Initial Contact
Glass artist David Morris contacted me regarding photographing his artwork. Up to this point, David had been photographing his work himself with his camera phone. However, he needed high quality professional images to apply to juried exhibitions, and thus get wider exposure to a more upscale clientele. We discussed various styles and techniques and settled on a clean presentation on white.
The Shoot
Since much of the work involves clear glass, the trick is to be able to light it to be able to get a clean white background, without losing the edges of the glass. It takes careful lighting and technical experience to achieve the desired result. You want to have a crisp white background with drop shadows to show the 3-dimensional quality of the work, but must be careful that the light is not so bright as to lose the edges of the clear pieces.
The Result
Here’s what David had to say about our experience working together:
As a new artist, it became apparent that it was necessary to market and sell my art glass. Initially, cell phone snapshots were OK, but it quickly become obvious that professional help was required. G. Thomas Ward photographed my art so well that it seemed I transitioned from hobbyist to “artist” with a few clicks of a camera. Lighting, shadows, background and reflections are so important for marketing art. Gary was incredibly easy, flexible and comfortable to work with. Though cell phones are quick and informal, professional guidance and specialized tools make a remarkable difference when presenting art work. I cannot thank Gary enough.
Though I normally photograph people, events, public relations and other types of corporate photography, it was fun and interesting to exercise my photography skills with David’s artwork. And it was great working with David. If you’d like to see more of David’s artwork, you can find him here: Fabulous Intentions Glass
