READ HERE TO LEARN HOW OTHERS GET THEIR RESULTS!

THERE IS A WONDERFUL DIVERSITY OF APPROACHES WITHIN THE GROUP OF POTTER/PHOTOGRAPHERS I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF INTERACTING WITH! THE POTTER IN THE IMAGE ABOVE IS GARY HATCHER FROM TEXAS.  

So, how do we approach the diversity I mention and, moreover, how can we make sense of the ways that can work to get this important job of taking images to take place with relative ease and common sense?

To my way of thinking it can and must be learned!

Being a dyed in the wool do-it-your self kind of person, I am inclined to learn best by starting with role models and building my approach incrementally with what I see and what I learn along the way to the eventual arrival of my goal...good images!

SO........

                                        THE SHOOTING GALLERY

Join me by visiting the “work flow” of potter friends who are kind enough to share their particular approach to getting images that they feel are effective and therefore useful for them.

 

WORK FLOW DEFINED:

The combination of lighting, camera techniques, post capture treatment of images and most importantly, the final result of the combination of these steps- the images themselves.

 

AND...

 Realize, please, that I am offering these potter’s work flow descriptions in the spirit of learning and for purposes of comparison. You will take what you feel makes sense and experiment, contrast and  evaluate in your own context. I present them in their full content, unaltered by me ...just as submitted by the potter.

 

The question might arise....do I agree with and approve of all that is said and shown ? That is not the point of the Shooting Gallery at all. This is what you get by “visiting” these potters at their studios and seeing what they do. Taste and learn!

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:                                        

            

                                              GARY HATCHER

John,

Allow me to share a few methods, ideas and practices that I use in photographing my work. There are many techniques that improve the quality of the photographic image. The methods I use were arrived at through trial and error starting first with film, then moving to film and digital and finally (over the last year) digital only. I really never have approached photographing my work with much enthusiasm…..only out of necessity. I spent many years paying others to photograph my work and rarely was happy with the results. So in about 1996 I started purchasing my own equipment and learning how to shoot my work myself. To date I have spent well over $15,000 I am sure. I think today one could get a really good kit with lights and camera for less that $5,000 and then add to that over time. I know that potters’ reading this will think even $5,000 is too much but I have always been one to find the best tools and figure out how to buy them rather than buy the cheep stuff and figure out how to make do with it. Doing good art whether making pots, painting, sculpting or taking photographs is hard work. One must have the best tools and materials to do the best work.

I tried tungsten lights but found them hot, variable and unsuitable. Ambient light works very well if you can get Mother Nature to cooperate with you; also too many variables.

I use an electronic flash, in total dark so that I can control all of the light. I also tried to use some of the Varitone back drop and although it provided a nice gradation of light, it was limiting due to the small size available.

I use photo back drop paper which comes in very wide lengths. I have a large space (20’x30’) where I have a table set up which consists of a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood on saw horses. On the wall I have a special device that the paper hangs on and is draped down in a sweep over about 12’ under the object on the table. This allows me to point most of the flash down and get a gradated background.

My flash unit is a Novatron unit with two light heads. One head is in a soft box (2’X4’)on a boom overhead, the other is bounced into a reflective umbrella at a right angle to the work. The nice thing about digital is the immediate feedback you get. Every time I do a shoot I take a few shots to get the lighting right, then load them on the computer to have a look. Also every time that I finish a shoot I take the paper down and put the table away. The reason this must be done is that if you leave the paper hanging horizontally, it will bend and get ripples in it that show up in the images. 

All my equipment is Canon. The current camera that I am using is a Canon EOS D-30 although it is my third digital camera used to photograph my work.  The first digital camera was a Nikon 990 (which might be a good camera to start with, or one like it)

I primarily use two lenses. One a 28-70mm F, the other an 80mm portrait lens. I shelled out the big bucks for the 28-70 and it was worth it. I also use a flash meter at times but have found it much less necessary in the more or less consistent settings in which I shoot my work.

Also a word of caution concerning a lesson I learned the hard way. NEVER EVER try to clean the mirror or even get close to the CMOS sensor. I had a Canon D-60 which had a little speck of dust on the mirror. I used some canned compressed air to blow the speck off the mirror. That one split second of air caused the CMOS sensor to become burned (according to Canon factory repair) and the camera was never the same.

Digital makes it much easier but (for me anyway), it is still not very easy. I have found that I have begun to look at my work differently through the eyes of a viewer rather than a maker. I think it is hard for any artist to be objective about his/her work. Taking photographs objectifies the work. Through photography dimensions about my work has been revealed that I would not have seen otherwise.

“Art is a birth, and you can't go to a teacher and find out how to be born....you have to struggle...until that image, the one that comes out of your need to create, emerges.”  Malcah Zeldis 1978

Hope this helps someone.

Gary C. Hatcher, September, 24, 2006

Gary in his photo room with mentioned set up at work

The following are pot images of Gary Hatcher and his wife, potter Daphne Hatcher

Jennifer Everett work flow

My home-made version of a soft box consists of two wooden frames held

together with a band of dark fabric and was designed to be collapsed and

locked flat when not in use in my studio which lacks a designated

photo-taking area.  Mounted in the top frame is a single halogen work light

with a 500 watt type T bulb and two layers of thin white fabric stretched on

the bottom frame act as the diffuser.  Hanging on chains from the ceiling,

the height is adjustable, but I tend to use it hung 22" to 28" from the

surface of the table.

The main problem with this setup is that the light produces a lot of heat

and isn't safe to leave on for long periods of time. This requires it to be

shut off between shots, making the photo-taking process slower and a little

more complicated.  In general I do as much prep work with the room lights on

and the box off as I can and then turn the box on and the room lights off

just before shooting.

First I set my camera to 100 ISO,JPG large + RAW files, F22, manual focus,

self-timer mode.  Then I use a gray card to create a custom white balance

setting and set the camera to custom white balance.  With the room lights on

and box off and the camera on a tripod, I place the pot on the table and

frame the shot.  I then turn the box on and the room lights off, fine tune

the focus, and shoot.  Then I turn the box off and the room lights back on

to prepare for the next shot.

I am currently using Macromedia Fireworks to adjust levels and modify image

sizes but I am in the process of learning Photoshop since it offers a lot

more options with the use of raw files.

JOHN’S NOTES:

My comment here is to draw your attention  to the portability of Jennifer’s set up- which means it can be stored and then put back up for use when needed.

Is is self-made and not expensive to do. Note that her own comments reveal the irksome and potentially hazardous aspect of this set up owing to it’s use of a very hot quartz work light ...cheap and hot!! 

So, fire risk is a factor here!

Would be soft box makers take note!

This safety comment is not a casual comment meant to be read and ignored ...these risks are very real and I will be showing you my own soft box design which employes  a cool fluorescent light concept which is totally safe because it runs ...cool!

JENNIFER EVERETT set up

This view reveals the hot quartz light in place

The output of light is great ...note the even spread of light There are two light baffles in place.

NOTE: Be sure and go the the Acme Lites a Lot page and see the re-made softbox by Jennifer which adds new options and offers lower costs for the handy-person types out there.

Her work from this set up ...revealing smooth light effects and good results.

              

                        FRANK MARTIN Work flow

Basic steps using the digital camera, and working with RAW Images:

 

Before you begin you should set your monitors color calibration. When using CS2, you can use the Adobe PhotoShop gamma calibration application. This does a couple of things; it allows you to match what you see on your monitor display to your prints, to set your displays brightness, as well as to contrast and create your color profile.

Now you’re ready to reformat your new or old memory cards.  This action will create a folder inside your memory card where your images will be stored.  This also will erase old images that may have been left from your last shooting.  Do this step now. Next, adjust your camera settings to raw or raw+jpg.  Set the work to be photographed on the table with your desired back drop, turn the soft box light source on, and use only (one) ECA   250W 120V 3200K photo light.  I use only one light source because I feel that fewer light sources create less shadow confusion and it’s easier to control the darks and highlights. After setting the work and turning on the light source,  check the shadows in the cameras viewer for anything distracting.  Adjust the work and photo light if needed. 
After prepping the work for the photo space and attaching the camera to the tripod, I begin with a white sheet of paper and use that to set my custom WB.  I connect my remote cord to reduce any camera shake and turn off the AF on the lens and use manual focus only. Next, I place a little post-it with typed text onto the work in the zone that I want to be in focus and adjust the focus. The last step is to frame the work in the viewer and capture the image.
 
Processing Steps In CS2:

Begin by importing your file from the memory card either by camera to PC or card reader to PC.

Then create a new folder on the desktop that can be moved later. Open and drag or copy files from your memory card to this folder and name or date this folder for ease of locating it later. Rename your images to something that makes sense to you without altering the files extension.

Next, using Adobe Bridge open one or more raw files into Photo Shop, then adjust the color tint, contrast, and brightness.  If you feel it necessary, adjust or tweak the shadows and saturation in the detail settings and adjust the sharpness up to 100%.  A good setting for luminousness is 11-45, and color noise reduction between 3-5.

 

Sharpening:

Early on I found out how to use the Unsharp Mask.  For me it was very useful, as it works the best for sharpening with minimal amount of typical artifacts. I have found the best results if you keep the sharpness amount between 20-40%, the radius between 1.5 - 5 pixels, and the threshold around 12 levels.  Applying this filter a couple of times and using these noted settings you will increase the sharpness of edges while maintaining a smooth texture.

 

What you should end up with is an original RAW file, an eps or tiff, and a jpg file.  Each of these should measure at least 8x10 300 dpi or 4x5 600 dpi.  For publication purposes, print correctly at a larger size and save one or two smaller Jpg’s for PowerPoint.  Also, this application can be used for web pages and/or to email set around 72 dpi. You can always make black and whites from the original RAW file.

It’s important and sensible to always save your original work in more than one place on a good quality CD and external hard drive.  You can also save a copy on an online server.

 

Additionally, listed below is some good reading if you can find it.  The Sanders book is pre-digital but extremely helpful if you use its concepts and apply it to the digital world.

 

Photographing for Publication

by Norman Sanders (Author)

Hardcover (December 1983)

Rr Bowker ISBN: 0835217337

             Frank Martin self made foam core soft box

Note: Frank is using a Veritone (printed gradation from grey to black ) back ground for his set up. For references and sources, see the page on lighting ideas elsewhere on this blog.

                                    Shots taken in Frank’s set up.

                      WARREN FREDERICK  Work Flow

I have been waiting for this contribution to the Shooting Gallery (patiently, because I knew it would be more than worth the wait!) until my colleague Warren had the time to assemble this comprehensive tutorial. I am grateful to Warren for this multifaceted, very thorough treatment of his use of natural light for photographing his own and the pots of his wife, Catherine White at their pottery.

I think this image says it all! Well, not “all” by a long shot. Of course, I mean that we get to see some of the essential building blocks for the  approach  that Warren has made based on this deceptively simple appearing set up. One light source, back ground sweep and camera position.

Owing to the sizable amount of useful information Warren has documented in  presenting his workflow, Warren and I have taken the approach of using my Fresh Plums  blog space as a link-point to the full tutorial which you will find at this address :

Warren’s full tutorial:  http‭://‬www.artistpotters.com/artist_potters/private/photo/photo-workflow.htm

But, Wait! Before you go off on this fully fascinating adventure, have a peek at some of the resultant images using Warren’s approach to natural light in photography!

                White Fall Grass plates by Catherine White

                                White flange vase by Warren Frederick

                                    Have a great adventure !

For the relative new comer to photography, realize you are about to see a great deal and read viewpoints honed from long experience. Don’t be overwhelmed and think that there is somehow too much to take in!

Like all comprehensive treatments, Warrens tutorial is meant to be digested over time.  The wisdom found in  another’s experience is to be evaluated against the results you can see in the photographs he offers. Nuanced, thoughtfully presented and fully explained....what a gift, Warren!

We thank you.

If you missed Warren’s link above ....here it is once again:

http‭://‬www.artistpotters.com/artist_potters/private/photo/photo-workflow.htm

Please bookmark for your convenience:

The link to this Fresh Plums site is web.mac.com/johnglick