Topic: Editing is a nightmare - any tips?

[Stu]

I have, somehow, managed to get a free wall in a restaurant / gallery in a lovely park near where I live.  A first for me. Now I have to choose what to put up.

I have no themes, I have no purpose. I photograph what I want to remember and see again - just hopefully in a nice way!

It's nearly all reportagy type stuff and I worry that it may not be appealing to the locals! Does what I put up need to have some relevance to them, or can it just be interesting?

Similarly, do I go with a single event or trip as a 'theme', or do I have a mix?
So many questions!

The space will allow me 5-10 framed 8x10s and i don't know where to start!
The prints will be available to  buy but really I just want people to think my photography is alright.

Any tips or is this just way to vague/vast to ask?

Cheers,
Stu
http://daily35.photoposts.org/index.php?x=browse

[hookstrapped]

I've been doing some of my own editing, and my advice is:

1) sort out your strongest individual pics;
2) try to find a thematic or visual thread among some of them, remembering to try different ordering as that affects the impact;
3) there you have it.

[SimonK]

Having a theme or a 'look' is really important IMO.  Print out some small (3") pics and stick them on a wall in the proposed layout and evaluate them over a few days, it will soon be obvious if they don't work well together. Don't forget a little plastic business card holder (you can get them from OfficeWorld or similar). Good luck, don't forget to shoot some pics when they are up

[roryot]

Hi Stu,

Seven friends and I have been offered a couple of weeks in a gallery in Cork. This is the first time we have shown in a gallery (we had an exhib in a cafe and on college walls before), and we have been agonising over the same thing. Trying to get 8 people to decide on a theme was impossible, and in the end we gave up. The advise we got was -

1. Make sure the prints are of very high quality (all darkroom b+w)
2. Frame them well.
3. Although no overall theme, each person will make sure their prints (5 each) work well together - loosely themed I suppose
4. If selling, offer them in batches - ie 1 of 5, 2 of 5, etc. No need to print them all up (mightn't sell any!), but keep good printing notes, so you can print subsequent prints identically

Most importantly, enjoy it. It's a steep learning curve, but it's great to hear of so many people exhibiting film photography!

Rory

[Stu]

Thank you all of you. Great stuff, all noted.

[gothamtomato]

I used to be a picture editor, but even with that experience it is hard for me to edit my own work. It is always good to get other sets of eyes on them: New opinions help you view your work in new ways.

I don't think you need a theme necessarily.

But one thing you should keep in mind is how people will be viewing the images. In a restaurant, they will likely be viewed from farther away than in an ordinary gallery. Because of this you should make sure the images you choose are strong graphically so that people still get something from them from across the room.

[Stu]

Another point noted. Really apprecited.

[Karl]

ask friends and family to pick their favourite images (and then do battle with yourself as you wonder why they are different from the ones you like)