What I've Seen: My Work on Walls

A few years ago, you could usually find me wandering around Cleveland with my Fujifilm X-T30ii. I didn’t know what I was doing with my camera half the time. My photos were often overexposed or underexposed.

Case in point.

But I still made sure to get outside with my camera, holding on to the belief that at some point, the hard work will pay off. I may not become the next great Fujifjilm photographer, but I might get somewhere.

Fast forward two years, and I’m standing in the corner of Larchmere Arts Gallery, photographing my own showcase.

I suffered from a healthy mixture of excitement and anxiety in the days leading up to it. Would my subjects like their portraits? Would the event go well? What if one of the photos dropped?

A lot of overthinking, and most of it was unnecessary, because the event was amazing. Everyone had great things to say about the event, my work, and I got to talk about my process as a photographer.

👉🏾 Read more about the experience: The one where I have a photography showcase

💰 Beyond the Lens: Business Tips for New Photographers

Don’t wait to build out your portfolio. You’ll need one sooner than you think. Set some time aside to create a portfolio page on Squarespace, Wordpress, or another site. Focus on 2-3 key areas–either your strongest work or where you want to grow, and add some examples. Don’t wait until a client reaches out to ask to see your work!

👉🏾 See an example here: Deanna’s portfolio

📸 Through the Lens: Photography Tips and Tricks

Take a day to explore manual focus. Manual focus can seem intimidating at first. But manual focus offers a greater level of precision and control over your image composition. The next time you’re at an event, on a photowalk, or simply have your camera with you, consider using manual focus when shooting.

On a Fujifilm X-T5, you slide the focus selector to M, and focus manually using the focus ring on the lens. In the AF/MF menu, you can modify several settings to make manually focusing easier. I’ll be using manual focus when I go to the Sakura festival in Akron next week.

Final thoughts

Several folks said I should do another show that combines poetry and photography. Maybe the next show could be an open mic with a featured poet. I’d have photos of them hanging on the walls or displaying on a screen somehow. Or maybe I could bring my book idea to life. Who knows.

In either case, the showcase was a great experience, and I feel motivated to continue growing as a photographer.

Have you ever showcased your work? If not, if you could showcase your work, what would you show? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Deanna
What I’ve Seen