The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography

My studio is too small!

Posted By: Jim Poor

My studio is too small! - 01/03/11 04:19 PM

It gets a bit crowded sometimes!

Posted By: Scott Flaherty

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/04/11 12:37 AM

I really like this one! Made me smile . . .
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/04/11 01:45 AM

Thanks Scott!
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 03:34 PM

Wow, I can't believe the response this image is getting. Easily my most talked about image. Funny, I almost trashed it right off the bat.
Posted By: Julie

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 03:40 PM

Its getting a lot of attention because it is fun, artistic and different. The black and white works and it doesn't look like a school photo
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 03:45 PM

Is that a reference to my blue background (which I know you hate) or my overall style?

Now that I've got my studio space 90% finished, I have a lot more leeway to experiment and I think it shows. That said, I just had a massive order, and about half of it was on the blue background so I wonder why clients like it so much, but other photographers hate it.

I think my BW conversions are getting really good, but I don't want to go too far that way. I don't want to be a copy of Lee Anderson, though I really admire his work.
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 04:48 PM

Looking back on this in B&W (actually tan & white on my machine) I realize it could be interpreted the wrong way. I was genuinely asking, not being snarky.
Posted By: Julie

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 07:33 PM

I do hate the blue because it doesn't go with the warm colors of 98% of dogs. This is closer to what you are looking to achieve for fine art photography. Chroma blue and chroma green just work for almost nothing. It worked ok for the photo I did with Dot and Tanis for Jrs with her wearing a white, crinolin polka dot dress. It would not work for much of anything else.

White, brown,cream, gray, black and a forest type green work well with dogs. The chroma key colors really do not. Look at the response you have had with this image.
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 07:43 PM

Funny, I was just telling Tammy that I'd like to get some more nice, warm, earth-tone backdrops. I'd like a nice warm gold for starters.

I'd also like to do some pastels. There's a nice periwinkle BG at my local camera store that I've been looking at.

Do you think the blue works for this?



If I had my way, I'd probably shoot nothing but black or white BGs but I think that's a little too limiting.
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 07:56 PM

Do you think the response to the first photo is more because of the "pose" or the photography?

I only wish I could train dogs to perform as contortionists!
Posted By: psmith

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 08:30 PM

Jim, I like the royal blue above a lot for white, black, or b&w dogs. I would like it better with a snoot of background light. What kind of material is this?
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 08:40 PM

Thanks Preston,

Do you mean a hair light with a snoot or a background light with a grid / snoot to create a lighter area on the BG?

This is seamless paper. I could probably get a gridded spot on it from behind, but since I was working on the floor rather than the table, I couldn't put a light behind the subject from below. I suppose I could put one above though.
Posted By: Julie

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 08:54 PM

Who has blue like that in their homes? Seriously. What are you looking to sell? No one will buy that in a 30x40 as it will totally clash with their decor. White, black, browns all go in people's homes.

I love vibrant pinks, turqouise and other colors for fun. No one buys them. Not the way they do the white, gray, brown.

I shoot to sell. Warm colors sell. The black and white dog looks fine on that color, I still don't like it. It can't be hung anywhere.
Posted By: psmith

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 08:56 PM

Gridded BG light from above. Tough to do right though. Easier to have a platform and do it from below.
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 09:05 PM

Julie,

I sort of see your point in terms of decor, however, I just sold a bunch of blue portraits, so somebody likes them. Granted, they were only 16x20 and smaller, but its for a cluster. Even so, I can see a narrower appeal to the bolder color as opposed to the more neutral / earth-tones.

Preston,

Yeah, tough to do from above with spill on the floor. Maybe barn doors or a flag . . .

It might be very easy to do from behind. Most of my hot white images up to the last week or so are with back lighting on the BG. I'll have to try it on blue or red to see how much spill I get throwing the light from behind.
Posted By: Julie

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 09:05 PM

Boom arm...
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 09:09 PM

I have a couple booms and I also have a drop down in the ceiling that could hold a light. I don't, however, have a lot of side to side space (12.5 feet wide in total) to put a stand off to the side for a boom.

If I can mount it in the ceiling and swing it around the way I need it . . .
Posted By: psmith

Re: My studio is too small! - 01/05/11 10:21 PM

My boom is just an accident waiting to happen. I've quit using it around animals. If I wanted to carry around 50 lbs of sandbags, different story.
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