Displaying your work in businesses
jamesl
Registered Users Posts: 642 Major grins
Hi All,
I'm wondering if any of you have experience with displaying your photography at businesses? My Doctor is going to let me display a few of my pictures at his office as advertising, and allow me to put prices and business cards on them. It should be a pretty good deal, as he is generally very busy with lots of folks in and out.
Just wondering of anyone else's experience in this area.
James
I'm wondering if any of you have experience with displaying your photography at businesses? My Doctor is going to let me display a few of my pictures at his office as advertising, and allow me to put prices and business cards on them. It should be a pretty good deal, as he is generally very busy with lots of folks in and out.
Just wondering of anyone else's experience in this area.
James
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I haven't yet done this but I'm planning on it. There's a nice bar/microbrewery downtown that always has photos displayed like this. I talked to the owner one day and he said to bring a few down and hang them up. It's a pretty classy joint and they get a fair amount of patronage from the faculty of the local university... also, I have a lot of photos that are rather unique shots of the local area, so I think I would stand to make a sale or two. I just need to actually get around to getting something matted and framed and bringing it down there...
http://blog.timkphotography.com
Congratulations on the opportunity to display your work!
It sounds like you are planning to pay for the costs of hanging your work, so I would recommend protecting your investment. At least a document that outlines a basic agreement as to your copyright, loss or damages as well as a record of the pieces you've supplied. Although this document is for a gallery, you could it use to draft your own terms.
Make sure you have a model release for any recognizable person within your images.
Consider the space - let it dictate the way the work is shown. Pay attention to the traffic flows, try to find walls that are not leaned upon or brushed against.
Edit the work - remove any image you have doubts about and try for images appropriate to your audience.
Group the images - this can be as simple as keeping b&w prints separate from color prints or by a narrative or theme you've worked out in your work.
Figure out frames, picture sizes & presentation methods - these decisions are ruled by your budget, but since you are not showing in a gallery, you'd be better off if you makes choices to protect the work from theft (big prints are harder to walk off with) and damage (bleed mounted foam board is a cheap option with a clean look, but offers zero protection) as well as provide the information about yourself & the work since there will be no curatorial staff to answer questions.
Plan the hang on paper but be prepared to reconsider once you are in the space & ready to hang.
Resist the temptation to simply tuck a business card w/price written on it into the frame. Invest in mounted cards with info about the pieces, keep them uniform in typeface & placement, positioned underneath the images, lined up to the left or right side of the frame. Attach them with the strong sticky pads available from art stores, the kind that won't take the paint of the walls when they are removed. Avoid Blu-tac, it leaves a stain on the wall, it also weakens over time.
There is a lot to know about exhibiting your work, and you could probably do better with a good book on the subject. Hopefully others will add what I've missed. The experience itself will teach you loads.
Have fun & good luck.
Edited to add links to books:
Exhibiting Photography by Shirley Read
How to Get Hung by Molly Barnes (not specific to photography but helpful for tips on geting into galleries.)
Other than that, the owner of the deli allowed me to put up about 10 photos. I did them all in black frames and white mattes to provide some consistency. I also left business cards at the register. The deli owner says people have been asking about the images and picking up my cards as well, so I would suggest making sure you have extra business cards on hand for potential clients to contact you later.
And congratulations for being given the opportunity to display your work!
www.pictureyourworld.net
http://pictureyourworldphotography.blogspot.com/
http://www.onedayonepicture.com
There are two trains of thought on this one...
1.) Free publicity for yourself (should someone actually care enough to try to find out who took the picture...keep in mind they're at a doctor, an art purchase is probably the last thing on their mind).
2.) You're giving free art to a business that might actually be able to budget purchasing some.
Me, I have prints hanging in two local doctors offices...they've been there since 2005. I haven't had a single sale or inquiry resulting from those pictures. Could someone have seen my name & went on to purchase something of mine somewhere else? Possibly...but nowadays I subscribe to the option #2 way of thinking.
Good luck...
Bill
I hope I didn't come accross too heavy about that. It is a matter of what you want to convey about your work and yourself. If you're branding yourself as a professional artist, this level of detail is a great way to separate yourself from those who don't bother.
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, and for your great suggestions. Definately gave me a few things to think about before I do this. I'm sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation for the past few weeks.
Thanks again!
James
Langford Photography
http://www.langfordphotography.com
james@langfordphotography.com