Allen on Photography

I grew up at time when families only had one camera and it was pulled out of the closet for special occasions.  By the time I entered college, I owned a small box camera, so I was at a disadvantage to those students who owned photographer-quality equipment.  This point was significant since we were required to photograph select assignments and include the photos with our final assignment journal. 

I started painting again in 2005 after a 35-year ‘pause.’  I knew I needed to capture images of completed canvases for archive or sale purposes.  I used whatever household camera we had.  I was still employed at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, so due to my long work schedule I was not painting or selling art in great numbers. 

In 2009, realized I needed to get some professional photography help.  Between 2010 and 2015 I used the services of two photographers (and friends) Dionne and Rod.  In late 2015, I decided I needed to relearn photography and capture my completed art images in-house for efficiency purposes.

Over the years, my oldest son, Sean, became a photographer of note.  Since he lived a distance from us and was raising his family, he could not break away to photo every canvas I painted.  But I turned to him for start-up guidance.  So, he could train me over the phone, he suggested I purchase the same model of camera he used, allowing him to give me quick tips, tricks, and settings.  By 2016, I had my trusty Nikon and was snapping away. 

I quickly came to understand the lighting problems involved in shooting a painted canvas – especially if it is a ‘ghost canvas.’ * Each photo session was an education for me.  I read photography books, but mostly learned what ‘did not work,’ picked up tips from other photographers and called Sean when I was in a pickle. 

I am, sometimes, my worst enemy.  I like to work fast, so I might forego the use of a tripod or my light box and snap 30 to 50 shots of completed art for archive purposes.  Then I keep the best ones.

If a painting has a lot of texture, I’ll shoot archive photos at the end of the painting session, but once the painting is dry (long time for an oil painting), I will set up the light box, my shutter remote and take ‘catalog’ or ‘website’ shots.  

For my sketches, I use a lot of glitter, metallic and iridescent ink, so capturing the true brilliance and glow of sketches is sometimes a challenge.  That said, when the buyer sees the sketch in person, they are extremely dazzled, as a website photo cannot always do the art justice.

Of the photos I used, 80% receive some tweaking or cleaning before the public sees them.  The change might be minor.

Like most photographers, I have a huge archive of photos I have saved for future use – mostly to be made into digital art prints.  On occasion, I will write poem that needs to be a print with an artistic backdrop, so I will search my archives for such images.

I am not a life photographer.  I do not try to recreate nature.  I take photos to capture or create art – colorful art!

~ AW

Sean at Mount Umunhum

Sean at Mount Umunhum. Mount Umunhum is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz mountain range at 3,486 feet.