Richard Wilks on mon 26 aug 96
My mother and a good friend are both professional photographers. I get
good input from them and two books. One was mentioned earlier and the
other I have found even more helpful (but more expensive).
Photographing Your Craftwork
By Steve Miller
ISBN 0-934026-81-5 12.95sb
The Artists' Handbook for Photographing Their own Artwork
By John White
ISBN 0-517-88174-8 24.00sb
I will recommend that you first do tests using your film to coordinate your
lights, film, speeds, and also do your shooting at night or in a totally
dark room (so that you limit the reflections from windows and other light
sources on your work).
Good luck,
Kelley Wilks
Cone 6 porc.
University of Dallas, graduate student
Bob Pulley on mon 26 aug 96
I haven't been following this very closely, but thought I would tell my
system as it works pretty well for me. First of all my work is pretty
large sculpture, so my system may not transfer too well to someone doing
small pots.
First, I've got a good 35mm camera and a good tripod. I have a 70-210mm
lense that works well. I can set up my tripod and adjust the image of each
shot to fill the frame without moving the tripod. I use 160 Ektochrome
Tungsten film. I shoot at night in the studio with only the photo floods
on. At one end of my garage/studio I set up stands that hold my background
paper. ( I use white). I pull out the paper and tape it out about 8 feet
with a gentle arc of paper moving up to the roll. The work goes near the
front of the paper. I use two photo floods with 2300 Kelvin bulbs set close
together one slightly above the other with the highest about the same
height og the sculpture. In front of the floods and a foot or two away I
have a 2x4 foot frame of pvc pipe with a frosted white shower curtain duct
taped to it. This acts as a difuser and makes the light source a big light
source. The lights are about 45 degrees to the sculpture and the difuser
is only a couple feet from the sculpture. On the other side of the
sculpture I have a 2x4 foot piece of insulation board with crinckled
aluminum foil contact cemented to it and proped as close to the work as
possible without getting in the viewfinder. I adjust it to bounce light
the opposite side as well as possible. sometimes I light the backdrop on
one side with a diffused flood or block some light on one side of the
backdrop with a piece of plywood or cardboard to get more contrast. This
can be done without re metering because it does not affect the light
falling on the sculpture. In any case the background will be out of focus
and some kind of grey because of its distance from the work and the lights.
I use a hand held meter to take a reading off a grey card held
perpendicular to the line of camera sight. I lock the camera mirror and
use a remote shutter trip to further reduce vibrations. All together I get
good resolution, good modeling, and good color. Check out the slides on my
web page if you want to see the effect (moderated by the media).
Robert Pulley
pulley@mail.cpbx.net
http://www.cpbx.net/PBXonline/Arts/listings/bpulley/pul.html
Robert Pulley
pulley@mail.cpbx.net
Cindy Thompsen on sun 13 jul 97
I would like any info on incorporating my photography and ceramic work.
I would like to show my photos on my ceramic work. Is there any way
besides using Liquid Light?
Please let me know of any success applications, recipes, etc.
(even if it is with Liquid Light)
THANKS!!!
cindy thompsen
Darryl Baird on mon 14 jul 97
> I would like any info on incorporating my photography and ceramic work.
> I would like to show my photos on my ceramic work. Is there any way
> besides using Liquid Light?
===============================================
Liquid Light can't withstand a firing, so it would only be post-kiln
addition.
On the otherhand, some laser-prints and xerox(generic word)-copies will
transfer (using a mild solvent) to wet or dry clay and survive firing.
I've only used the Hewlett-Packard laser prints and bisque fired the
(tile) images. The black toner turns sepia. Tonality was excellent,
considering the poor reproduction of laser prints in general.
Also, there's a book entitled, _Ceramics and Print_, by Paul Scott. I
picked a copy up at Trinity Ceramics Supply in Dallas. It has MANY
approaches to getting images onto ceramic object,
including....silkscreen, decals, intaglio(!), relief prints, plaster
relief molds, and monoprinting.
Lots of experimentation ahead!
Darryl Baird
Patrick & Lynn Hilferty on mon 14 jul 97
Cindy,
The answer(s) would probably depend on how you see photography fitting in
with your ceramics. Liquid Light is silver based, so you'll have to deal
with adapting standard developing practices to the object that you intend
the image to go on, ie., say, tray developing a pot.
Less conventional processes have their own advantages and drawbacks.
Cyanotype is very simple to mix up and process (just rinse it in water) but
the light sensitivity is low, the exposures are long, and the light sources
have to be strong and ultraviolet. Also, don't plan on firing the object
again unless you want to break down the potassium ferricyanide into into
one of its base components, cyanide gas. Gum bichromate is another
alt-process that has been used, but the ammonium bichromate has to be
handled with care. Gum is cool because it can be used as a medium to hold
glaze or underglaze. I've used Hunt/Speedball Photo silkscreen emulsion
successfully (well, once, successfully) in combination with EZ Stroke
underglazes as a pre-mixed gum substitute.
You can also do a xerox transfer which is coating a xerox with gloss
medium, letting it dry and soaking off the paper in water. The result could
be applied to your surface with more medium.
More photo information can be found at:
http://duke.usask.ca/~holtsg/photo/faq.html
Let me know how things work out.
Patrick
At 10:23 -0400 7/13/97, Cindy Thompsen wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I would like any info on incorporating my photography and ceramic work.
>I would like to show my photos on my ceramic work. Is there any way
>besides using Liquid Light?
>Please let me know of any success applications, recipes, etc.
>(even if it is with Liquid Light)
>THANKS!!!
>cindy thompsen
******************************************************************************
Patrick Hilferty
Belmont, CA 94002
E-Mail:
Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~philferty/
*****************************************************************************
Jim Duffy on wed 16 jul 97
How about decals?
Cindy Thompsen wrote:
> ----------------------------Original
> message----------------------------
> I would like any info on incorporating my photography and ceramic
> work.
> I would like to show my photos on my ceramic work. Is there any way
> besides using Liquid Light?
> Please let me know of any success applications, recipes, etc.
> (even if it is with Liquid Light)
> THANKS!!!
> cindy thompsen
Don Jones on fri 5 sep 97
Dear Group,
First I must apologize for the tone of my last post regarding arrogance and
photography. It was not my intention to offend anybody. There is,
however, a long-standing thread that implies that seeking a professional
photographer is largely a waste of time and that one could easily do it
oneself for not a lot of time or money.
My last experience with a professional photographer was also not very good.
He just wasn't set up to shoot 3d objects with soft shadows. It occurred
to me that photographers were alot like potters: they specialize. Trying
to find one in the yellow pages is not a good idea since the kind we are
seeking isn't after that kind of mass business like a portrait shooter.
I struck gold when I asked who shot slides for the museum here. He does
excellent work and has equipment that you or I would not dream of owning on
a hobby basis: a "soft Box" lighting unit, elaborate power units to power
equally elaborate lights and domes, expensive lenses with a much higher
resolution than usual, backdrops etc. etc. He also possesed knowledge and
experience that made his work go faster and was able to do it for a very
reasonable price.
Finally, those of you who want to shoot your own work should do so. I
think it sould be done with the attitude that it is just as much an art
form as clay and will require time,practice, money, space and a genuine
love and respect for the medium.
respectfully,
Don Jones
claysky@highfiber.com
Eleanora Eden on sun 14 dec 97
This deal about the photography is very important. It is my opinion that
these days it is not possible to compete for real juries with homemade
slides. This from somebody who did their own for 25 years. I have all the
stuff and used to get into ACC shows with my slides so I really did okay
but nowadays the scene out there has gotten so slick and good photography
has also progressed with their fancy surge flashers etc that you just
cannot compete and should not bother except for your own records. In my
mind there is two different areas of documentation that is necessary, one
that is your own records and prints to show customers etc and that you do
yourself the best you can I recommend daylight and dulling spray as I have
mentioned before.
For jury slides you carefully orchestrate a body of work that hangs
together in five slides. You go so far as to compose the pieces themselves
to look good in a slide frame that is 5/8 as wide as it is tall (or vica
versa). You compose for variety, for both surface interest and form
interest. And only those go to the professional photographer. What you do
not do is bring all the stuff you like the most to the pro and leave the
decision to later as to what hangs together for the jury. Then you bring
your dulling spray to the photo shoot and you supervise the entire
operation. You leave absolutely nothing to chance. Even the brightest
photographer with the greatest track record for shooting crafts has to be
educated by you to produce the images of your work that you want to
present. My guy is a good person with a good rep who flies all over to do
shoots for people and we have to do this dance every time because he just
doesn't want to work as hard to get the reflections and shadows right and I
end up holding all these cardboards in my hands and feet and teeth to get
the shadows and light just right as he shoots and I insist on a polaroid I
am perfectly pleased with before I call it quits. I am very nice about it
and make sure to have a nice meal before I go so I won't get crabby. He
schedules enough time to humor me adequately and I never give him any
hassles about the money but I do insist on reshooting if anything is out of
focus anywhere and he knows to expect that.
Of course as always this is only my 2c.....well, 25c....
Eleanora
Eleanora Eden 802 869-2003
Paradise Hill
Bellows Falls, VT 05101 eden@sover.net
SBRANFPOTS on tue 14 apr 98
I'm pretty sure that "Photographing Your Craftwork" is out of print. At least
we have been unable to get it. "Photographing Your Artwork" is definitely out
of print. We do have a couple of other books including "Small Scale
Photography" which is a book/video set, and "The Artists Handbook For
Photographing Their Own Artwork" . Both are excellent.
mel jacobson on fri 30 jul 99
i had a nice chat with a full time, professional
photographer the other day....and i always like
to talk cameras and stuff....worked for years at
the star and tribune newspaper newsroom as a young high school
and college student....spent a great deal of time in the
photo lab....just loved it.
but,
his opinion:
`many cameras with built in light meters cannot be repaired for
light correction. they get old real fast, and are often several
stops off`
....that
is why i recommend a hand held, good quality light meter.
(i buy a great deal of quality camera stuff used...it is one
of the great bargains in america.) i have always used nikon and
feel that buying a used nikon camera, a close up lens, a solid light
meter and a tripod will serve a potter for many years to come.
i think many professionals will tell you if you are doing still work...fuji
is the best film...in fact, it is the only film that i use. not too long ago
i did a test of fuji for me....hung a pink and purple painting on my north
wall..(hazy sun).did some very slow time pictures of the set up....when i
projected
the images and held the painting up next to the pix..they were the same./
dead on. most of my pots that have been published are very close to
the real one....and that makes me happy.
i have ordered an olympus 600 digital camera....george koller has one
very similar, and we really like it for the dollar spent....ordered it from
new york, from beststop...their price was clearly 300 dollars less than
any place in minneapolis...amazing. george bird dogged this project, and
i want to thank him. the little disc for storing pix...is 49 bucks...over
100 in minneapolis,over the counter..
mel/mn
who smashed his point and shoot into the train kiln with a great
furry....hate those damn things when they get old....best place
for them....smack into the kiln.
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
from minnetonka, minnesota, u.s.a.
Tannaz Farsi on thu 24 may 01
hello
i am trying to take slides of my work using tungsten lights and film. is
there a difference in light diffusers? i have used white in the
past. will the silver do the job? any thoughts on this would be helpful
thanks
-tannaz
.
William Moody on fri 25 may 01
Silver will work but I have found that it sometimes creates 'hot spots' on
shiny pieces. I think the main thing is to be very aware of how the pots
look through the camera lens and not how they look with the naked eye. You
want your shiny pots to look shiny but not have huge white spots of light on
them.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tannaz Farsi"
To:
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 12:02 AM
Subject: photography
> hello
> i am trying to take slides of my work using tungsten lights and film. is
> there a difference in light diffusers? i have used white in the
> past. will the silver do the job? any thoughts on this would be helpful
> thanks
> -tannaz
> .
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Richard Jeffery on fri 25 may 01
white gives a softer lighting than silver, gold will warm the image....
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Tannaz Farsi
Sent: 25 May 2001 05:03
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: photography
hello
i am trying to take slides of my work using tungsten lights and film. is
there a difference in light diffusers? i have used white in the
past. will the silver do the job? any thoughts on this would be helpful
thanks
-tannaz
.
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
phil davenport on sat 26 may 01
Tannaz:
You use the word "diffusers" --what do you mean by that? If you are bouncing the
light off white or silver material then you are using indirect light and it is
diffused. This type of light will be softer and the size of the light source is
also increased. If you are using a white or silver material and projecting light
through them then the light will be diffused, with white but silver is doubtful,
but the size of the light source will not be increased and you stand a greater
chance of have small hot spots show up on the glazed surface.
Professional photographers use indirect light to photography any type of metal or
glass objects because of the decreased chances of getting hot spots.
Hope this helps.
Phil Davenport
Garland, Tx
Tannaz Farsi wrote:
> hello
> i am trying to take slides of my work using tungsten lights and film. is
> there a difference in light diffusers? i have used white in the
> past. will the silver do the job? any thoughts on this would be helpful
> thanks
> -tannaz
> .
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
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