Photographing Art Gallery, need tips!

[tecboy]

I have been volunteering photographing people in the art gallery inside the little art school. I enjoy doing this, but I got bored shooting the same composition. How can I make the photographs more interesting and artistic? Tips please?

 

[tirediron]

A little more detail... maybe an example or two of what you've been shooting up 'til now?

 

[tecboy]

I'm thinking having motion blur and less dof?

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[Bitter Jeweler]

Your gallery shots tend to have lots of people with their back to you, which tends to be really boring.
These images often feel like you stand in the middle of the room and take pictures.
You rarely have close ups of people looking at art, or they are rarely contemplative .
That's not necessarily your fault, if the art is boring.
Your images have rarely shown any relation between the people, the art, or the artist(s)

I think, as an "event", you have a tough job in this. Maybe these people are just boring.
Maybe the interesting moments are fleeting, or rare, and you can't be everywhere at once.

I shot at an outdoor art show and I spent an hour around one particular sculpture, only to get a few really good (IMO) shots.
There were other opportunities, but I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I think there is a degree of luck in getting good images.

This one, the artist is in focus, looking at the guy looking at his art...

What does the venue want from you? Do they just want you documenting that there were people there, or are they looking for something with more emotional connection? What are they doing with your images?

 

[AlanKlein80 19]

Bitter said it all and showed nice examples.

 

[tecboy]

The staffs actually like my photos. I think they want these photos for memory and upload to Facebook page. I avoid getting close up, because I don't want the guests feel inappropriate or uncomfortable. Some guests have already talked to me that they don't want to be photographed. I'm trying to make the photos tell the story. Sometime meaningful that relate to art gallery. The previous photographer did use a lot of close up, but the staffs weren't happy.

There is more of my photos.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76378052@N02/sets/72157645040470200/

 

[tecboy]

I think motion blur would be more interesting. I'll go try it out.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Well, then, it sounds like you are giving the client what they want.
Why worry about it.

If they are happy, it doesn't matter what TPF thinks.

Of all the images I've seen you post, #5 resonates the most for me.
It's all faces, lots of them, paying attention to something, showing interest, and turnout.

 

[tecboy]

Well, then, it sounds like you are giving the client what they want.
Why worry about it.

If they are happy, it doesn't matter what TPF thinks.

Of all the images I've seen you post, #5 resonates the most for me.
It's all faces, lots of them, paying attention to something, showing interest, and turnout.

Okay, I have been posting some of these images in the TPF, and there are no comments. I guessed I got really bored shooting over and over again. I'm going to try something unique or different approaches.

 

[bratkinson]

The majority of what I shoot is recurring events at church, some quarterly, others, annual. It's difficult to do something other than the 'standard' shots that are common to every event.

Fortunately, in the 13 years or so I've been photographing church events, my equipment and skills evoloved from a Canon G3 with a big time flash on top to a G5, 30D, 60D and now a 5Diii with L glass. That has allowed me to 'get away' from the ho-hum mostly-flash shots to getting more candid 'people' shots...individuals and groups. Add in fast glass and high ISOs of the 5Diii and no-flash, low light shooting produces some exceptional results. I produce CDs of the images and give them away in addition to prints for those in the pictuers, and for the 'larger' events, create a Powerpoint presentation shown to the congregation.

As the Bitter Jeweler indicated, get more 'personal involvement' shots of 1-3 people or so 'studying' a particular sculpture or picture. It adds a LOT of interest into the 'finished set' of photographs. I try to be as 'invisible' as possible when shooting events. So I find I'm using my 135 f2 or 80-200 f2.8 more than more 'normal' or 'wide' focal lengths. Of course, when I need 'wide' to get a shot (of the crowd, for example), I use a wider lens. The fast glass also facilitates thin DOF shots which adds 'interest' to the photo...Just don't make too many thin DOF shots, as it can get boring if overdone. Also, remember that most women and many men don't want any unflattering pictures of them, so avoid keeping shots like profile shots of overweight people, people putting food in their mouth, or even some with their mouths wide open, talking.

Don't forget the 'crowd' shots or even a shot of the poster(s) publicising the event, the entrance to the gallery with people entering, etc. In short, 'mix it up'. The more different 'types' of shots adds interest for everyone involved.

 

[astroNikon]

I like Bitters explanation best.

I'm curious how the photo would have been in # 2
if you were on the side as one of the people. Close to the art, being part of the crowd and not far back taking a snapshot (as mentioned in other posts).

shallow DOF, focused on the art but capturing the peoples faces off to the side a bit.

You get the art and the people but with the shallow DOF you would get the sense of them looking at the art
or try the standard DOF to get everything.

just an idea ...

 

[vintagesnaps]

If the staff is happy with the pictures then you must be on the right track. I'd ask if they want you to continue with group shots or if they'd also like more closeups. I've used a short telephoto a lot, then you don't have to get in quite so close.

I'd think about when you're framing shots where you're cutting people and objects off, so you have their feet and the entire table leg etc. in the photo. Watch for objects or part of someone's head sticking into your photos, those make for distractions. Some of these might be better if there were fewer paintings and less wall space so the picture showed a few not an entire wall or two so much.

A lot of doing events is the timing - I've found I spend time looking and watching and waiting for people to move in and out of the scene. (I got so I could do it with both eyes open although I have to close one eye to focus - that may not work for anyone else but I got so I could do it and ended up getting a rangefinder designed to be used with either eye.)

Anyway, watch and wait til for example the little girl moves, if people are in a corner wait til they start to come along another wall so you can get them in profile, watch and wait til they turn, etc. Some of these too are so wide you're getting trash cans etc. that I'd try to keep out of the frame (you've already got those black and copper pipes to contend with! lol and you can't get rid of those but you can reframe to keep cans out of shot).

Some adjustment of the framing or a little cropping could be a help. For example #3727 I'd crop the bottom to get rid of the bottom edge of the table and what's below that lopsided bright pink tablecloth and the file cabinets to the right. #3739 is a nice shot of the event but there's an edge of a wooden railing? sticking into the picture, moving around a little you might have gotten that out of the picture (as well as the file cabinets off in the distance). Geez this place has plenty of light sockets and trash cans and file cabinets! lol but that's the thing sometimes with events is figuring out what you want in the frame.

Of course if you find you're getting bored with this you might have to decide if it's worth continuing to do it or not because if the event is people wandering around looking at artwork, that's what you have to work with.

 

[dennybeall]

It takes a certain type of photographer to be happy being a photojournalist. Some can do it and be content, some just don't like simply recording events accurately. Many that do the job fulfill their creative needs by doing other photography on the side.