The most valuable guideline from this part comes right at the beginning, with the simple description that all of us photographers have different paths - perhaps they lead to gallery representation, a museum collection, a book, or direct sales, maybe if you’re lucky a few of these, but perhaps none. It’s a matter of determining what fulfillment looks -and feels- like for you, as well as who may best appreciate your work. The contrary mental position to this is an all-or-nothing assumption, that the goal is all possible outlets and the audience is everyone! But this is unrealistic, impractical, and a bit dangerous. This is not to say one should limit themselves throughout their whole lifetime, but rather that it is prudent and beneficial to focus on one thing and take it step by step.
With this in mind I was attentive to the game plans laid out for gallery representation and photo books. Especially helpful here is the insight into the experience and preferences of gallerists and editors themselves - who better to learn from, after all? Further, this section of Crusade closely resembles the text we’ve read from numerous times in senior show, Art/Work: a real treasure of trove of practical assistance and the perspective of professionals in the field - certainly would recommend it to all. However, as that book is geared to artists of all types and Crusade is for photographers, there was more information on photo and artist books here. It was nice to know that a crucial step is creating a maquette and one such method for doing so is a service like MagCloud - meaning we’ve already gained some know-how in this area.
Lastly, a shout-out. The photographer quoted at the end of the “Exhibition: Non-Commercial Venues” section, Jess Dugan, was one of the presenters at SPE! She does compelling work with gender, identity, and community and is always mindful of the positive, educational effect it can have on others. Those of you drawn to portraiture should check her out.
No comments:
Post a Comment