Show Off…
At the end of the year, the Julia Dean Photo Workshops hosts their annual “Show Off”, a curated group exhibition open to past and present workshop students. An event like this is always an inspiration to create new work, and as I realized the deadline was upon us, I got the urge to stay up late and play.
I surveyed a variety of raw images I had taken in the past. With personal work, I’ll often shoot, but not have time to review and process the photos. Later, as I dig through the archives, I feel that I should move forward, shoot new work, and not dwell in the past. But a few images did catch my eye, and I spent a couple of evenings processing and printing. Two of the four images I submitted were selected for the show, and I had the special honor that one of my pictures was used as the promotional image for the exhibit.
The exhibition of 60 photographs is still on display at the Julia Dean Photo Workshops space in Venice, CA. The reception was on Friday, December 18, 2009, and the terrific turnout included a number of close friends and acquaintances. A recent client, Rocco Gaglioti, hosts the fashion website http://fashionnewslive.com/, and he brought Issa, a journalist, to interview me about my photography (he also brought makeup artist to the stars Sharon Gault, fun getting to know her!). During the interview I was informed that a woman was buying the picture that was featured on the promos! It’s fantastic to get the support of all those who say they like your work, and yet another level of encouragement when someone purchases your creative work. She’s also interested in buying my other piece, and is weighing what her budget will allow.
As the reception wound down I got to relax with Julia, as well as Chris and Brandon who run things over there. They all said they had a number of inquiries throughout the evening about me and my work, and that certainly keeps your spirits up, and encourages you to keep shooting, playing and experimenting.
I closed the studio for the holidays that day, and the show reception was a great way to wrap up the year. Thank you to Julia and her crew for all their support, and likewise to everyone who encourages me to make new photographs.
- Brad
The Winning Image