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A while back a client called with a project. She had borrowed a family heirloom from a cousin & wanted to know if I could photograph it for her. She said it was a Pointe Tresse Wreathe. I had no idea what that was. Well, about 1890 her grandparents had a party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The women who came to the party donated their hair and two of the women made this wreathe by wrapping strands of hair around fine wire. (The wreathe was about 15" wide.) People had time on their hands in those days I guess.
The problem was it had to be photographed in a shadow box through old wavy glass. The 1st test shot had my stupid reflection right in the middle. OK, I had to do something about the reflection. The solution was to shoot it at an angle & straighten it later in Photoshop. Finally I had to use a black backdrop so the reflection was of blank black paper. The next problem was shadows. It was in a shadow box & the wreathe was too close to the bottom. Also, since it was a detailed 3-D piece up next to a paper background it cast shadows on the background. That wouldn't do. Finally, I move 3 bare bulb flashes behind it so the light was very diffused, no shadows. Then the piece needed detailing in Photoshop to eliminate the water staining along the bottom edge, accumulated smoke & other little flaws in the background paper.
This is what is so cool about digital photography. I could shoot it, check it out, make adjustments, try again, adjust & shoot it again until I got it.
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Bronze Sculptures
by
Penny & Oliver Strong
www.oliverstrongsculptures.com
Oliver called up one afternoon & needed a tiger photographed. Right away. He had to deliver it in the morning. OK, they're just a couple miles up the hill. But it was going to be dark in an hour. The tiger is about life size & too heavy to move into the studio. So I got up there & they'd hung an old blue sheet across the shop for a backdrop. But of course, a respectable tiger needs a respectable background.
In Photoshop I separated the tiger. Then I made a layer of dark forest green. The final output was slides for juried shows, prints & digital files on CD.
Now I'm getting brave. Penny called with another project. I photographed these pieces outside the shop in open shade. There was no chance of a natural background that would set off the pieces to the professional standards of artists trying to sell their work. So I shot with whatever background knowing I'll work on that later. What I do need is light & time.
I love their forms. These pieces are one of a kind, shaped out of sheets of bronze. This isn't the easy way. These are extraordinary pieces made by extraordinary people.
If you are interested in contacting the artists email me & I'll make the connection.
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Now, I'm a photographer. But what that means is changing fast. Since photography has turned to graphic arts to serve it's photographic needs I find that I might as well do graphic arts for clients. Same thing without the camera.
This was a logo, & with a phone number & email address it's a business card. This was developed in a cross country collaboration. About 40 emails.
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