- \n
- PUTTING TOGETHER My First Photo Show<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ONLINE GUIDE to My First Photo Show, including high-res photos, captions, descriptions, and locations<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ABOUT My First Photo Show <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- CONTACT<\/a> \/ billzarchy@gmail.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1176-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWith months to plan, I jumped at the chance to organize an exhibit of my photographs at our synagogue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plenty of time for a series of interesting and sometimes costly decisions on the number, size, and presentation of pictures, as well as arrangement, hanging, lighting, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew I wanted to feature a plethora of photos, more than the 30 or 40 I had seen in previous exhibitions in the same space, on a potpourri of subjects \u2014 flowers, sunsets, landscapes, and Judaism; travel shots from Ireland, Italy, Hong Kong, Holland, Florida; people in Israel, India, China, Scotland, and Mexico; plus a few abstracts, some baseball photos, and many from dog walks near my home in northern California. I named the show Faces and Places: Albany, Israel, and Beyond<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First decision: prints. If I limited the photo size to 8 x 10, which I could print myself, I still shuddered to think of the expense of matting and framing dozens of prints in the usual manner. And the thought of hanging and leveling all those glass-framed, wire-hung photos was daunting, to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I decided to use photo tiles for the prints in my photo show, because they were both economical and convenient. I stumbled upon photo tiles through their ubiquitous ads on social media and ran some test prints from two vendors, Mixtiles and Phototiles. Both companies produced only 8 x 8-inch tiles, either unframed on foam board or with dinky plastic frames. No glass. The print quality was excellent\u00e2\u20ac\u201dclear, sharp, and accurate renditions of the brilliant, saturated colors I wanted to feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each tile came with adhesive mounting tape on the back to make it easy to stick on a wall, then remove and restick, many times. Or so they claimed. The convenience, hopefully, would more than make up for the 20% of print area lost in the 8 x 8 pictures, compared to 8 x 10. I had to re-crop nearly every photo to accommodate the square format, and I couldn’t use some of my favorites that just didn’t lend themselves to being square. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both my tested vendors allowed me to order photo tiles from an app on my phone. But only Mixtiles would let me order from a website on my desktop computer, where I had many thousands of photos and professional picture-tweaking tools. That made the choice of printing company easy, and I opted for unframed tiles, which were simpler visually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mixtiles had a reasonable pricing schedule \u2014 $49 for the first three prints in an order, then $9 per print thereafter \u2014 plus frequent two- and three-day sales offering discounts of 10%, 20%, and more. Serendipitously, I was able to print my entire show in two large orders, during 30%-off sales. Turnaround took four to five days from order to delivery. And the show was easy to hang with a small level. My wife Susan and I put up 87 tiles in about three hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest decision: how to arrange the pictures. I toyed with the idea of grouping them all together in a large massive clump with no space between them, but the cuteness and simplicity of that idea were soon eclipsed by the realization that clumping diminished the photos when they shared so many common borders. With no buffering space, individual shots lost impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when I grouped them in checkerboard clusters, three tiles high, kissing only corners, they took on a group identity while maintaining their individuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I planned to hang the photo exhibit just after Labor Day in the Social Hall at Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, a large, utilitarian room with walls of pale orange and beige. Over the summer before, I examined and measured the room and photographed the room several times. I found (on three different walls, in between doors, windows, sconce lights, and large potted trees) seven separate spaces of various widths available to me for clusters of photos. Some spaces would accommodate one small cluster just a few tiles wide. Some were huge and could handle several large clusters. The room was brightly lit, and additional lighting was out of the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help plan, I printed some dull, one-and-a-half-inch thumbnails of my pictures on plain paper, then cut them out and spread them on a table. The effect was bland and boring, so I printed them again with bright colors on photo paper, two inches square, and they came to life! I had a great time tweaking and pushing and sliding them all around during several sweet weeks of fiddling, then “locked picture”\u009d\u2014 finalized the order, photographed each cluster of thumbs, and numbered the pics, 87 in all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1173.jpg\")
Printed thumbnails laid out on a table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n I assigned the lowest numbers to the most prominent wall position in the Social Hall, between the two kitchen doors, above the beverage service. From there, the numbers proceeded clockwise around the room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using these numbers, I uploaded an online guide to the show, including captions, descriptions, and locations of photos: b<\/a><\/strong>i<\/a><\/strong>l<\/a><\/strong>l<\/a><\/strong>z<\/a><\/strong>a<\/a><\/strong>r<\/a><\/strong>c<\/a><\/strong>h<\/a><\/strong>y<\/a><\/strong>.<\/a><\/strong>c<\/a><\/strong>o<\/a><\/strong>m<\/a><\/strong>\/<\/a><\/strong>p<\/a><\/strong>h<\/a><\/strong>o<\/a><\/strong>t<\/a><\/strong>o<\/a><\/strong>s<\/a><\/strong>h<\/a><\/strong>o<\/a><\/strong>w<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had considered arranging my photos in clusters by subject, but that didn’t always work. Seeing half a dozen sunsets together cheapened them. A similar thing happened with my close, intimate shots of spring blossoms. Spread out, or sprinkled among other types of pictures, they grab you and invite you to move in and study them. Crowded together, they’re just a bunch of flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can see the clusters below, as they appear on the walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I made ten clusters in all, some based on similar color tones, like red, blue, green, and pale pink. I split up many sunsets and landscapes, clustered together most of the Judaism and Israel photos, grouped a lot of the people-on-the-street shots, and used the blossoms as accents. Closeup shots faces all face into the cluster, rather than toward the edge (a technique I learned doing newspaper layout when I was Managing Editor of The Dartmouth<\/em>back in the day). Each cluster has an identity of its own, though sometimes I can’t describe it in words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love hearing, “Oh, I just noticed those are all green,” or “I’m glad you put a flower in the middle of those other intense pictures,”\u009d or “I just noticed it looks like this person is looking at that sunset (in another photo).”\u009d It’s fun when people notice there’s a method to the madness of the cluster arrangements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1181.jpg\")
1 Yad pointer with Torah scroll, Congregation Beth El, Berkeley, California
2 Street scene, Jerusalem, Israel
3 Torah crown (detail), Congregation Beth El, Berkeley, California
4 Dinosaur menorah, Albany, California
5 Book of Esther, Congregation Beth El, Berkeley, California
6 Orchid canna (aka Canna lily). Dog walk photo, Albany, California
7 Sunset, Point Isabel, California. Dog walk photo
8 Lantana. Dog walk photo, Albany, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1228.jpg\")
9 Windmill and canal, Gouda, Netherlands
10 Food seller in street stall, Beijing, China
11 Tulip. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
12 Lovers’ padlocks on canal bridge, Amsterdam, Netherlands
13 Sunset with wife and dog, Sea Ranch, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1225.jpg\")
14 Sunset, Sea Ranch, California
15 Street scene, Hong Kong, China
16 Tea rose. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
17 Shop owner in Old City, Jerusalem, Israel
18 Policeman, Jerusalem, Israel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1185.jpg\")
19 Abstract street scene, San Francisco, California
20 San Diego Padres’ Everth Cabrera flies around the bases, AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
21 Giants’ catcher Buster Posey watches 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval try on Panda hat at 2011 FanFest. Within a few months, Posey’s season ended after a devastating collision at the plate, and Sandoval broke his wrist. AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
22 Giants’ outfielder Angel Pagan gazes heavenward as he pops up. AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
23 At full extension, Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum prepares to let one fly. AT&T Park, San Francisco, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1221.jpg\")
24 Lily. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
25 Butcher shop, Shanghai, China
26 Ladies at bus station, Mandya, Karnataka, India
27 Garden tulip. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
28 Young couple, Tel Aviv, Israel
29 Peruvian lily (with bee). Dog walk photo, Albany, California
30 Narrow canal, Venice, Italy
31 Purple azalea. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
32 Young man in cafe, Bangalore, India
33 Tea rose. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
34 Garden rose. Dog walk photo, Albany, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1190.jpg\")
35 Sword fern. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
36 Calla lily leaf. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
37 I love this fanciful, meandering brick wall under construction a few blocks from my home. Dog walk photo, Albany, California.
38 Sweet fennel. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
39 Romanesque cauliflower (aka Romanesco broccoli), El Cerrito, California. What a wonderful, natural fractal pattern!
40 My pal Mush and his Porsche. Albany, California
41 Tree aeonium with droplets. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
42 Flying low over the verdant fields of the Emerald Isle, approaching Dublin, Ireland
43 Enchanted Kingdom, aka Backyard, Albany, California. That moment when the foliage is most glorious, and the light is just perfect …
44 Bodega Bay, California
45 Gondola on the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1191.jpg\")
46 Young women on bench, Mexico City, Mexico
47 Curio vendor, Shanghai, China
48 Children with grandmother, Thirukolakudi village, Tamil Nadu, India
49 Kids posing eagerly for the camera, Mandya, Karnataka, India
50 Museum coat check gadget, Rotterdam, Netherlands
51 Street scene, Shanghai, China
52 Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel
53 Woman with red bindi, Thirukolakudi village, Tamil Nadu, India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1272.jpg\")
54 Sunset, Sea Ranch, California
55 Woman with orange sari, Mandya, Karnataka, India
56 Harbor view from hotel, Hong Kong, China
57 Grand Canal at night, Venice, Italy
58 Piazza di Santa Maria, Florence, Italy
59 Mt. Shasta hovers over the freeway. Interstate 5, Northern California
60 Ambulance at dusk. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
61 Turbaned forklift driver, Aalsmeer Flower Market, Netherlands
62 Rainy evening street scene, Venice, Italy
63 Sunset, Point Isabel, California
64 Water birds, Green Cay Nature Center, Boynton Beach, Florida<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1273.jpg\")
65 Old woman, Thirukolakudi village, Tamil Nadu, India
66 Garden tulip. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
67 Smoker with ear buds, Jerusalem, Israel
68 Woman with stroller, Gouda, Netherlands
69 Wild iris. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
70 Tourists! Gondola riders with photo bomber, Venice, Italy
71 Exuberant tour guide, Scotland
72 Dutch sky, near Gouda, Netherlands
73 Yad with Torah scroll, Congregation Beth El, Berkeley, California
74 Couple in cafe, Tel Aviv, Israel
75 Old man, Mandya, Karnataka, India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1197.jpg\")
76 Outside Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel
77 Ice cream eaters, Mexico City, Mexico
78 My lighting gaffer, Dragon Lau (on left), buying roasted chestnuts from street vendor, Shanghai, China
79 Young family on bench, Mexico City, Mexico
80 Rainy day, Leiden, Netherlands
81 Street scene with shadows, Solano Avenue. Dog walk photo, Albany, California
82 Dramatic sky at dusk, Delft, Netherlands
83 Street scene, Dublin, Ireland
84 Family tableau, Amsterdam, Netherlands
85 Dramatic sky, Point Isabel, California. Dog walk photo
86 Family scene, Amtrak Station, Sacramento, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Faces and Places: Albany, Israel, and Beyond Scroll down to read about and see the clusters of pictures as they appear on the wall in my photo exhibit. With months to plan, I jumped at the chance to organize an exhibit of my photographs at our synagogue. Plenty of time for a series of interesting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1355,"parent":1328,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1353","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1324g-lP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1353\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billzarchy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- ONLINE GUIDE to My First Photo Show, including high-res photos, captions, descriptions, and locations<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n