Photo exhibit at Borderlands

[swan_tower]

Not that you can really make out the details in this picture (I took it with my phone), but: you are looking at the very first public exhibition of my photography.

That’s the café at Borderlands Books, with eight of my photos on the wall. Last year it occurred to me that, hey, they regularly have local artists hanging their work in the café — and I count as a local artist. I talked to the store’s owners, and we agreed that it would make sense for me to do a small exhibition that coincides with the release of In the Labyrinth of Drakes. I hung the pictures on Monday night; they’ll be there through the end of May.

There’s no thematic connection between the photos and the book; I haven’t traveled enough in the Middle East to put together a decent collection of Labyrinth-appropriate shots. (Israel and Turkey are the closest I’ve gotten, and most of my Israeli pictures are of Neolithic archaeological sites. Which is to say: dirt. And the occasional rock.) Instead it’s just eight photos I happen to really like, grouped in four pairs. If you’re curious which ones I chose, I’ve made a Flickr set of them here — or you can go to Borderlands and see them in person. :-) In fact, why not come to Borderlands on April 9th? I’m doing a reading and signing there at 3 p.m. that Saturday. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then between the photos and the reading, that’s like ten thousand words for your effort. It’s a bargain, I’m tellin’ ya.

And should you happen to like one or more of the pictures especially well, they’re for sale! The precise size varies depending on the proportions of the photo in question, but they’re all in the ballpark of a sheet of paper (U.S. 8.5″x11″/U.K. A4), printed full-frame on acrylic panels, with French cleats. Individual prices also vary, but they’re less than a hundred dollars, plus shipping costs. The photos will all remain on display at Borderlands until the show ends, but I’ll mail them out as soon as I can when that’s done.

It feels a little odd, doing this. I think that publicly displaying my pictures and putting them up for sale means I can officially refer to myself not just as a writer, but as a photographer. Somehow, when I wasn’t looking, I acquired a second artistic pastime. But seeing them hanging on the wall of the café . . . it feels a little odd, but also cool. :-)

Originally published at Swan Tower. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[dhampyresa]

Congrats!

[swan_tower]

Thanks!

[bookblather]

Wow, those are really beautiful! Congratulations on the exhibit!

[swan_tower]

Thank you!

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's incredibly cool!

Sadly, I cannot make it to Borderlands, but I looked at the Flickr set. They're really beautiful--I can't decide whether my favorite is the butterfly (? I don't know my Lepidopterae) or the nighttime shot of the building blazing with light.

May your photography career bring you much joy and profit! :D

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a butterfly. And the Piazza di San Marco shot was consistently a winner when I asked a bunch of people to vote on the ones I should print for the show. :-)

[reedrover]

Congratulations! I hope that the odd feeling gives way to some pride and satisfaction that you are an artist!