Solo Exhibition in New Zealand

[Tudor Caradoc-Davies]

My first solo exhibition is opening Saturday 17th February for a fortnight at the Moray Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand.

The gallery's website is:

http://www.moraygallery.com/home/content/view/81/26/

"This Enchanted Place - Otago Peninsula"

Otago is well down the East coast of the South Island, the Peninsula has spectacular light, water and clouds.

My work is mainly landscapes / lightscapes, with a couple of candids (family, not for sale, change of mood) and birds (change of pace). All are canvas prints stretched with gallery wrap, most are 24" by 36" (limited editions of 10), with some 18" by 28", and the birds 15" by 18". The Epson 9800 has been 100% reliable with never a clog or problem.

Even through I started in October, the last few weeks have been exhausting, and nerve wracking as one work seemed jinxed and needing printing five times (1: cat landed on one canvas and put out crampons with poor result for the canvas, 2: wrong image - too dark, 3 & 4: two with foreign matter mysteriously arriving during spraying), works are now hung, advertising out, and newspaper interview done.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Marian Howell]

congratulations!! i hope the opening goes well! your photos of otago are definately filled with spectacular light, water, and clouds...quite splendid. i especially like the foggy one
and i understand totally about the printing frustration...there's always that drives you crazy!
have fun!

 

[Tudor Caradoc-Davies]

Thanks, Marian.

Well, it is now a fortnight later, and the experience of a solo exhibition has been enormous.

The works were beautifully hung and lit, and appeared to be "windows into another world" as one person expressed it.

We sent out a lot of invitations to the opening, which was packed with 50-60 people, some of whom were friends and many unknown to me. Their warm enthusiasm was very heartening - one friend, a physicist and computer geek, tried to explain how he would design a computer to take the pictures better than I could !

In the catalog I emphasized that each work has its unique viewing distance, and this was appreciated by people. It was gratifying to see their reaction when they hit that point, at which many images took on a 3 dimensional quality. I also enjoyed talking to people visiting the exhibition after the opening, including an erudite discussion about single point perspective.

There were enough sales to cover costs of the gallery and production of the works, but no "hot cakes" selling. The gallery owner had warned me that people in New Zealand still have reservations about buying photographs, no matter how beautiful. She was so impressed by the 36' x 24" canvas of "Mount Charles - Raincloud":

http://brightwater-magic.com/html/mountcharles_raincloud.html

that she asked me to print it larger, which I did at 54" x 36", and it looks amazing, and is still in the gallery window, and draws people into the gallery.

Many people explained to the gallery staff that they could do as well with their P&S cameras ! No comment ...

My learning points were:

People love beautiful work.

The old dilemma - few sales of expensive works, or more sales of less pricey works, no simple answer.

Yes, I'll do it again, right now I feel a bit like on holiday.

Regards,

Tudor.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Tudor I'm glad things went splendidly for you.

Tell the guy with a P&S to go out and do the same and make a lot of money! Yes that's anmnoying but your work did sell and there was good coverage. That proves your work has worth.

It's tough getting started but this a great first step. Look at Alaimn Briot's site. He's a good business person too and you can learn from him. Marketing is the key and making yourself a brand.

Correspond with te buyers. Have special open days to your glalery just for them with discounts on new work etc.

Just gobble up what he and others do and see what might work in NZ,

BTW what is a NZ $ to the US $. It might be an idea to post in Euro and US $ too as NZ $ are not too well know.

For heaven's sake what happened to the Queen and the pound!!

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

For heaven's sake what happened to the Queen and the pound!!Asher

Asher, the "Britts" still have the Pound, they didn't want of the Euro.

You know, Great Britain is a kind of island in the middle of Atlantic !-)

 

[nicolas claris]

Congrats Tudor!
Always good to know that such event went well and …sells!

Don't worry about P&S holders, they belong to best: jealous person, to the the worst: idiots!

a very well known "bug"…

Your "computer" guy let me laugh! what brand was the Champagne? not a French one? you got what the galerie paid for! LOL! just kidding of course!!!

 

[Tudor Caradoc-Davies]

Thanks, Asher.

Yes, that is the reply the gallery staff gave the wannabees with P&S.

Thanks for the suggestion about posting in US$ and Euro's. At present a NZ$ buys about US$0.67 and EU0.5, so a $NZ500 canvas would cost $US340 or EU250 - problem will be the rapidly changing exchange rates.

Yep, marketing is so important, and I will be working on it with the gallery.

Regards,

Tudor.

 

[Tudor Caradoc-Davies]

Thanks, Nicholas.

Funny about exchange rates, my wife and I are setting off in a few weeks around the world to visit family (and new grand-daughter) and friends, and already the NZ$ is weakening ... I would anticipate 10-15% weaker until the middle of June when we return home, and then it will strengthen again ! Just kidding, but that often seems to happen.

Regards,

Tudor.

 

[Marian Howell]

again, congratulations on surviving the gallery showing!
those "p&s" shooters, grrrrrr..., my response (to myself, not to them!) is where were they at that moment the light was perfect?? are they out there an hour before sunrise, setting up, hoping, or are they home asleep?? in addition to the proper tools one also needs to invest the time and effort...
have a great trip around the world visiting family! since i know you'll take the camera i expect some good shots to share when you return

 

[Nathaniel Alpert]

Tudor,

I offer congratulations from a wanabee! It's a pity that we didn't know of your exhibit or your website till I noticed a post here yesterday, a pity because we just returned from a trip to the South Island, also a pity because I would have enjoyed meeting with you and seeking your advice on photographing Otago Peninsula. As it was, we spent a day there wandering around, looking for appropriate photo locations. I have included links to a couple of the shots we came up with and would value your critique.

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/1328MG_1532Otago_Harbor1.jpg
http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/1328MG_1498-Alans_beach.jpg

 

[Tudor Caradoc-Davies]

Hi Nathaniel,

What a pity we missed each other, would have loved showing you round some of the spots.

You certainly caught the light on the far hillside at the fishing jetty, the tidal fall makes for constantly changing views and reflections. The run-down buildings are very attractive. And the light is becoming more interesting as we are heading into autumn.

Lovely shot of Allan's Beach, interesting refections and balance with what we call "Pudding Island". Leads the eye nicely across the image.

Do you use a tripod ? I have found that the light changes so fast that I have decided to use IS lenses and a shutter speed twice the focal length, and the results are OK. And clambering up and down the sea wall would be impossible with a tripod ...

Kind regards,

Tudor.

 

[Nathaniel Alpert]

Hi Nathaniel,

What a pity we missed each other, would have loved showing you round some of the spots.

You certainly caught the light on the far hillside at the fishing jetty, the tidal fall makes for constantly changing views and reflections. The run-down buildings are very attractive. And the light is becoming more interesting as we are heading into autumn.

Lovely shot of Allan's Beach, interesting refections and balance with what we call "Pudding Island". Leads the eye nicely across the image.

Do you use a tripod ? I have found that the light changes so fast that I have decided to use IS lenses and a shutter speed twice the focal length, and the results are OK. And clambering up and down the sea wall would be impossible with a tripod ...

Kind regards,

Tudor.

Thanks for your too kindly critque. As a photo-tourist, just passing through it is very hard to get to the "right" place when the light is also "right." There is a real need for some sort of New Zealand photo-diary with notes on scenic spots, their photographic potential and lighting condtions. If I could get support, I woud be happy to conduct the project.

I was shooting with a Canon 5D with a 24-105 L Zoom for the two shots I linked to my post. On Alan's beach I did not set up the tripod, but I used it on the shot of the fishing jetty. In fact I kind of fell in live with that scene and took a whole series with slightly different crops and compositions. Now that I examine them more closely, I am wondering what intoxicated me so? While standing there, I did not appreciate the clutter and chaos around the buildings. Now I see it as distracting. It so happens there was also a truck in view and the posted image is the only one that did not include it.

I am getting better at my photography, but it is a vey slow process for me.

Best to you,