Our July 27th meeting we had a great turn out and we enjoyed a great presentation on 
documenting aka photographing your work. Nathan Falter, our guest speaker and co-owner of Springfield Pottery, spent the morning explaining how to setup and and take pictures for use when submitting applications for shows and galleries.
Nathan shared with us his background and education along with the basic theory behind good shots. Additionally he shared how he was taught to take the photos emphasizing that it doesn’t take a lot of money or fancy equipment to take great pictures. He explained what the components were and how he assembled his light-box and other materials. Some of the components are PVC utilized to build the light-box frame, simple ordinary white fabric for diffusing light, 2″ x 4″ construction for framing the backdrop, where to find backdrops, the correct type of florescent bulbs and much more.
After explaining the basic equipment needed he shared his take on aperture settings and the different ways to present light to the piece being photographed. He said that he spends a lot of time getting “the right shot” and doesn’t expect to just take a quick picture or two and then throw them together and submit for a show. It takes a lot more time to do it properly but it will pay off the more meticulous you are.
Nathan spent quite a bit of time shooting one of Carl Huser’s hollow forms showing us many different shots using different light placement and varied apertures. Hot spots proved to be an issue and he shared with us various ways to over come these hot spots. This included using more fabric to diffuse the light as well as different positions for the lights and even turning one light off to demonstrate how it can give depth to the piece.
He then used one of Jim Kramer’s segmented bowls to show us the different ways to present it. Take a look at these pictures as well as others in the gallery below.
There were many questions along the way and many of our members commented that it was a great demonstration. Nathan and his wife Jennifer are the owners of Springfield Pottery. Along with his years of work with clay and other mediums, Nathan has also been a woodturner. If you have questions or would like more information about taking a pottery class with Nathan, check out their website at Springfield Pottery.