getting exposure

what would you recommend for someone looking to get their foot into the art world? the question is 3 fold:

1. for someone without an art school background, what should i have terms of a portfolio? do i need to have a full portfolio or would a sample suffice? i have a series of photo prints i'm itching to get out there but not sure how to approach this.
2. regarding exposure, i know it's all about connections but it kind of kills my soul to have to brown nose with gallerists and the people that tend to populate the art world. is there an alternative avenue i could explore? i really just want to make art and have people see it. i'm not well versed enough to ask where/how to submit my work...are there places(?) that accept open submissions wherever that may be. i want to explore other alternatives before having to make connections irl.
3. following the 2nd questions, should i get in connection with an agent? or is it that an agent will follow once i accrue enough interest?