"It's not curators, it's not critics, it's not the public, it's not collectors who find great artists - it's other artists." - David Galenson

The Art of Curation

Have you ever entered a museum or art gallery and wondered, why was this placed here? Or, why was it displayed in that way? Well, these items didn’t end up there by chance. Each object, art piece and text would have been carefully chosen and displayed in that space by either an individual or collaborative group of curators to create a story. Not a story in the traditional sense, but one that helps guide you into a certain way of interpreting your surroundings. Ultimately it’s a collaboration between artist and storyteller to provoke some kind of dialogue with you - the voyeur. Whilst doing so in an aesthetically pleasing way.

So What Exactly Is Curation?

Simply put, curation is the process of finding, selecting and organising objects into collections. Chances are, you’ve already encountered some form of curation in your everyday life. You may have even done it without realising. Your home, your computer files, even your Facebook profile has undergone some form of curation. Whether deliberate or not, curation is a prominent part of our lives - especially in the age of digital media.  

Why Curating Your Work Is Important

The shift from analogue to digital devices (such as smartphones, tablets and digital cameras) has made photography accessible to the masses. At the click of a button, anyone anywhere can capture an image in an instant and share it worldwide. Gone are the days of lengthy darkroom sessions and long queues at the printers. Something that was not only time-consuming but expensive too. Moreover, a simple mistake like over or underexposing an image could be costly in more ways than one. Especially when you factor in the cost of film, processing and materials.

With the introduction of social media, it has never been easier to find a platform to share your vision with the world. The problem is that this can often lead to over-sharing. The once careful and methodical approach to distributing your images has gone by the wayside. We’re no longer limited to a roll of 24-36 exposures.

Advancements in the way we store media means that you can take hundreds of shots in a matter of minutes. While many of us will painstakingly sift through those photos to publish only the best, we all have that one friend or relative who wants to share them all. No filter, no editing, no curation, just an album full of what are essentially the same image. The simple reason being, that if you can – why not? I can always delete it later. This line of thinking is fine if you’re a casual photographer. However, if you are serious about photography this is highly impractical and unlikely to see you advance anywhere fast.

By taking the time to curate your online galleries, it allows you to not only project a certain message but also build a reputation among your peers and followers. By choosing only the finest of your photographs, your followers will appreciate the care and attention you’ve given to each chosen image.

Social Curation And The Digitisation Of The Gallery

There’s no shortage of platforms to choose from. Myspace and Flickr were among the first websites to allow online curating. Later it was Facebook, which was closely followed by Instagram. Of course, these are just a few of the many sites out there. And whilst these platforms have evolved and become more popular, they have also become victims of their own success in terms of curation.

Sure, using a site like Instagram has the potential for more exposure. There is even a certain degree of curation through the use of hashtags. However, when you take a popular hashtag like #photooftheday (which has over 782 million posts) for instance, you’ll soon see where this platform falls short. 

Yes, there’s moderation. But on a large platform like Instagram, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of kittens, acai bowls and legs (which may or may not be hotdogs). Furthermore, with such a large demographic to cater for, it can be hard to please everyone – it’s never going to happen.

In some cases, this can lead to broad and overly strict censorship (#freethenipple). With many images being reviewed and mass by a robot rather than a human who can use critical thinking to decide a photo’s fate. This one-on-one approach just isn’t possible for such a widely used app.

The Next Step In Photo Sharing: Benefits Of 100ASA

This is where 100ASA.com stands out from its competitors. 100ASA.com is more than a photo-sharing platform. It’s an entirely community-driven curation project.

Open to everyone, photographers can only post once they have a proven reputation. This can be achieved by being an active member of the community. This ensures that only those who want to add real value and insight can contribute and make use of this valuable resource.

This not only prevents spam-bots, trolls and over-saturation but also encourages other photographers to provide constructive feedback and most importantly, get involved. This in turn, will not only lead to more prestige and exposure for users but will help them to hone their skills.

Competition is also a key factor on 100ASA.com, providing users with some motivation to climb the ranks. Photographers are encouraged to only submit their best work for a chance to be featured in one of the curated galleries. The objective of 100ASA.com is simple – quality over quantity.

There are three types of gallery to showcase your work – Elite, Prime and Upcoming. The Upcoming gallery is open to everyone and is where photos will initially be posted for evaluation. The Prime gallery is the next step in becoming curated. This gallery is only reserved for photos that have gained at least an 80% approval rating from other 100ASA.com users. The Elite gallery is just that – Elite. Only 3% of submissions will make it into this exclusive gallery after being handpicked by a curator. So, you can trust that if your image is chosen, you earned it by gaining the appreciation and recognition from your peers.