Artful ATL Prep Companion Article: Selecting Images
The clock is ticking—just 35 days from May 3rd to prepare for the Artful ATL show on June 7th at Atlanta Contemporary
"I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit." - Erykah Badu
And perhaps, as I confess in the video below, I'm a bit too sensitive. At any given moment, I might believe I have 20 exhibition-worthy images, and the next moment feel I have nothing worth showing. This emotional oscillation is part of the selection process that I'm sharing with you as I prepare for Artful ATL 2025.
The Video Journey
In this first installment documenting my preparation for Artful ATL, I take you through my current selection process, my exhibition history, and the specific locations I'm targeting for new photographs. As one of 30+ visual artists who will be displaying at Atlanta Contemporary—one of the Southeast's leading contemporary art centers—I'm working to create not just individual striking images, but a cohesive visual narrative across my allocated wall space.
A History of Exhibition Evolution
My first photography exhibition in 2021 at ARTiculate ATL came just a year into my serious pursuit of photography. With a relatively thin archive, I selected four images that, when arranged together, created a powerful narrative that resonated with the social climate of the time:
White silence equals compliance
It's okay to be Black
Everything will be okay
A change is going to come
To my surprise and delight, all four images sold—a powerful affirmation for a new photographer.
For my 2022 return to ARTiculate, I expanded my approach by featuring my "When You See Them" project—a series honoring African-American Gen X men with their "flowers" (both literal and metaphorical). I paired these portraits with street photography matched by color palette and the personality of each subject.
2023 became a year of experimentation, particularly with fog photography, which led to the cornerstone image for what would become my "Vanishing Point" project. By 2024, this project had fully taken shape, and I premiered several pieces at ARTiculate ATL 2024.
The Current Selection Status
For Artful ATL 2025, I'm focusing on presenting the expanded "Vanishing Point" collection. What began as fog-based photography has evolved to include dusk and storm conditions—creating a broader visual language for exploring Atlanta's overlooked architecture.
Currently, I have about 5-6 strong candidates that I'm 90-100% confident will be included in the show. This means I need to find 4-5 more images to complete my vision for a 10-piece exhibition. Some may come from my existing archive, but I'm also actively shooting new material.
The Scouting Process
Scouting is a crucial component of my creative process. I always have a camera ready—whether shooting through a car window or walking through a neighborhood. These initial captures help me understand not just the building itself, but its context: surrounding elements, tree lines, light patterns, and how they might transform under specific atmospheric conditions.
I'm currently targeting three specific locations:
Big John's Liquor on Memorial Drive, with its appealing light bar on the sign that creates a distinctive pop
A Jamaican restaurant in Scottdale that I've photographed multiple times in different conditions, seeking the perfect composition that aligns with the Vanishing Point aesthetic
A small soul food restaurant near my home, whose exterior lighting creates an interesting visual element
With only about three weeks remaining to capture these new images—allowing two weeks for printing and preparation—I'm carefully planning my shooting schedule around weather conditions and optimal lighting times.
Technical Considerations
My final considerations in the selection process are technical: size and material. I've developed a signature printing style using aluminum with LED backlighting that gives the images an ethereal glow—perfect for the atmospheric qualities of Vanishing Point. This approach will continue for the Artful ATL show.
While last year I presented both panoramic and square formats to offer different price points and showcase various composition techniques, I've increasingly fallen in love with the panoramic format. For this exhibition, I'm leaning toward an all-panoramic presentation, though in varying sizes.
Next Steps
With the selection process underway, I'm balancing the need to finalize existing choices with creating new work. Once I've completed my shooting schedule and made final selections, I'll move into the production phase—ordering prints, addressing any technical issues, and designing the wall layout for installation.
Artful ATL uses a salon-style presentation format, which gives each artist approximately 10 feet of wall width with a vertical hanging restriction between 4 and 6 feet up from the floor. This specific canvas requires careful consideration of how these images will converse with each other in the exhibition space.
In the next installment of this series, I'll share the results of these upcoming shoots and walk through my final selection and sizing decisions.
Have questions about my selection process or suggestions for locations that might fit the Vanishing Point aesthetic? Share them in the comments below or join the conversation on Instagram @[your handle].
For event details and tickets to Artful ATL (June 7th at Atlanta Contemporary), visit ArtfulATL.org.