Get Out There: Images Submitted for Public Gallery Showing

On Saturday, I submitted four images to possibly be included in a public gallery showing. The Denver Darkroom where I took my first digital photography course not only teaches people how to create pieces of art, but it's also very instrumental in finding ways to showcase and sell students' work throughout the community. I blogged about the school's first student exhibit at a local restaurant. Students' photographs will be displayed and sold again during an exhibit being held at Arts on 7th complex next month.

One entire section will be devoted to Denver Darkroom students, and since this is a one-night showing, everything will be priced to sell. Jeffrey Rupp, the Darkroom's exhibits director, said the pieces I chose to enter were daring and he can't wait to see how people are going to react. I have to admit, the images I chose showcase a new side of my photographic talents, namely those artistic nude and boudoir shots that my clients have been clamouring for. Rupp said that if I ever wanted to take a risk in my photography, now is the time to do it in these less formal exhibits.

So I went BIG....meaning I printed out huge 20x30 poster sizes of the images you see throughout this post. The photos caused quite a stir when they were printed at Wolf Camera, as the staff and customers stopped whatever they were doing to see them as they came fresh and hot off the printer. "I love printing good photos!" said the head print technician. She actually came out of her office and helped me frame them. I'm hoping that initial response will bode well for potential sales. And since I got to submit four, I went ahead and added my signature shot of Teri and her daughter Avery because it is one of my personal favs.

As usual, I had problems deciding how to price the photos, so I went with a friend's suggestion to multiply the cost of the print and frame and multiply it by 3 (to cover the costs, make a profit for printing and framing a third image, and put money away for savings). I decided to charge $150 (the $30 for the poster-size print plus the $20 for the frame multiplied by 3) for each one. I feel comfortable with that, since the suggested pricing range for the exhibit was $75 to $250. Maybe it's still too low, but I'm hoping for a quick sale. I need some cash for more classes!