My First Photography Exhibit
"Instagram? You mean the place where people take pictures of their food and put dramatic filters on their bathroom selfies? Yeah, no thanks." - Corey Deshon, circa 2010
Okay, I'll admit it, I was never an early pioneer of the emerging social networking trends, despite studying Information Technology for nine years. Even as of today, I don't have a Snapchat, I don't have a Vine, I'm still not really sure what Periscope is, I've retired from Facebook, and literally the only reason why my Twitter account exists is because I figured I might as well claim the name @CoreyDeshon, because who knows what I might need it for one day. (I will say I am actively trying to use it now. We'll see how that goes).
But Instagram, I must say, has certainly pulled its weight. I finally joined in 2014 after my shoot with Ama, who convinced me that it would be well worth it to promote my work. After all, I was really only shooting because I loved it, so why market? Well, this is why...
After a year and a half working up a pretty decent following (hoping to cross the 9k followers mark next month), my photos began getting some attention in places I'd never think to find them. One of those such places was an event in San Diego, that if I remember correctly had something to do with women's empowerment. I really have no idea what the event actually was, because they didn't exactly ask if they could use my photos. But no harm done, as they did their due diligence by ensuring to credit my name as the photographer and link back to my Instagram. And to be honest, I'm actually quite proud of this, since I do try to ensure that when photographing women, I do so in a way that is respectful, empowering, and unexploitative. So for this event to receive my photos that way must mean I'm doing something right haha. But anyway...
A few weeks after this event I get a call from one of the Showcase Directors of RAW Artists, inviting me to come display my work their upcoming showcase in Hollywood. It turns out, someone saw my work at this event, traced the photo back to Instagram and eventually my old website, found my contact information, and asked if I'd want to exhibit. And that, my friends, is why every photographer should have an Instagram.
Well, the RAW Showcase was tonight, and it was one of the best experiences I've had in my photographic journey to date. Check out some photos below:
(RAW Showcase photos courtesy of Jeffrey Smallwood, Flip Cassidy, and Gil Riego).
Not only was this my first time ever exhibiting my work in print, but it was my first time ever printing photos as well. (Read more about the series I chose to print in my interview with Pixel Magazine here). Naturally, I chose to go with all darkroom printing methods, to ensure the heart of analogue still remained a key factor of my exhibit. I can't wait to showcase again with RAW, and to continue printing my photos for display. Making prints has been a long time coming for me, and this was certainly the jump start I needed to begin the new year strong.
Prints from the showcase and more are available for purchase now in the store!
