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 large glass case in the lobby of a busy hotel. Prior to this, I have mainly just displayed my work digitally. I'm struggling with with the printing part of the process, but the biggest 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 an outlet in the room next door.
When I look closely, I can tell that the pictures currently on display are actually 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 without a huge tangle), 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 will probably cause glare and/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? Also, are there any printing tips (paper types and surfaces to use or avoid, etc.) 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? Today is the first time I have asked for help on an internet forum, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right.
Thank you very much for your time.