Why?

Why? – is the question we don’t ask often enough. During an interesting and engaging conversation with a fellow photographer we discussed the reasons to why ( in this particular case ) you should or should not physically exhibit your photos.

So WHY would you have an exhibition?

Some first things that came to my head followed by counter points were:

• Money driven; if you want to make a living out of your photography. You want exposure and fame. You want to get clients and get noticed by editors ( that is if any of them will attend your exhibition, therefore you need to promote wisely )

But you get far more exposure online! If you share on social media, you’ll get tons of exposure. You can post your CV to online magazines. Not even talking about your Ego – thats a wrong way to go…

• Self confidence boost, approval that your work is good enough to be hanged on a wall

Once again, you can boost your confidence online. There are competitions you can enter, photographers you can trust your images with. There are ways to boost your confidence without a physical exhibition.

• Giving it back to the city, the people. Sharing your point of view on surroundings and how YOU see the world.

• Doing it for a charity, with hope to raise money for a good cause you believe in, just like in this case.

Personally I think the last two options will fit much better than the first two. 

But in the end it depends on every individual. It’s important to ask yourself these questions once in a while so you don’t get off track and fall into the Fame trap.

The main thing, will it make you happy and hungry to make more photos, tell more stories? Do you want to be heard and not only on the internet?

Do you want to release YOUR “Nevermind” album or publish YOUR “Crime and Punishment” and share it with the world?

Do you have anything to add or suggest on this matter. Would YOU consider doing an exhibition and HONESTLY – why? Don’t hesitate to comment.

Thank you for reading

Yuri