Flower Vase

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Glass Photography Help



This is the busy season all right. I am almost finished with kiln firings and only need to put finishing touches on my latest selection of votives and small draped and handkerchief bowls. These are handy and versatile additions in any home. Useful to hold anything from candles, soaps, candy, keys, odds and ends and when not in use they just look pretty.

A word of thanks for the kind words about my latest blog photos. I am getting much better taking photos of my fused glass. It has been trial and error. I knew that reflections and light in general make the process harder. I went online looking for tutorials and read articles in my glass magazines for tools, hints and helpful suggestions dealing with glass photography. It is recommended that a light box is used. Adding different backgrounds helps to show off and accentuate the beauty in the reflective art glass. If you need to take pictures of your art work that tends to reflect light use a photo cube. The sizes start at 12 inch squares and the largest I found that I might eventually need was 30 inches. I have a 22 inch kiln so my art size is limited. These cubes/tents using defused lighting are great for jewelry, glass, ceramics, porcelain, and metals, because they distribute the light evenly when using small spot lights surrounding the cube. This soft light helps eliminate glare and light spots.



Before I had a cube, I needed to submit a photo of my fused glass wine bottle trays and the pictures were a mess. I remembered reading that sometimes a photo copier can be used in a pinch. I tried it and it was passable. I experimented with jewelry cabochons and was surprised that the color and details showed up.





As you can see there are ways around common problems that arise in art work presentation. When I started learning the ins and outs of fused glass art I was very short sighted. It is not enough to create and design the art. Every artist faces the practical demands to present, display, and sell the finished product. The learning journey can be smooth or full of surprises. Mine have been the latter.





Here is another inspiring view from my vacation to Banff last month. It was because of settings like this that I was reminded of glass and light and how they play off each other like the sky on still water.


2 comments:

Fridman said...

I was very impressed with the quality of the pictures. It is very hard to get good results with glass Art but you made it.

Joanna said...

Thank you for reading my blog. It is good to know that I could be of help. I pass along information about my projects usually when someone asks a question and I think it would be a good blog topic.

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