Public Feedback
We had an open studio/Art trail this weekend. About 65 visitors visited the studio. This was the first time that I had displayed my work to the public. I wasn’t sure how I would feel. In my previous life I was used to presenting and talking about strategies and projects but it was never as personal as this was. At the basic level it was ‘Would they be interested in what I am doing?’ Luckily I was only aware of one person who stuck their head round the corner, had a quick look, then walked off.
Most people came in and had a good look round. Some obviously did not want to talk and just looked at the pictures but probably half of them were interested enough to talk, question and be interested in what I was doing. Without doubt the biggest topic of conversation was digital vs traditional photography. However this was always in a positive manner rather than an anti photoshop idea. There was only one person who was anti digital, he owned a digital camera and photoshop but he said that he felt so guilty using them.
The next most popular topic was ‘Why I had chosen Black and White’. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who preferred B & W. Obviously reassuring since this is my preferred medium.
The 2 most rewarding exchanges were with a lady who came in and said that she had specifically come to see my work. She took her coat off, put her bag down and we spent the next 30 minutes discussing my work, technique, style and looking at individual prints, talking about what I was trying to achive. It was really rewarding to have that much interest shown in my work. The next was another lady and again we were getting pictures down and discussing composition, how I used contrast to achive a certain look. What surprised me about both of these exchanges was how comfortable I felt describing what I was trying to achieve and how I had gone about it.
So overall a good weekend, positive feedback and I came away feeling that I was doing something worthwhile. The only downside was that I didn’t sell much. A couple of mounted prints and some cards. I just covered my costs which is good. But hopefully building some relationships for the future which can only be good.
