Photographing Art

Greetings all!

What an interesting week this promises to be! I finally have my studio operational again, even though the  permanent lighting superstructure is still in the design process. I have been going round the bend not having a stable platform on which to do even the most basic low magnification imaging. But that is no longer the case and I have a perfectly serviceable rig in place. I will be busy this week, getting the new setup calibrated and a temporary lighting scaffold in place, but hopefully will be back taking pictures by the middle of the week.

This week we will be looking at an area of photography that is a change of pace for the channel, though there is considerable overlap between macro photography and this week’s topic. We will be talking about how to take good photographs of works of art. On Tuesday we will look at all the tips and tricks for making compelling images of two-dimensional art - paintings, drawings,  etchings and several other examples of flat, or mostly flat, artworks. I’ll be talking about the best cameras, lenses, and accessories for the task, as well as how to light your subjects for the best results. The livestream can be found using this link - https://youtube.com/live/PrP1zV0xhoc?feature=share

Later in the week we will look at the very different but equally fascinating challenge of photographing three-dimensional artworks, including sculptures of all kinds. This is also quite a bit more complicated and challenging than it may look at first glance as it very often involves not only accurate rendering of shape and form, but also meticulous attention to surface textures and finishes. The livestream can be found here - https://youtube.com/live/sVNm4t3DzvM?feature=share (and please note that I did not stick a real name tag on this amazing marble likeness of Charles Darwin from the Natural History Museum in London!).

Also coming up this week is the release of the macro competition results video, with special guest judge, Angi Wallace - I am really looking forward to working with Angi again, especially given the interesting topic for the September contest. If you are reading this on Monday the 30th of September, you still have a few hours left to get your entry submitted. The theme is “Submerged” and we hope to have the results ready to release by Wednesday, though given the transatlantic logistics of coordinating my schedule with Angi’s, it may take a little bit longer.

Finally, on Saturday, we have a special edition of AfterStack - Episode #7 - which will be devoted to an in-depth exploration of the latest version of the TK photoshop plug-in from Tony Kuyper. You will need an invitation to get in - here it is!

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Allan Walls’ AfterStack #7

Time: Oct 5, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=81898654047

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

That is it for today - hope to see you tomorrow!