People’s Photography 2010

I’ve been having a busy week preparing for what is likely to be an equally busy (but enjoyable) weekend as a participant in People’s Photography 2010.  If you are in the vicinity of Dublin and have any chance at all to pay a visit to the railings around St. Stephen’s Green this Saturday or Sunday, I suggest you do.  Here are seven reasons why.

1. It is free.
2. It is very much a non-commercial event, which means you won’t be getting a hard sell if you stop and linger for a while at anyone’s display of photos.  In fact, please do stop and linger.  The whole idea is for as many people as possible to view as many photos as possible over the two days of the event.
3. Speaking of the many photos, with 200 exhibitors, I’d estimate you can expect to see around 3000 images on display.  All within the space of a few hundred yards.  You’re not going to see the like of that again – well, until next year!
4. One of the great things about the exhibition is that it is not exclusive – any photographer can apply to exhibit, subject only to the limited numbers of exhibitors that the space allows.  That means that you will see a huge variety of photography.
5. There’ll also, naturally, be images from photographers of varying abilities, but that’s not to say you’ll see much in the way of poor photography. A photographer’s biggest critic is him/herself, so by definition if a photographer puts images up for public exhibition, not only to be viewed by the general public, but also by hundreds of other photographers, you can be pretty sure that those images will be what they regard as their best work.  That alone ensures the standard of photography on display for the two days will be very high.
6. If you’re a photographer and not exhibiting yourself, this is also a chance to put faces to names in terms of photographers you may have come across in the past. I “know” at least 40 of those who are exhibiting this weekend, and I’m looking forward to finding them and looking at their work in print, rather than on a screen where I would see many of my fellow twitter- and blog-based photographers display their work usually.
7. And if you’re still not convinced, I should mention that the whole event is for a good cause.  Exhibitors paid €25 for their slot and all proceeds after costs go to charity – last year the National Council for the Blind in Ireland and the Dublin Simon Community each received €2,000 from the event.  By coming to view the exhibition, you are helping to support such good causes by encouraging exhibitors to return next year and so ensuring it takes place year after year.

The photo above is of my pitch (and those of some of my neighbours) at last year’s exhibition.

This year I’ll be exhibiting in much the same spot – on the railings at the north side of the green, closer to the Grafton Street end (and the horses) with my name stuck over my photos. If you happen to be a reader of the blog please do come to see (in print) some of the images that have appeared on these pages over the last year.  And don’t forget to say hello when you do!