Ready for her close-up
Apr. 18th, 2018 10:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
offcntrWhen I first started in ceramics, in grad school and afterwards, at the Craft Center, I shot my own pictures. On film, no less, color slides, using photo floods and fabric back drops and having to clean the studio to make space for my jury-rigged set up. Fairly early in the process, somewhere between when I stopped looking for teaching jobs and started jurying for art fairs, I decided I needed to hire a professional. My home-brew slides weren't cutting it, and if I was planning to take myself seriously as an artist, I needed to be willing to invest in my career.
My first photographer was a friend from the music world, a part-time professional in the process of going full-time. He took some nice pictures for me, but, as neither of us had a really good idea how we wanted them lit or composed, it took forever. Fortunately, he was also giving me a friendly rate, so it worked out.
My second photographer was another potter, who'd spent some time and money on a much more professional set-up, and was amortizing the cost by shooting slides for the rest of us. Because he was used to lighting and shooting pottery, he did a much faster job of it. However, because he shot a lot of pots, he obsessed about things like highlights and reflections, to the point where I'd have to wash off three layers of spray dulling media when I got the pottery home again.
I started working with my current photographer, Jon Meyers, on a personal recommendation. His mother and I sang in the church choir together--still do--and she told me he was just out of college and starting a photography business. We hit it off right away. He was efficient, professional, and did consistent work. I've been using his services ever since; I think we transitioned from film to digital together. He's not cheap, but for an hour's paid time I generally get about a dozen high quality images. To me, it's worth the investment.
Took Harriet and a couple of new pots down to my Jon this morning. Here's a couple of samples.
My first photographer was a friend from the music world, a part-time professional in the process of going full-time. He took some nice pictures for me, but, as neither of us had a really good idea how we wanted them lit or composed, it took forever. Fortunately, he was also giving me a friendly rate, so it worked out.
My second photographer was another potter, who'd spent some time and money on a much more professional set-up, and was amortizing the cost by shooting slides for the rest of us. Because he was used to lighting and shooting pottery, he did a much faster job of it. However, because he shot a lot of pots, he obsessed about things like highlights and reflections, to the point where I'd have to wash off three layers of spray dulling media when I got the pottery home again.
I started working with my current photographer, Jon Meyers, on a personal recommendation. His mother and I sang in the church choir together--still do--and she told me he was just out of college and starting a photography business. We hit it off right away. He was efficient, professional, and did consistent work. I've been using his services ever since; I think we transitioned from film to digital together. He's not cheap, but for an hour's paid time I generally get about a dozen high quality images. To me, it's worth the investment.
Took Harriet and a couple of new pots down to my Jon this morning. Here's a couple of samples.