RedGage

Think of an interesting name for your exhibition

An interesting name for your exhibition that promises good content and good work can have an effect on how many people will attend. The name itself can be good commercial material. Firstly, people need to hear about it and if you think of a name that will represent your project and still tackle their imagination, you are in a win-win situation. Art devotees and possible buyers of your photographs – if you are willing to sell them – should get an idea of what to expect from your exhibition – and all of that falls to the name of it.

Pick which photos you are going to display

If this is your first exhibition, don’t display everything that you have. Think a little before you decide what is really worth showing and what will people like. Twenty to thirty photos are just about enough for a decent representation of your work. Before you even start the whole project, make sure that it has a background story that connects those photos; a motive or a practical streak that pervades throughout your work.

Center of the exhibition

From all those photographs that you are going to display, it is a good thing to choose one that is going to be a little more special than the rest of your photos. As a professional photographer, you must know how to make a good show out of your exhibition and draw the attention to one piece of it – something that can even be mentioned in articles of local newspapers and that will be interesting enough for people to gather around and enjoy their view.

Make a presentation

Explain what you do and why you do it. Let other people know what motivates you when taking a photo and particularly what motivated you to take these photos. A presentation shouldn’t be long and boring, but rather interesting and well put together with a demonstration. If your exhibition is going to last longer than a day, then you should make a schedule for your presentations for each day. A walkthrough during your presentation, including going from one photo to another and explaining or stating some interesting facts about each of them is a very creative way of presenting your work.

Lighting, framing and setting

What is very important for your exhibition is showing your work in a good light – no, literally, you need proper you need proper lighting and the right amount of light. This is an event where people should relax their eyes and see something inspiring and innovative. You don’t want lights that are too bright or too dimmed to ruin the whole idea. Make sure that you take care of this.

Every photo should be framed and the glass should be cleaned. Go with frames of the same color for every picture or adjust every frame to that particular photo – this would be a highly artistic move if you ask me. Jan Prior, an admirer of photographs and of art in general, who founded Boutique Framing of Ascot, mentioned this once during a Skype call with me, and sincerely, I found this to be a great idea.

Pick a venue

The right place where you are going to organize an exhibition is of a great importance, too. The size of the venue, the location and even the shape of it should influence your choice. It shouldn’t be too big, because this is your first exhibition and you don’t want to get disappointed with the amount of people that are going to show up – this is natural in the start of each career. So, be realistic and choose a middle sized place where people can circulate freely while enjoying your work. Avoid outskirts and some places that are not that easy to locate, so as not to confuse the people who would like to see your show, since this can make them give up on coming.

Call as many people as you can

Invest a little bit of time and advertise your own show on social networks and among your friends and acquaintances. As I previously mentioned, people need to hear about it in order to show up. A concise description with an already interesting name of your exhibition will suffice, trust me. There are more people interested in art that you could ever dream of.

The amount of money you are going to need for this

Last but not least, you should think of the money you will spend for organizing such an event. You can cut down on your expenses if you try hard. Don’t go for the first option that you come across – think it through over and over. A helpful tip is to set a limit to your budget for this – this way, you will avoid getting in the red.