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Digital Photography Faux Pas
If you’re a regular Market Insider reader, then you should have all digital photography terms under your belt from last month’s column (if you’re not, click here to read it).
We told you there’d be a quiz, so here is a quick question to see what you remember:
What does DPI stand for?
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer)
Quality photographs of your work are one of your strongest selling tools. Not only do you want to present your work as professionally as possible, you also want to have reproducible images so that you can earn broader exposure. For these reasons, it is highly recommended you hire a professional photographer to shoot your work. They have the proper equipment to make your pieces truly look their best.
If you insist on photographing your own work, here are some tips for taking digital photos.
No cell phone pictures
This might seem unbelievable, but some artists actually send editors and show promoters images taken with their cell phones. Under no circumstance should you be photographing your work with your cell phone. Sending an image from your cell phone is the quickest way to not get published.
Only shoot in high resolution
If you want your work to be published, then it has to be print-quality. Generally, images must be 300 DPI (scroll to the bottom for definition). Anything lower than that is not printable. This means using the camera’s highest resolution setting.
An image taken at lower resolution settings will usually only be the size of a business card when printed. Most publications and show promoters need your images to be at least 4 x 6 inches.
If the photo is taken at the highest resolution possible, then the publication or show promoter has the option of printing it at about 8 x 10 inches.
Lighting
Aside from resolution, proper lighting is the single most important part of making your work look great. All images should be well-lit. Images that are too dark will not print well, nor will they be considered by an editor or show promoter. But look out for hot spots, when your work reflects the light. This is also a turn-off for editors and promoters alike.
Use a plain background
A plain background shows off will help make your work really jump off the page. Select an uncomplicated background that does not compete with your subject. Bright colors and text are no-nos.
Buy a light colored or black flat sheet for the background. Just make sure it’s not just a crumpled up sheet from the dryer. A uniform background makes the image look more professional.
Single vs. multiple pieces
Oftentimes, artists want to include their entire line in a single image. This rarely works, as the pieces frequently compete for the viewer’s attention. Instead, photograph one piece at a time. If you have a line that comes in a variety of colors, you might choose to artfully arrange some of them in the photo. But try not to overwhelm the viewer by including every version of the piece.
Get a tripod
Not all of us have a steady hand when it comes to taking pictures. Even a slight movement may cause your image to turn out blurry. If you take your work to a professional photographer, s/he will definitely be using a tripod. If professional photographers use tripods, then shouldn’t you?
Sharpen Your Business Skills at the Visiting Artist Program
The Visiting Artist Program returns to the Buyers Market, August 4-6, 2007. The Visiting Artist Program provides artists the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for running successful arts businesses. This summer’s program is hosted by the Arts Business Institute (ABI), a national non-profit education organization that provides artists with real-world business knowledge.
Artists participating in the program will attend a variety of business education seminars and participate in guided tours of the Buyers Market. Attending artists will also have the opportunity to signup for one-on-one mentoring sessions with ABI faculty and Buyers Market staff. Sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and advance registration is required.
Featured speakers include Bruce Baker, Nancy Markoe and other ABI faculty and Buyers Market staff. Topics will include How to Wholesale, Pricing, and other timely issues facing today’s emerging artist.
Visit www.ArtsBusinessInstitute.org to register!
A Sad Farewell to a Good Friend
Fran Redmond, Craft Marketing Program Director for the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, has announced her retirement. Fran retired on June 1, 2007, after 28 years of service to Kentucky artists. She plans to spend more time with family, but may return to working on a limited basis with the craft community after a year.
Wholesale Matters Blog-Watch
Wholesale Matters, the official Buyers Market blog, is updated almost every day. Find out what’s new in wholesale, get wholesale tips and tricks, find cool online business tools, and more at http://buyersmarketblog.typepad.com. Here are a few recent headlines:
- Buyers Market Artists Are Everywhere
- Hurricane Season Starts TODAY
- Another Craft in America Observation
- Craft in America
- Merchandising Success II
OPPORTUNITIES KNOCKING
Call for Entries: 2008 NICHE Awards
Applications for the 2008 NICHE Awards are now available online at www.AmericanCraft.com. Artists can download an application at the newly revamped NICHE Awards web page. Other useful information includes updated rules and guidelines, as well as information about the 2008 NICHE Awards ceremony, special display and finalist notifications.
Categories include Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Jewelry, Home Furnishings, Goblets, Judaica, Mixed Media, Narrative, Recycled, Teapots and more. New categories include Handmade Beads and Polymer Clay.
Judging is based on three main criteria:
- technical excellence, both in surface design and form
- market viability
- a distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought
Finalists are invited to display their work in the NICHE Awards exhibit at the February Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft, February 15-18, 2008, and will be included in the Winter 2008 issue of NICHE magazine. Winners will be announced at the February 2008 Buyers Market and featured in the Spring 2008 issue of NICHE magazine.
Call for Entries: Fuller Craft Members' Exhibition
The Members' Exhibition is coming. Works in all techniques and media are welcome in this biennial juried show. All persons who become members or are currently members of the Museum by the close of the submission deadline, Wednesday July 18, 2007, are invited to submit work. Please visit www.fullercraft.org/Members.htm for details. Current members will also receive information by mail.
Call for Artists
Although art jewelry is made with consideration of its relationship to the body, museum exhibitions typically display such works under glass. Often composed of precious and delicate materials, visitors are not allowed to handle - let alone wear - these works of art. Yet many of the messages of art jewelry remain vague or abstract until the viewer becomes the wearer. How, then, can the physical experience of wearing art jewelry be presented to a broad audience within a museum environment? The Museum of Contemporary Craft invites artists to help create an interactive exhibition in a museum setting - one in which the visitor is invited to touch, try on and physically engage art jewelry. For this exhibition, artists are encouraged to explore questions of materiality, construction, design and wearability. Putting aside preciousness, makers of art jewelry are invited to create objects that give audiences the freedom to touch - and temporarily wear - these adornments. This innovative approach to the exhibition of art jewelry will coincide with Framing · The Art of Jewelry (on view January 19 - May 11, 2008), an exhibition of selected works from the forthcoming Metalsmith: Exhibition in Print 2007, curated by Ellen Lupton. Together, the three exhibitions will provide multiple ways for audiences to consider the art jewelry object: in print, in a museum exhibition and through interaction.
Deadline to apply: 5pm on August 15,
For a prospectus, please click here or contact Kat Perez, Curatorial Assistant: kperez@contemporarycrafts.org | 503.223.2654
Environmental Ceramics: Throwing Large Garden Fountains Using a Blow Torch and Ceramics for the Wall, Tiles, Tables and Bas Relief
Saturday, July 14, 2007 and Sunday, July 15, 2007. 10:00 am-4:00 pm Fee: $200.00 for the two-day workshop, space limited. JAYNE SHATZ POTTERY, 452 LAUREL VALLEY CT., ARNOLD, MD, jesclay@aol.com, www.jayneshatzpottery.com
This two-day workshop will combine two distinct ceramic techniques that are applicable to Environmental Ceramics- producing ceramics for the wall and throwing large-scale vessels on the potter's wheel. Using these techniques, a potter can create a multitude of environmental pieces for the home, garden and community. Wall pieces can be made in any size kiln because they are produced in segments. This allows a small studio to produce large-scale ceramic pieces. The workshop will also explore the unique method of throwing large-scale vessels on the potter's wheel that can be created in a few hours. The traditional Japanese method uses a local fire and added coils to an existing smaller form. Instead of the smoke, smell, and apparent hazards of fires, a technique using a small blowtorch purchased at any hardware store is used. Creating a large-scale fountain for the garden will be demonstrated. This method is applicable to hand builders as well, enabling them to produce large-scale vessels in a few hours.
Jayne will discuss various methods on designing, glazing, firing and installing ceramic art for the environment. Discussions will also include the all-important application of adhesives.
Quote of the Month:
You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.
--Evan Esar (1899 - 1995), American Humorist
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