Show success

Well, the end-of-year show is over and despite my misgivings in the previous post, I think ended up a big success.

The work throughout the exhibition (which also included illustration, art, graphic design and interactive media) was of a very high quality and plenty of people came along to view it.

There is a real rollercoaster of emotions as an exhibitor. When someone chooses to look at my work there is almost a feeling of shock, followed by fear that they might loathe the photos. But the longer a person spends viewing the images, the more those feelings turn to pleasure.

And the show finished on a very satisfying high note. I don't like blowing my own trumpet, so please excuse a rare departure from the norm.

First of all, one woman spent a considerable amount of time looking through all 60 pages of a book of photographs I had prepared for the show... then went slowly through the entire book a second time. Which was pretty encouraging.

Then one of my tutors introduced me to a visitor who had sought him out to say how much he had enjoyed the exhibition.

Shaking me firmly by the hand, the visitor said: "I just want to say how wonderful your pictures are. It was worth coming to the exhibition just to see your photos."

It couldn't have ended any better.

You live and learn

The learning process goes on... even at the very end of my course.

A part of me wishes that the day will come when I have learned much of what I need to know about photography and exhibitions, but another part tells me that a lot of the fun comes with finding out new things. Well, let's just say say that I'm still having fun!

We are in the middle of our end-of-year show at the moment - an event for which I had prepared well and which I began with the hope that my photographs were (a) interesting for the viewing public, (b) good enough to pass the relevant course module and (c) were a decent representation of my work.

But over the past few days, having watched the reactions of visitors to the exhibition, I have come to realise that I still have a lot to learn.

I'm back

Well, I have broken the golden rule of blogging by failing to post an entry for weeks. I will send myself to the naughty step in due course.

In the meantime, here is what I've been up to. My HND course is coming to an end, and the final flourish is an exhibition in Swindon featuring all the courses from the college School of Art.

I have been preparing for this for much of this year - planning my project and taking the photos, of course, but also writing up the background notes, designing and printing business cards, designing a portfolio book and sending out invitations etc.

The past week has involved mounting the exhibition - work that has the potential to be disastrous (requiring, as it does, precise measurements and some DIY skills), but which actually went remarkably smoothly. Some of the results can be seen in the picture above. Please ignore the rubbish-strewn floor!