- Do you take your pictures indoors or outdoors, and why?
I take them outdoors unless the weather prevents this
and/or the deadline is imminent. In that case, I take them in my studio when
it is DARK---with tungsten lights (on 4 separate stands that I can move around
to spread the light evenly). I started by taking all of my photos inside using
the tungsten film (more expensive) and tungsten lights, but you always have to
wait for it to be totally dark. Then I kept forgetting to turn off the light
I was using to set up.
About 4-5 years ago, I began taking them outside with
cheaper film, which I can buy at the grocery store (Kodak Ektachrome for slides
in 200 is what I use outside). It's so much easier not to have to set up lights,
and the outdoor lighting is better anyway. The trick is to pick a day when the
wind isn't up and the lighting is consistent, rather than having the sun go in
and out. I've spent many a time outside just waiting for the sun to move (a
little like waiting for water to boil!).
I bought about six foam core boards (4ft x 8 ft),
and when setting up for the photography, I stand them in front of my garage
to take the photos. If it's a big quilt, I tape two boards together and hang
it on both boards. It's awkward and much harder to do the large (80" x 80"ish)
quilts, but it does work.
- What kind of outdoor weather conditions are best? In the sun, in the
shade, and what other things do you have to watch out for?
Well, the best weather conditions are definitely not
the snow: which happens way too often here in Upstate NY. I always worry that
those tiny flakes will show up as texture in my slides, but usually they just
melt, and so far haven't made a difference. I think a bright day that is slightly
cloud-covered produces the best photos. I have taken some in bright sunlight:
especially if the quilt is particularly dark, or if it's a detail shot, and
that works fine. The best choice is probably the consistently bright day that
has a slight cloud cover. The ins and outs of the sun are definitely a pain to
deal with.
My worst enemy is the wind. I'll get it all set
up, be at the camera, and a gust of wind will suddenly come and knock the board
over. Usually, I have a friend helping so she can hold onto the board and make
sure this doesn't happen. But, I've done some small ones myself and the wind
sure does make it difficult. Once my board blew face down on the ground while
I had my back turned. I was walking to my camera on the tripod, and the quilt
fell right in a mud puddle, since it had been raining the day before! Fortunately,
it was a brown quilt (a color I rarely use) and it wiped off easily. Whew!
Waiting for the light staying consistent is tricky too.
Different times of days and at different times of the year is the rule. Make sure
the light is not filtering thru a tree or you will end up with some strange shadows
on your quilts. And on the bright days, if the sun is straight up, it's just impossible
to get rid of that tiny shadow that appears on the bottom. So, the name of the game
is patience (something I am not known for!), and waiting for the light to be right.
But, in general, I'd still rather do this than deal with the tungsten lights inside,
and I live in a climate that has about 6 months of crummy winter-like weather. My
slides and photos just turn out better outside, even though I have to deal with the
elements.
- What hanging device do you use, and why do you like this method better
than hanging the quilt from a pole?
I pin them all on lightweight foam core boards, hiding
the pins. Larger quilts mean more pins, and if they are on two big boards, I
usually do it flat on the ground and pin a lot to keep the quilt stable when
we lift the board straight up to stand against the garage. All sizes of quilts
I do the same way: it's just more stable than hanging it from a pole, which I
tried originally. With the board to lie against, the quilt remains flatter,
and with pinning it down, it remains in the squared up shape you want without
any "ruffles" or "waves" that you often see at quilt shows when the quilts are
hanging from poles.
- How do you keep the quilt from blowing in the breeze?
Mostly, I can keep the quilt from blowing by heavily
pinning it, but keeping the lightweight foam core board from blowing is the
problem. I need human help to hold it...and if it's really breezy, even that
doesn't work. If it is windy, you need to once again be patient and wait for
another day.
- Camera: What kind, film, settings (what and do you vary them) Do you
use a digital camera?
I have a Canon Rebel II, in fact, I have two. And
the zoom lens I bought is an 80-120, for the range it can take. You can ask
your camera dealer what lens would work best for your own needs. I take both
slides and print film, and after changing the film and settings continually,
I finally opted to get TWO cameras so I can take as many shots as I like. Then
I leave the unfinished film in the camera, if I don't need more shots of a
certain quilt.
My grown kids laugh at me for this, because I had
sticky notes on each camera marking one "slides" and one "photos". So, they
got together and bought me a label maker for Christmas one year, and now my
cameras are officially labeled and the sticky notes are gone.
It also makes it easier to set up for a large quilt
on the tripod, take the full view shots with the slides, and then just trade
the cameras out while the tripod is in the right spot, and take the photo
prints (I take less of those). Then, I move the camera and tripod in for the
detail shot and trade cameras once again. After all, of that, I take the digital
shots with my digital camera (those are more fun quick shots for email and such).
For posting pictures on my web site, I scan the photo or slide from the better
camera.
I know that it is correct to take different settings
and then choose the one that is best, but again my lack of patience is my downfall.
I have discovered that by keeping my camera on the automatic setting and using
the focus beep to make sure I'm in focus, that this works fine for my needs.
I usually take 12 full and 12 detail shots of each quilt. I will take more if
I know that it is one I will be entering in more shows, or using in presentations.
The Tungsten film for inside comes with 36, so I do 18 or each doing those. My
goal is to make it "come out even" and finish the roll so I can take it for
processing.
Be sure to choose a good film processor, it makes
all the difference. I asked around for the best camera shop in town (Kodak is
based here, so there are many varied opinions), bought my cameras there and asked
them where they would recommend processing both the slides and photos. (Two different
places, by the way in my case). It improved the quality of the photos and slides
a lot to use the best.
- Do you use a tripod and why?
Definitely! One cannot hold the camera still
enough to get good quality shots: especially for consistency when taking 24 to
36 in a row. It also allows for more adjustments and turning the camera, or
angling it to make sure that your quilt comes out straight even though you might
have pinned it slightly off-kilter on the board.
- Do you take slides, prints? And
why?
I take both prints and slides, plus digital. The
slides are for shows and presentations. The prints are for the portfolio of
my work, where I keep the "blurbs" I write for each quilt. I then have a
presentation book to show to a gallery BEFORE giving them the slides. With
this easy way to view my work first, they will know if they want to bother
with the slides. And sometimes, they won't even need the slides once they've
seen the photo book. I also find the photos easier to scan for the Website,
although I sometimes scan the slides too.
- What position is the camera in relation to the quilt?
You always need to take the photos with the quilt
hung on a wall or flat vertical surface with the camera straight in front of
it, not with people and their hands showing, and not lying on the floor, where
the angle will be skewed and make your quilt look like a trapezoid (where one
end looks narrower than the other) rather than a square or rectangle. With
the tripod and the adjustable lens, you can make sure that the wall creates
an even border around your quilt with nothing else showing, and you can "tilt"
your camera just right to achieve that with the adjustment on the tripod stand.
- How many shots do you take of one quilt?
I take 12 full and 12 detail shots or 18 full and 18 detail shots, which uses
a full roll of film. If I am taking a group of quilts, I sit down before and
figure out the mathematics of how many to make the roll "come out even" in the
end. For instance, with a roll of 24, I might need 4 full and 4 detail of one
quilt, and then 8 full and 8 detail of another. And if I'm using two rolls
regardless, it can be divided up even more among the 48 shots in two rolls.
- What are some of the things to think about when taking detail shots?
How do you get the quilting to show up so well?
Choosing the detail shot is tricky. If you think of it
as trying to photo a section that is an attractive small composition within
your quilt, that will help. I try to choose places that have some interesting
color, piecing, stitching and a place that will look like a composition all by
itself. This can take time, and I find I'm better at it when looking thru a
camera lens to isolate it.
I do it often with my digital camera first because I
can take the shot, and then look immediately at it to see if it looks like I
had hoped it would. Then, I can delete it if it's not, and if it works keep it,
and then do the same area with my slides and print photo cameras. If you make
sure that the stitching you are trying to make show up is done in a contrasting
color to the fabric it's on, you will find the photo will show both better.
As in much of quilting, contrast is the name of the game.
And if you don't create those areas when making your quilt, you can't have them to
photo. So, all of this just goes back to making quilts that "follow the basics,"
and therefore turn out to be ones you and others want to look at often.
