susan erickson on mon 1 may 00
Dear Clayarters,
I'm just in the process of getting ready to make slides for my first
juried show application. I've dug up tons of useful information in the
archives regarding the technical aspects of the slides like lighting, film,
exposures, backdrops etc., but there doesnt seem to be much in the way of
tips on slide content, other than to fill the frame for individual pieces.
I have lots of questions!
I'm guessing that a variety of forms is essential. But what about variety
in the glazes represented? Is it better to have just one or two glazes
represented in the individual slides for the sake of coherence, and rely on
the booth slide to show your whole palette? Is it a bad idea to use one
slide to show several of the same form, each with a different glaze? For
some forms (I make mostly tableware), it makes sense to have more than one
piece in the slide because they are a set - a sugar/creamer set for
example. But what about a four or five piece place setting? Is that too
much to expect a viewer to absorb the few seconds the slide will be on
screen?
For the booth slide - do you submit a slide of your booth taken at an
actual show, or set up and take one under controlled lighting conditions?
I found one tip in the archives (can't remember who posted, sorry!) that
suggested including at least one or two of the pieces in the individual
slides in the booth display. Is this typical? If so, do you routinely
shoot new booth slides as your work featured in the individual shots
evolves?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance,
Susan Erickson
Dannon Rhudy on tue 2 may 00
At 02:14 PM 5/1/00 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I'm guessing that a variety of forms is essential. But what about variety
>in the glazes represented? Is it better to have just one or two glazes
>represented in the individual slides for the sake of coherence, and rely on
>the booth slide to show your whole palette? Is it a bad idea to use one
>slide to show several of the same form, each with a different glaze? For
>some forms .... makes sense to have more than one
>piece in the slide because they are a set - a sugar/creamer set for
>example. But what about a four or five piece place setting? Is that too
>much..........
In my experience of looking at slides, there is no reason NOT
to present a place setting, if it is photographed carefully
and in a way that shows it's strengths. Take a look at
photographs available in Ceramics Monthly or other publications
which might show such a grouping. There are also books which
show place settings - for instance "Tableware in Clay", and
others. Don't show the same piece with several glazes. Keep
your slides as coherent as possible, and save the variables
for the booth shot.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
Carolynn Palmer on thu 4 may 00
Slide content is very important, as well as lighting, background, etc.
I wouldn't use one slide to show several of the same form. Usually one item
or a one set of items is the best idea. Keep the slides simple as to content
(not necessarily simple forms) and the backgrounds should be the same for all
slides in a set. It looks much more professional and is easier for the jury
to concentrate on the pots if the backgrounds are all the same for every
slide.
As to showing all of your glaze palette; most of the time it is impossible,
except in a well photographed booth slide. Because most juries see all of
the slides at once, it is best if the glazes in the slides are at least
similar in order to make an impact that is not schizophrenic. You need to
make the impression that you have a body of work that is harmonious and
represents what you will be actually selling in your booth.
If I had to choose between a slide with a four piece table setting and a five
piece table setting, I would choose the four because of simplicity.
As to the booth slide, set up your booth just for slide taking purposes. Do
it in an place where you can control the lighting (time of day) and leave it
set up for several days. When you've set up your booth and stocked it for
the purpose of taking the slides, shoot a roll of 24 from all angles using a
tripod, at different times of the day. Then have these developed, look at
them WITH A SLIDE PROJECTOR on a wall or screen, and you will probably see
many improvements you could make. (One of the things I find is that I always
need to remove about 1/3 of the items in the booth because a slide compresses
the image and makes the booth seem over-filled.)
Another reason to leave the booth up for several days while you adjust
everything and take several rolls of slides is that when you finally get a
booth shot that you are really happy with, you can then shoot up a whole roll
of film with that exact shot instead of getting the one perfect slide
duplicated. It is much cheaper and you will have an original to send each
time.
And yes, you need to make new slides of your booth as well as your work as it
evolves.
One last tip, I invite family members and friends in to look at the work
slides and booth slides as I go along and let them talk about them and give
me input. Even though they aren't artists or jurors, they give me another
point of view and see things I may have missed.
Good luck, Carolynn Palmer, Somerset Center, Michigan
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