Photographer Shares First Gallery Exhibition Experience And Lessons Learned From It

As photographers, I think we often ponder the next steps we want to take in our photography and in our photographic careers. I've hit that next phase and have been considering my options for exhibiting in a gallery environment. An article by Simon King addresses questions I had for going down that path and has some useful insights for a first-timer.

I've had some minor success with my photography as a career path, and while my work is satisfying, my personal projects occupy my head-space quite a bit. My work centers around documentary photography, which is very useful for my favorite genre, street photography.

Over the past few years, I traveled extensively and have put together a nice collection of images that I think hold a thematic element of general street photography. I've considered the possibility of applying to galleries to exhibit, but the task seemed daunting. I'm not entirely keyed into that world, and because of my traveling, my contacts here in Los Angeles have tapered off, so hitting the ground running isn't the best option for me.

Being in such a large city, the amount of options is also overwhelming. Where to start has a weight all its own, but Simon King's post on PetaPixel breaks down some of his experience into bite-sized chunks of info that can help set one on a path to that very goal.

From the simple idea of knowing why you want to exhibit your photography to the idea of coming prepared with merchandise like self-published books, it's an easy read and provides some valuable insight to a first-timer.

Maybe it's because we have a specific skillset we are working on refining or maybe it's rooted in our need to expand our capabilities, but it seems like a natural path to pursue the artistic side of our craft. While gallery exhibitions and moving into the fine art space may not be for everyone, I'm excited to see where this strange new world leads me and the personal journey it affords, and any insight is a great stepping stone into that world.