Getting My Photos on Walls

The image above will be familiar to anyone who lives in or has lived in Calgary.  The focus is on the Calgary Tower, formerly The Husky Tower, in the centre of downtown.

I saw this scene at night when I went to the Festival of Lessons and Carols at St. Mary’s Cathedral a week before Christmas.  I’d found a parking space on Centre Street and, as I stepped out of the car and looked north, the lit up tower, embraced by the surrounding buildings, made me stop for a moment.  Right then, I promised myself I would be back with my camera.

A week ago, I was in Calgary for an afternoon appointment, so decided I would hang around until sunset and see if I could capture a photograph that looked like what I had seen a month before.

Capturing the image was not straight forward.  I had to set up my camera on a tripod in the centre of the street, right at a three way intersection.  For several attempts I could only make one photograph before having to grab my equipment and hustle over to the side of the road to get out of the way of the cars coming through the intersection.  Thankfully, no drivers were annoyed enough to honk at me.

Initially the sun was still above the horizon and the tower lights were not on.  I made a few photographs and determined my composition, then stayed at the side of the road, waiting for the sun to go down and the skies to darken.  It was then that the magic happened—one of those serendipity moments that photographers are sometimes blessed with.

As the sun headed below the horizon, the sky looked like it had caught fire.  The result was spectacular as it spread a pink glow over the whole scene.  I was ready with my camera, but had to run to and from the centre of the street to get the composition I wanted.  I kept taking photographs after the glow had gone and the sky became dark.

As soon as I got home I processed the images.  Those with the spectacular sky made the others look boring.  The image above is my favourite.

When I have success like this, I always mull over who might want my successful image on their wall.  I get a few ideas that excite me at the time, but I very seldom take any action.  If I were a young man and full of energy, might I be more aggressive when trying to sell the print so it can hang on someone’s wall?  Hard to tell.  Even when I was younger, I would have had a hard time getting up the nerve to stir up interest in my art.  I never had a problem marketing myself as a professional engineer or project manager.  Maybe that’s the answer.  I’ve never considered myself a ‘professional’ photographer.

Once in a while one of my images will be accepted for a gallery exhibit, but sales of my photographs are few.  When a sale does happen, I am thrilled that one of my images is hanging on somebody’s wall.  I understand that if I put some effort into online services such as Instagram and Facebook I could get better exposure to my art, but that’s not how I want to spend my time.  I’m sure I would have a very different approach if I was dependant on my art for income.

I will just carry on with the satisfaction that on our walls at home are hanging many mounted prints of my favourite images.  I feel good when a guest offers compliments on one of those.

PS.

"To improve the golden moment of opportunity and catch the good that is within our reach is the art of life."

Samuel Johnson