Friday, January 14, 2011

Professional Photography

Last November, my friend and mentor-supreme, Lorin Fields, assisted in my booth during our local annual Alternative Gift Market. She wished I had a display print showing a comely lass wearing one of my pieces. During lulls she also worked on me to consider entering high-end craft shows, specifically the Piedmont Craftsmen Guild show in November.

Both of these issues require better photography skills than I've achieved so far. Lorin, in her mentor capacity, arranged for me to tag onto a photo shoot she already had scheduled for last Saturday at her church. The photographer, Seth Tice-Lewis, is well-known in our area and came highly recommended by Lorin, who has worked with him several times in the past year, as well as by other artists. The model, Angie, is a friend of Lorin's from church.

Keep in mind, each piece entered in a portfolio only gets seen for a few seconds and needs to make an instant impact on the jury. Lorin came by my house a few days before the shoot to help pick out 10 of my strongest pieces, and to figure out what Angie needed to wear to show them off.

The day of the shoot, I arrived at the church and tried to stay out of the way as Seth and Lorin got to work.



This group has wonderful energy. Before her first shoot with Lorin, Angie went online to research modeling poses. Then she practiced in front of a mirror until it came naturally. In this picture, she's goofing a little bit:



Here, we've set up the pose for one of my bracelets:



The result:



Angie wanted to try a more natural hand position for the next bracelet:



Wonderful!






I think I've got my display print in this one:



When choosing a photographer, ask for recommendations, and look at samples of their work. Keep in mind fees are handled very differently amongst them: some charge by the roll of film, others charge a large set-up fee, others charge by the shot. Choose what works for you and get the best you can afford. The better your work looks, the more likely people will want to buy.


copyright 2011 Shibori Girl

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

a few good photos go a long way!
nice!

Perlenzauberin said...

Wonderful Jewelry and very good Photos! Cool!!!

Gabriela Delworth - Instructional Designer said...

Hello Kate,

How cool is this?! Love the jewelry and you are absolutely right.
Great photos and display are a must!



~ Gabriela ~

Christie Minchew said...

Man oh man! These look great! Crossing fingers re:show applications, too :). Up for a long overdue lunch? This coming week?

Beverly Herman said...

Great photos!

Rose Clearfield said...

Beautiful! How fun!

Rhonda Roo said...

Wow-that last shot is sooo elegant! Love that-and you're right, it does bring another dimension to the lovely jewels you so lovingly and brilliantly create...BRAVO!!!

XOXOXOXOXOX

Unknown said...

Kate,
I am in awe! What a fabulous thing to do and I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience with the juried shows. It's a goal of mine as well to do at least one this summer. My favorite shot is the bracelet with her hand on her hip. It's a great visual (and of course I love that bracelet).
Christine

roseworksjewelry said...

Wow - this looks incredible!