. If I remember right, DaVinci never felt comfortable about the Mona Lisa but look how that has been received. Your body of work is very nice and from what I can see from Flickr, you should not feel inferior at your showing.

Can you still improve? Of course! Who of us can't! That's why we are here on this forum. While it's not my main source of income, I've done landscape photography for 20 years and still am overwhelmed at times at how much I really don't know. I still get goosebumps when someone buys one of my prints. And I've always been amazed at what people like. As was mentioned, it's interesting to see that many seem to pick something I would consider some of my "sub-standard" work. But the only way I knew that was to get out and show them and see what people think.

Showing something in a gallery for the first time can be a bit intimidating. I learned something early on when showing your work (and in business itself)...what is most important is whether you yourself like your work. After all, it's really a part of your personality. You created it using your own style and creativity.

So pick your best stuff, put together a "theme", and go in without any expectations...just have fun sharing your photos! With that attitude, you will enjoy yourself and your passion will rub off on those who stop to see your work. I think you will walk away with more confidence in your art after the showing. Have fun!

[karwash]

Thanks Navcom! Fully agree with everything you said. I also think Alexandra's pictures show she has an "eye" for photography. Nothing to be shy about!

[Alexandra]

Thank you so much for your kind words Karwash! Im very grateful.

As for learning im of the opinion that the path to improvement (in everything) is the most interesting aspect in life. Im always seeking to improve all i do and all i am.

Alexandra