Photographing Jewelry: Behind the Scenes

Today I thought I’d share the hidden part of the creative process — the photographic element.

If you want anyone to see your work (barring customers visiting your house unannounced), you’ve got to take some pictures. How to take the perfect picture is a widely discussed topic among the designers and glass artists I know — it’s just not as easy as you would think. There’s a lot more to it than point-and-shoot, and a good photo can make all the difference in making a sale.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been using a light tent, special lighting, a tripod, and a light box. Here’s my set up:

Yeah, I know, it’s a mess, but I know where everything is! On the right is a big bowl of jewelry waiting to be photographed, on the left is where the successfully snapped go, and in between is where it all happens.

Lately, though, I’ve been trying to branch out with the photos, and use natural light and close up angles to get a more artistic and interesting shot. Sometimes things just NEED a white background, but I have had fun experimenting with this new style. Here’s the set up:

Yep, that’s the floor. I sit on the floor by an open window, and without a tripod, snap the shots. There’s the big bowl of jewelry, and all the “props” I’m using today… an old book, an older bird house, various vases, candles — get creative!

The problem with this method is I’m at the mercy of the sun. This morning was bright and sunny, so I got everything together, got a cup of coffee, came back into the room — and no sun. It had gone behind the clouds, and didn’t look like it was coming back anytime soon.

Sometimes the dimmer, indirect sunlight works, as in these shots:

It’s really all a judgement call. Sometimes I have to take dozen shots in a lot of different ways to get just one useable photo, and at times like that, I feel like tearing my hair out. But it’s a necessary part of the creative process, so as with jewelry design, I’m constantly experimenting — and learning.

Lori Anderson designs and blogs from her studio in Easton, MD. You can buy her work at her website, Etsy, and craft shows, and read more about her at her blog.

Custom Order Conundrum

Yes, yes… I know, the alliteration is killing you, but what can I say? I love when titles “sound” good. Anyway, I have been debating back and forth the whole idea and process that is a “custom order”. I thought beaders and buyers would both benefit from hearing what goes on in another artist’s mind on the topic. And hopefully, it will open the doors to comments on other’s thoughts and opinions about it.

How do I define a “custom order”? For me, it is anytime anyone asks me to make them something that isn’t already made and in a box ready to sell. I think it is a pretty straightforward way of thinking. A customer who requests a couple extra beads to match ones she just bought… that’s a custom order. A gallery that “really hopes you’ll make something to go along with such and such a piece”… that’s a custom order.

When I first started making jewelry 2003, I would make anything anyone ever asked me to make. I thought, “Hey… I’ll do anything for $15… $15 means I can buy more beads.” Not only that, I was thrilled to think that someone liked my things enough to have me make something just for them. By 2005 (while just starting to learn to make glass beads), I started doing custom jewelry for weddings. I would make an appointment with the bride, bring samples of 6-8 custom designs to match her bridesmaids’ dresses and inevitably she would want to mix a bit of this with a bit of that, creating a 9th and 10th piece. Once she figured out which one she wanted, I would make enough for the whole bridal party. After 15 weddings, I was bitten enough by the glass bug and fed up enough with picky brides to say enough was enough to that.

As glass became an everyday part of my life, I adopted the same mentality as I did when I first started making jewelry. The “OMG, someone wants to pay for me to make them something!” mentality. Again, I was flattered… again, I would bend over backwards at my own expense to make buyers happy. And this time around I thought, “$15 will buy me more rods of glass”.

I don’t know when the switch flipped in my brain but at some point I started to say “NO” to custom orders. I think it was when I really started to define my own style and was starting to get slightly better prices for my beads. I started to feel that if people didn’t like what I made, they didn’t have to buy it. I wasn’t going to go out of my way to make people happy and stifle myself creatively anymore. Because that is really what custom orders started to do to me. And that is the stance I have had for about a year now. At art shows, I get asked repeatedly if I will make something custom. I tell people, nope, sorry.

That was until recently where I said yes to a few orders. Just a few. I think I have 5 sitting on my desk right now. But with these, they are a different kind of custom order… I am not letting the customer dictate the results. It is a hard thing to do and I think it takes a lot of artistic confidence (which is another completely different topic, don’t get me started.) Artistic confidence isn’t something I have a lot of, but I pretend I do and I am now enjoying saying, “yes, I’ll make you something… but I am going to make it ‘my’ way”.

I would love to know where others are at in their “custom order conundrum”. Will you do anything for a buck (and I never judge, it is okay to want to buy more beads!)? Do you refuse orders? Do you make one style of something and then make as many of those as people ask for? As business people as well as artists, do you think it is just bad business not to take orders? Do orders crowd your creativity? Do you think doing custom work make you less of an artist (and I don’t mean that in a bad way… Michelangelo took an order to paint the Sistine Chapel, right)?

Kerry Bogert is blogging about her glass art beads and jewelry from her home studio in Ontario NY. Check her work at www.kabsconcepts.com.

A Balancing Act

Sometimes I wish I could split myself in two…. sound at all familiar? Artist… Mom… making beads… making jewelry… working on website… writing blogs… It can get overwhelming! When that happens I have a tendency to sit and spin my wheels doing nothing. Not particularly helpful and definitely not productive.

How to balance the different parts of my life? Above all, I need to put my family first…period! Unfortunately, that can put a real damper on being spontaneously creative. So I’m going to keep a notepad with me at all times. Several other members of our blog use one and I think it makes a lot of sense. I can write down a color combo when it pops into my head, outline an idea for my website or blog, sketch an idea for a new piece, check off items on my to-do list, prioritize!

I’m also going to try something new for me beginning next week. School starts and I will have a good six or seven hours of mostly uninterrupted time to devote to my business. So I’m going to set up a schedule and actually stick to it this time!! Instead of poking around in the morning, I’m going to get dressed and treat this like the job it really is. No more procrastinating and avoiding the parts of my business that are difficult for me. It’s time to get busy!

By incorporating these new elements into my daily life, I’m hoping to use the rest of my time being the best mom and wife possible. Sounds balanced… I’ll let you know how it goes!!

Grace Under Pressure

Changes are coming for the Garrens this fall, and I am hoping I learn to display grace under pressure. I’ve been trying to write about this all week but couldn’t find the right words to describe how I’m feeling about both of the kids going to school. Now, that’s not a huge change, but it will be change for each of us. Katie will begin kindergarten, James moves from kindergarten into first grade, Mommy will have time to concentrate on AngelinaBeadalina during the day, and Daddy will probably notice a less frustrated Mommy! So here’s a sampling of all the different thoughts running through my mind as I check school supply lists and talk to the kids about their upcoming year:

• Excitement I am excited for my children because I always loved school. No kindergarten for me in 1971, but first grade was my favorite grade. I remember counting to 100, grudgingly learning to share crayons, and taking my lunch to school in a lunchbox decorated with pictures of a Dawn doll. James is going to feel so confident as he learns more complicated math problems and easily reads entire stories from big kid books. Actually, every grade was my “favorite” grade while I was in it; I loved school!
• Taking Pleasure in the Little Things When I was trying to think of a title for this post, I remembered “Grace Under Pressure” and googled Rush to find lyrics. I’m not much of a music trivia person, so I thought that was a song instead of album name. Ah, doing that led me to videos of Rush. While I was listening to Tom Sawyer and Red Barchetta, I suddenly realized that I will now be able to listen to loud music while torching! No worries about “it’s too loud” complaints or not being able to hear what everyone is doing
• Family, Art, Home, Earth, Love, & Peace I’ve been thinking about medicine wheels and mandalas lately, and trying to put names to the most important things in my life. These are those things, and I really want to make a glass sculpture piece to serve as a visual reminder of them. I can’t wait to spend an entire day experimenting until I get the components just right! Here’s a peek at two of the first wide discs. Hope it won’t be long until I’m showing you a finished piece.

  

• Pressure Oh, yeah, there’s going to be pressure. Hubby is convinced that I need a part-time job to get me out of the house, while I am convinced that I should have this chance to turn AngelinaBeadalina into a relatively successful small business. We finally compromised. I have until the new year to be a full-time glassy person, and then we re-assess the situation. . . just a little bit of pressure when you consider how I feel like I’ve finally discovered my true calling and want to make this my career, huh? Wish me luck!

Angie Garren, aka AngelinaBeadalina, happily melts glass in her home studio, loves to share pictures of her work as it evolves, and can’t keep from writing about it all in her blog!

Challenge, The Great Teacher

Recently, my kiln temperature controller, digital camera and one of my photography lights all broke down within days of each other. They were out of commission for about three weeks. During that time I couldn’t make any new beads, and my photography time was limited with a borrowed digital camera. I’m a full-time beadmaker and it was difficult to handle the down-time. I thought it would be good to write a Watch Me Create blog post about this experience because it was definitely a creative challenge.

When the equipment breakdowns first happened, I had some sadness and frustration about my business coming to an apparent halt. However, as time went by I began to recognize and appreciate the things I depend on to make and sell beads. For example, I need a kiln, computer and camera, and then I need electricity to run them. I need a phone line for internet access, and propane and oxygen and a torch, plus tools and glass and a lot of other things. It definitely takes a lot of equipment and supplies to make beads and sell or display them on the internet. Everything has to be operating smoothly in order for the business to work. I need my health, too.

All of this reminded me to be thankful for the things I usually take for granted.

I can also appreciate every other beadmaker for the supplies and equipment they have to manage in order to bring pictures to this blog or to websites. It takes a lot of creativity, skill, time, and money to put it all together. All of this goes on behind the scenes in the world of beadmaking, and yet our customers don’t really get to see that side.

One more thing I got out of this experience: when things don’t work according to plan, it’s necessary to improvise. We have to get creative and be ready to learn something new. Since my camera was broken and I was able to borrow a different one, I learned some new things about close-up photography that I didn’t know before and now my bead photos are better. And because one of my photo bulbs was out, I tried taking pictures in lower light and they actually look better with less glare. Also, my boyfriend Steve fixed my kiln and now knows everything there is to know about wiring and programming controllers!

With my kiln now fixed and a new digital camera and photo bulbs, I’m back in business. It’s All Good!