Need advice for my first exhibition, please!

[mirkoc]

I posted this in another forum section too. Hopefully this is the right one.

The exhibition is going to be a small one, with photos taken during classical concerts of young musicians. It will be set in the quite tight space in front of the entrance of (small) concert hall at the evening of this season's opening performance.

it will consist of 12 B&W photos printed on A3 matte paper. The printing will be made in a print studio that regularly prints for exhibitions. I haven't decided what kind of framing will be used.

The printing will be free in exchange for some kind of promotion of the studio which is also local importer and distributor of one of the world's best inkjet paper companies.

What are the questions I have to ask people at the studio to prepare my photos as best I can so I have as much control of the result. What is usual work flow in these circumstances (small control prints, etc.). The biggest worry that comes to my mind is of prints that are too dark or with a very different contrast balance in relation to my calibrated monitor (not expensive one).

Should I tell them to make a print of b&w tone scale picture so I can match my monitor to their print output? How hard should I go through details with them? I haven't had any experience with this or any studio but they seem to be ok, open and cooperative.

I also need some general advice about having an exhibition.

Thank you in advance.

[Lusha45]

I can only share information from the experience of my friend.
He met with the printer and explained the area (lighting, space) where the prints are to be displayed. Print shops, especially when they are getting credit for their work or products, tend to make sure they look great.
Sorry cannot give you any personal experience.

[sapearl]

Hello there Mirkoc and congratulations on the exhibit. These are wonderful opportunities and it's always very satisfying to have your work nicely matted, framed and exhibited in a public place. It's a great way to view and appreciate images.

I'll see if I can help you out. I do my own fine art printing, matting and framing at home using an Epson printer and 13x19" paper. I have standardized to this size for convenience and framing. Typically I will make a 15x10" print on this paper, cut a matt with about 2" or slightly more on each side - depending upon how the image was cropped - and then assemble this in a 16x20" plain, black, Neilson frame.

This is what the pieces look like when they are displayed:

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