Last weekend I drove 4 hours to Wellington to attend a two day (weekend) course about photographing artwork. I am very aware that most people will be viewing my art online, & a good photo is essential to digitally represent my art on that stage. There is a big difference between viewing art in a gallery, where a person is physically standing in front of it, & someone looking at a low resolution photograph of it online! How to present my art, in a photograph, was something I wanted to learn more about.
I also wanted to photograph my collages, so I can print them larger or smaller than their original size, & by making use of good digital photography, explore collage based patterns, which I can then print at any scale, & onto any surface!
I quickly discovered my current camera won’t create the best professional quality photos of my artwork / collages. I would need to invest in a new camera & lens. Sigh. Still, I was there to learn, so I used the camera I had as best I could.
Driving home after the course, I was mulling over my options, & became more and more irritated. It wasn’t so much about needing to buy new equipment, there was something else bothering me, & it took me awhile to figure it out!
A good photo of my art is essential. No question about that. But when I started to think about what I actually use photos for, & how I use them to create pattern, I began to realize what was irritating me. It was feeling I SHOULD meet a professional standard of photography!
I am an enthusiastic photographer, not a professional one. My photographs are a resource to me, a library of imagery I can play with. I have creative license to cut the printed photo up, & rearrange it anyway I like (I do this by hand rather then use the computer). These photos don’t have to be to a professional standard. They aren’t artworks on their own. They become art via my process of creating patterns with them. To remain liberated in my use of the photos, it’s best if I don’t impose a professional standard on them!
To be honest, my irritation was also about realizing my current photos were unlikely to be considered ‘professional’. But I am ok with that. I’m not a professional photographer. I’m an enthusiastic adapter of the printed photograph, which I value a great deal. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t step up, now I am aware of the differences, & improve the quality of my enthusiastic photography!
Vicky xxx
