Looking Back

Back when Nancy and I were first getting Cold Springs Studio Pottery off the ground, our focus was on making kick-ass retro stylin' pots which could work just as well in a modern asain-aesthetic lifestyle. To that end, Nancy and I looked at piles of magazines and books trying to understand how to convey that message with our images.




At that point, I had gone through my first back surgery to fix a herniated disk which had ejected disk material which had become lodged in the spinal canal. Not fun. Left me with my right leg partially paralyzed. Post surgery though, I had a six week recovery at home. Keeping me from going out of my mind, I decided to pick up digital photography. I had shot primarily with slide film in the 5 years prior to that point, but digital seemed easier.



We borrowed cameras from folks we knew, from different departments that would loan them out at Cornell... even tried a few in stores here and there around town. After doing a fair bit of internet searching, I settled on the Olympus C-5050Z which at the time (2003) was a pretty high end camera. I couldn't afford a dslr yet, and this could do almost everything that my older 35mm camera could do.






With the Oly in hand, Nancy and I set up all sorts of shots in our make-shift studio. We had virtually nothing that anyone would recognize as lighting gear. A cobbled together lightbox hung suspended from the ceiling in our throwing studio. Made from foam core, lightweight wood and spare electrical parts, this lightbox formed the basis for our photography work for the next 7 years. Here are a few images taken back then... and then revisited in Lightroom this week. Pretty interesting to see how these images can be re-imagined.

So Where Are The Pots?

Yeah. Where are the pots? After this past weekend, I needed a day where I didn't spend the entirety of the hot sweaty day staring at the same mountain of pots. As much fun as looking at pots can be, there is a threshold. And I crossed it yesterday. At this point, I would be happy to start our sale a month early. (just watch out!)

Instead, I wanted to try some new ideas with my camera. I try not to dwell on some of my problems or snafus... but I have been grappling with an issue for about two weeks now. The strobes that I am using are not infinitely adjustable (as most new flash units are)... instead they use 1/3 power, 2/3, and full power. Even at 1/3 power I find myself shooting typically around 1/100 at f/5.6 or more. If you take just a few steps back at that aperture, the focal length preserves too much distracting background. So my goal has been to figure out how to retain that buttery background (narrow DOF) while shooting flash. I asked one of my photographer buddies (J.Souza!!) out in California for ideas and he suggested using a BIG bed sheet to increase the size of the light source (which then could be pulled back from the subject (to lower the intensity)... which is a great idea. Didn't get a chance to get to the fabric store this weekend so I was hoping there was another option.

J. Souza also suggested I try putting a neutral density filter on the lens. Most of my experience with ND filters has been using them to turn waterfalls into those silken streams everyone seems to think is so great. So... after having made my share of waterfall silken pics, I tossed the ND filters back in the bag and promptly forgot about them. This is the best thing about the concept of coopetition (cooperation + competition via LIDLIPS [syl arena]... the idea that even though Justin and I could potentially see one another as competition, the reality is that we are both learning from each other. What could be better? I only wish he lived closer so we could shoot together more! Perhaps as our professions grow we'll find reasons to both be on the same side of the continent and we'll have more opportunities.

Justin Bieber is in the house! Just kidding.

Back to the ND filters. I tossed them onto my favorite little 50mm f/1.8 lens, and kicked on my flash transmitter. First shot out of the gate was pretty close. Dialed up a bit more light... because the ND filter I was using was a .6ND which cuts a substantial chunk of light out of the picture. I anticipated it making the camera struggle more during focusing. It may have impaired it some, but not as much as I would have guessed. I shot pretty close to wide open and I LOVE the buttery quality of the background. Luckily I had an amicable (and patient) model today. We also had a chance to test out our reflector and stand today.

My chores,... ummm,... no, not yet.

Suffice to say, I LOVE the way the light is moving. I wish (and will probably keep right on wishing) that we had a grip who could lug lights and hold reflectors during our shoots. Seems like most of the time, it just isnt going to happen, so I need to learn how to do it without the extra hands. Stands are coming in VERY handy.

I guess this is her way of saying we don't feed her enough.

Fork you Dad. Talk to the Fork Dad.

As things would have it, today was as sticky and hot as summer days get around here. Mid-eighties by 9am, and the humidity has climbed all day. As I type this tonight, we're hovering around 94% humidity. You could wring gallons of water from this "air".

Shooting in the studio is always a fun respite from dealing with hot stuff in the house... chores, cleaning, bills. Somehow the studio stays cooler till much later in the day. Probably the concrete slab acting as a thermal sink. Tomorrow the day is filled with physical therapy and delivering images to my most recent portrait clients.

Finally Getting to Try Stuff

This morning I went out to the studio, and got seriously depressed. What I wanted to do was make pots. I have been wanting to make pots since getting out of the hospital. Despite a quick foray back in January, the studio has been quiet. Every time I try to throw, I am reminded (painfully) about what I can and cannot do. This herniation at the ostomy site wont simple vanish overnight. It needs to be dealt with, and that's the plan now. I miss making pots in the worst way.

I feel very lucky to have had Hannah here through March. She kept me working in the studio most weeks even if I couldn't throw pots. I could be glazing work she had thrown, or helping her get ready to load a kiln, or maybe start working on a new glaze. Now the studio is pretty quiet.

I decided today to take advantage of that quiet. I have wanted to PLAY in the studio since before my surgery. After buying all that flash photography gear, I had mountains of ideas to try. Here's the thing with flash photography... if you're doing it right, no one knows that flash was used. Some of my favorite flash images look like they were shot with daylight peeking through a window. That's what I have been craving. Gentle light, directional... but I think by starting with two lights I was more than confused about how to proceed.

Today, with just one light on a stand, shooting through a white umbrella, I took a few snapshots for a customer far-far-away. After looking at them, I thought, HEY! Why not shoot some samples from around the gallery so people can see what we have on our shelves. Not to boast, but for the first time ever, we have stockpiles of some forms. Mugs we have LOTS of. Plates we have by the bushel. We have more pots on the shelves now than we normally do before July. Not bad considering I can't make more right now! Here's hoping that we learn a lot at the Cleveland Clinic this week!!!

Snow Day

My mom arrived from Miami yesterday. Today the forecast called for a snownado...whatever that is. Supposed to get wicked winds and scary deep snow tonight. Less than a decade ago, this wouldn't have even rated a "BIG" snowstorm rating. I think with all the media over-exposure, we are simply expecting more and more drama from our weather. Can't we just have normalcy? I sometimes wonder if we have lost the ability to understand when hyperbole has lost its meaning.

While the snow outside fell steadily, we stayed inside and kept warm. Nice way to pass the day. By the time we had reached mid-afternoon everyone was ready for a nap which gave me a chance to set up lights. Got a few dozen images off before everyone awoke. Then it was laughing and cavorting of the first degree.

The Middle of the Night

It is nearly 2a.m. and I am awake but wishing I weren't. Coffee ice cream (Starbucks!) will be the death of me. I just cant handle my coffee. Keeps me awake for hours! Top it off with some back pain issues, and an inability to get comfortable in bed... makes it so I just cant force myself to sleep.

Instead, I figured it was a good time to share some of my favorite images from my first non-family portrait shoot. My plan is to do more portraiture over the next year. I have a long way to go, but I am starting to have a vision for what I want. In this case, I needed to come up with high school senior pictures for a beautiful young lady. Very specific requirements. Here are the results:

Treasures Found in a Week's Time

A week ago, I bought my first Nikon Speedlite SB-600, and life has not been the same since. Today I found another one via Craigslist. Here are the rest of my treasures from this past week. We found a killer Manfroto tripod with a sweet ballhead. My lightstand and shoot-thru umbrella arrived. Together, all of this fun stuff, combined with a 85mm f1.8, and a TTL patchcord... all of this has made my week a TON of fun. Like a kid in a candy shop, I have spent the better part of the week trying new ideas with flash every chance I could! Next up: during my recuperation, I aim to study up on the "Strobist" method of lighting so I can push my lighting skills to the next level. Should be fun.

More Learnin' Stuff

I have been trying to work on my photography skills this week. I spent most of today and all of Monday shooting images for Mary Ellen Salmon. I love her pottery. Rich red sandy clay, full of texture. Very different from the porcelaineous clay we use. Her textures are a joy to shoot because the light plays off all the nooks and crannies so well! To that end, here is a preview of Mary Ellen Salmon's latest works.

When I say I have been working on photo skills, I really do mean it. Try as I might, this camera is still showing me tricks and pitfalls I never knew or understood. This week's lessons have centered around light. How to get shadows to fall exactly where you want them? How do you get light to bend around little corners, just enough to give you an edge to a form? Oy veh!

I spent a good chunk of time looking at the photo shooting setup of John Tilton's on his blog : Contemporary Art Porcelain. I am continually blown away by the richness of his images and the contrast between background and foreground. John was kind enough to show us all how he does it. (see this blog posting) I may be slow, but it took me over a week to finally figure out that he was basically shooting into a tunnel. Then the light in my head went on. Ah hah! So today's fun has been trying to figure out a way to do something similar on our end.... but minus his strobes and bouncing stuff off the ceiling, etc. Working with the lights we have.... here's what I was able to pull off. Thank you John Tilton. You not only opened my eyes to a new way of seeing shadow and light... you also gave me warm washup water! That aquarium heater idea has made me one VERY happy man.