Hi all
I need some advice on backgrounds to use for jury images of my stained glass work. I currently sell on Etsy, where white backgrounds are preferred, however I have looked at many images in the last few weeks and it seems most people go with a graduated background for jury photos. Before I spend any money on a background, I'd appreciate your opinions. I have attached 3 pics of my current work on a white background and yes, they do need work.
Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated!
Replies
You have to show that it's translucent without blinding the jurors.
To see how effective your images are, I recommend attending an open jury. That's an actual jury where the artists are able to sit in the back of the room and see all the images projected for the first round.
Here's a list of shows that project the images using the ZAPP projection equipment, noting where they have open juries:
http://bermangraphics.com/artshows/projection-jury.htm
I try to attend at least one open jury a year. Besides seeing how the images I prepare look when projected, I take notes on what makes good jury images, especially in difficult to present categories.
A few years ago I attended an open jury and took notes on how stained glass was presented. I noted three ways that were effective.
1 - Narrow aperture meaning very shallow depth of field so that the background is entirely out of focus. The background should also be non distracting as in a solid color. If you're shooting in a natural setting, use the sky as the background. Make sure no shadows hit the background. Narrow aperture means shooting with the lens wide open. If the lens is a 2.8 lens, that's what you would set the camera on either using manual exposure or aperture preferred with the lowest ISO the camera is capable of.
2 - Black background. set far enough behind the piece that you can light the piece from behind to show off the color in the glass. The black background keeps the photograph simple. This is the technique that jumped out at me when I observed the Fort Worth jury. Though the other technique is non distracting, the black simplifies the image to the point that nothing exists but the glass.
3 - White background but not allowing any shadows from the lights to hit the white inside the image that the camera captures. The easiest way to do this is to hang a wrinkle free white sheet on the side of a building in the sun and suspend the glass in front of the sheet but in an area that isn't in direct sun.
I've photographed translucent glass myself a few different ways. I've photographed it on white using a single light overhead, or using large umbrellas on the sides. Both allows the reflections to enhance the images. I've also photographed glass on a graduated background using large oversized umbrellas to light the glass from the front, back and to rim the top at the same time. There are examples on my jury slide photography example page:
http://bermangraphics.com/digital-jury-resources/jury-slide-photogr...
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
Don't want to confuse matters here, but a narrow aperture is a higher number f-stop (ie f/16 or f/22) and translates to a wider area within focus, or wider depth of field. What Larry is suggesting is to use a lower aperture number ( ie f 2.8, or f 4.0) to get a shallow depth of field.
This link will lead you to a cute illustration that may help you to visualize what you should be shooting for.
The wider the aperture opening (smaller number), the shorter the depth of field. Low numbers on the lens translate to wider aperture openings. A narrow aperture (bigger number) will give you more depth of field.
If your camera has a zoom lens, you can back up, and use the telephoto to zoom into the subject a little bit to frame it. That'll help with the depth of field some. Telephotos tend to have a more restricted depth of field than the wide angle lenses do. But they take a bit more light, too.
You might find it useful to soften your clamp lights by using some translucent diffusion material in front of them. That can soften any potential shadows. Be careful not to use anything flammable. Here's an example from the B&H Photo site: Lowel Diffusion pak for incandescent lights. Diffusion can spread the light out and make it softer, especially with basic reflectors.
Thanks so much for the information. My camera doesn't have aperture settings, but if I ever invest in a dslr, that information will be useful.
Those gels packs look like a great idea to soften the lights, so I may try those. Glass is such a difficult thing to photograph, so I need something to prevent glare.
I ordered a black background yesterday, so I'll start experimenting with the photos this week.
Thanks again! I really appreciate the advice!
If I were to try the black background, how should I set the lights? I have three clamp on lights from Home Depot with daylight bulbs. (Yes, I'm an amateur, but I am trying.) Should I use something in front of the lights to prevent glare (like a sheet or something)? I think I could rig up a black background and hang my glass in front of it from the ceiling. I can play with it some to see what looks good.
Thanks for the ideas!
It's called a gobo. It's something opaque that blocks the light from hitting the camera lens, which would cause flare. A carefully positioned piece of cardboard on the side of each light could work.
Larry Berman
White tends to blind jurors in a projection jury. Use black if you can, or a graduated background.
lThat said, if you are backlighting your pieces, it may be difficult to use a dark background. Outlining them may prove difficult too, as the chains will be hard to do. It might be advantageous to eliminate the chains when shooting so that they don't become an obstacle. A hint of chain should be enough, or just the mounts.
I wasn't sure what the scale of these pieces was -- at first they looked like small jewelry pieces, as the chains seem on first glance to be necklaces. then I realized that the chains are for hanging in a window. A distraction for the jury that can be handled in the slide description I think.