Hello. I apologize in advance if this is the wrong forum, but I'm a little lost.
I have been asked to exhibit some of my nature and New Orleans street photography in a glass case in the lobby of a busy hotel. Prior to this, I have mainly just displayed my work digitally. I'm struggling with the printing part of the process, but I should eventually be able to figure it out.
The main issue I'm encountering is with the display case. It is very dimly and unevenly lit with rows of "under the cabinet " style fluorescent lights along the bottom and the top of the case. The visible space is about 102" tall. There are three distinct sections that are each 37" wide. The case is about 5" deep. There is a hole in the bottom right corner of the rightmost section through which a thick power cable runs to the room next door.
When I look closely, I can tell that the pictures currently on display are really bright and colorful, but the lighting has made them look dim and drab. I realize that this might seem a little silly, but that really worries me. This is my first chance to get some exposure in a new city, but If the (far superior) pictures currently occupying the case are any indication, my images are are going to look awful.
I have been trying to figure out some way to make my images stand out - I have investigated backlit frames (though I'm not sure where I could run the power cords), and have also considered making some DIY battery-powered backlit frames using EL panels or diffused LED "throwies," but I'm afraid that I'll just increase glare from the glass. I have looked into adding some bright LED stick on "push lights" to the bottom, top, and sides of the case, but that will also provide uneven lighting, and may cause glare or reflections -- ditto to clip-on art lights. I think the biggest issue might be that, having never done anything like this before, I just can't visualize any of the potential results. Another complicating factor is my rather small budget.
Has anyone here ever had to come up with a creative solution to light a display case? Are there any printing tips that might help images stand out in a dim environment? Also, if this is an inappropriate forum for this question, does anyone have any suggestions on where I should go to ask? This is my first time asking for help on an internet forum, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right.
my 2 cents....... Strip lighting on the inside of the frame - horizontal and verticle. Choose 6 of your best pics, portrait. Or 9 of your pics in landscape mode and make them as large as possible. No mat, or only a quarter inch boarder, to fill up the display. You want to see your pics from as far away as possible. You don't need to spend a lot of cash on this.
That sounds like a great idea - it hadn't even occurred to me that lighting a few large photos would be easier than lighting a bunch of little ones, so thanks! I also love the idea of strip lighting in the frames, but I'm having a hard time visualizing it. Would it be on the outside facing in to the pic or backlighting it? Do you have any suggestions for what kind of strip lighting to use? Again, thank you SO much for your time and help!
