Booths, 1998-2000

From 1993 to 2000, I worked as a staff photographer for an agency specializing in 'trade-show' photography. Primarily, my role involved traveling across the country for approximately three weeks per month, capturing various aspects of conventions across diverse industries, including pornography, cosmetics, meat and dairy, hospitality, tech, medical, and even photography itself. We photographed keynote speakers, ribbon cuttings, special events, crowds of attendees interacting with vendors, and educational sessions. However, the primary revenue generator for the agency was documenting booths. Exhibitors would invest hundreds to thousands of dollars in having their booths documented, often without people, just to preserve their participation.

After many years of this routine and maintaining a separate art studio practice, I decided to approach my work differently and began creating personal pictures of booths. The following images were taken on the job, mostly in the early morning hours before the exposition opened. Although I was hired to photograph specific companies, sometimes I needed my own photos and would pull out a second camera for these shots. One company, which I obsessively followed for years, manufactured hand-held plastic baskets for food markets. If I couldn't attend their convention, I'd hire a photographer to document the booth, ensuring I had a comprehensive collection of their yearly displays resembling minimalist sculptures. While my images convey a sense of irony and critical distance, I aimed to respect the dignity of how people crafted spaces during the short duration of the trade shows, often resembling mini altars.