Customer Reviews

Exhibiting Photography: A Practical Guide to Choosing a Space, Displaying Your Work, and Everything in Between

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here's a book aimed at serious photographers. In case you might have made a mistake and thought this book would show you how to display a photograph on your living room wall, it is instead for folks who want to display their photographs in a public venue.

After a general introduction to the subject, the book discusses finding an exhibition space, including a few that might not come readily to mind; planning and research for the exhibition; publicity; preparation for installation; and the actual hanging of the work.

The book is about the logistics of exhibiting and not much about the art, although Read makes suggestions relating to both the preparatory phases and the actual installation that will help in a more artful presentation. My first thought, as I opened the book, was that this was just common sense. However, I've lived long enough to have made a lot of mistakes and as I read along I kept encountering advice that I wished I had had before making some of those mistakes. For example, Read tells you that when it comes to the actual hanging, lay out the installation on the walls completely with pencil, ruler and level before you drive a nail. If I had done that on a particular occasion, I probably wouldn't have ended up taking down a bunch of pictures because my last frame was butted up against a corner. Emphasizing the importance of backwards scheduling in detail might have prevented the pile of advance brochures that arrived the day before the event. It's this kind of nitty-gritty detail that can keep one out of trouble. And of course the advice that, if you cut yourself on the glass for a frame, you should walk away from the framing area immediately to avoid bleeding on the work is a good reminder.

Throughout the book there are a number of case studies written by guest authors. Although the authors might have felt they were telling a story of success, many impressed me with what could go wrong.

There were a few points that I thought the author scanted. She made it seem as if it might be easy to get exhibition space. But venues are not quick to allow photographers without a demonstrated market to use their space. Nor do artists want to exhibit just for the sake of hanging stuff on a wall somewhere. There are economic aspects, aside from the costs, of the show, that govern exhibiting. Before blithely deciding "Let's put on a show!" one would do well to read a book like "Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist" by Kay Lang, where she describes in much greater detail the hard work of getting a place to exhibit.

I felt that the author could have been more concise in her writing. That might have led to a book twenty to forty percent shorter. I disagreed with a few of her conclusions. For example she suggests that in pricing a work, overhead should not be included. That's might be a model for a low price, but it is also the road to bankruptcy.

If you are a photographer who wants to exhibit and you have no experience exhibiting, reading this book may save you a lot of anguish.

The author eases you into the world of exhibiting photography.

His language is using words that speak to me and make it easy to follow his thoughts. Step by step he explains what a photographer should do and what not to do during the period of planning and executing. Everything is very detailed from thinking about the exhibition space to creating a web gallery/exhibition during or after the show. That is the part I enjoy. The book does not talk about the actual exhibition, but starts with the pre production and ends up with following up on the gallery as well as other exhibition possibilities. Is that not something how every photographer works? Great handouts! Easy to use as I can just check them one by one if I want to start my own exhibition! In the book there is also a few case studies, to give you a few examples about different exhibitions already planned and executed. Sometimes it feels like there is too much information, too much to read, but it is very helpful. Reading a list might help you, explaining the list is even more helpful. It is definitely worth while to not just copy the handouts out, make a note of the check lists and off you go. No!

This book guides you through the stages of presenting your work. Many of the ideas are common knowledge, but for me and my next exhibition, it is something to keep in mind and remind myself!

It is not simple to find a book that explain clearly the techniques about organizing an exhibition: this text is well written, clear, and very useful both for photographers, artists and, well, exhibition curators. Worth every dollar you pay, if you are a Fine Art photographer who wants to know how, when and where exhibiting your precious images!

EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHY: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CHOOSING A SPACE, DISPLAYING YOUR WORK, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN tells how to create and organize photo exhibitions, offering step-by-step guidance, anecdotes, and case studies of real situations to help photographers improve their marketing and business skills. From the technical requirements of exhibiting to locating the right space, approaching a gallery and pricing and selling, this is packed with keys to successful exhibits and is a 'must' for any aspiring photographer.

This is a challenging economic time for photographers. Exhibiting is an excellent venue for getting a photographer's work in front of a new audience.

Shirley Read's book surprised me. I thought I was well versed in the topic. However, she and the team of photographers who share their experiences illuminated my insights into photographic exhibition to a far greater scale than I had anticipated.

It's not a book of pretty pictures. I'd term it "text heavy" in a most positive way. This book is very thorough in it's approach. With a variety of voices adding to Shirley's expertise, this book is more than one person's vantage point.

"Exhibiting Photography" stimulates the creative business mind.

Sure, the contents table looks tempting. Sure, the theme is exciting. Yet, inside the book there are over 200 pages of quotes. And those quotes point nowhere.

The reader is told that there used to be the photos alone. But, after that the photos are presented with text. But... too much text won't do it, although some will do it. What should somebody read from that? Use your common sense and if you need text - put it and if you don't, than let the pictures speak for themselves? There should not be a book for common sense. Or at least it should write that big enough - see what works for you and your photos. But again, that would be one line of text and not three pages of quotes.

And what is not filled with "yes, no, yes, who knows" is filled with fuzzy thoughts like the public should spend time in front of your photos. Doh! As long as it is not a salami sandwich to entice buyers with the smell... people should spend time with your work before feeling a need to buy it.

And the pictures included are there because they are pretty. There is no connection besides the editor's need to push the book over 200 pages.

The book is very basic is good for people that have no idea about dealing with people and have never exhibited or have discussed the topic before.

There is a lot of common sense written into the book which I found basic and was only able to pick a couple of great ideas for the publicity, planning ahead and the opening.