mart_e

June 20, 2012

Thanks Michael, I had missed that thread, some really interesting ideas - just going off to find a source for some timber now - Somebody else I know was after some interesting backdrops for displaying vintge jewellery - and that technique looks as they it could well deliver.

I'm not sure that is what this particular client is after though - it is a modern restaurant so needs to look 'clean' and be able to withstand a potentially damp atmosphere.

Been reading up on aluminium printin, which seems to offer the type of print he's after, but is very expensive for the larger size.

June 20, 2012

I sell various prints via art fairs, and a customer wants a larger reproduction of a few shots for a restaurant.

He wants 2 sizes, one about A2 sized (approx 60x42cm) and the other at about 1.7 x 1.2m.

They need to be on rigid board (not framed or canvas).

Any ideas what options I might have for printing ? I've done a bit of digging around but none of the printing firms around us here seem to offer anything other than polyboard - which is too plasticy and prone to warping (designed more for signage).

Thanks.

January 30, 2012

25 Miles from Jessops - sounds like you are away from larger towns / villages, and possibly also away from a potential market ?

One thing, is this a change of use of the building ? If you weren't already aware, you will need planning approval to run retail operations from a building that was not previously used for retail. Even if you already have approval for Studio at first floor - that would not cover retail use (or cafe).

Without knowing where this is, you could target tourists too - a kind of meeting place, with suggestions for photo-visits etc. (ie if this is in Newcastle you could provide maps etc. for Mourne walks).

January 12, 2012

I've only done bird shots with the Nikon 300mm f4 AF-S, and in my limited experience lack of image stabilisation with this lens isn't as critical for the subjects I shoot.

Birds fidget and twitch all the time, so I always try and keep SS down to 1/500 in an attempt to get sharper shots. In this range, I don't think VR/IS is as useful. I use a monopod / tripod where possible - but more often than not, I use a bean bag and wall, tree to help stablise me / camera / lens.

December 15, 2011

I've been selling prints at art and craft fairs for last couple of years - although in the last 6 months I have really stepped up the effort to sell, and sales have really picked up.

The only golden rule that I have found, is that you need to get out there, and have the right images at the right place at the right time. I've tried a few shops and galleries, and to be honest they have not lead to any significant sales - particulary since they mark up considerably to generate their own profit.

Getting out there at fairs, and talking to people is the best route that I have found. It's you that sells the photo as much as the image itself - people buy when they are engaged, recognise a location / image and like you. Getting out and about, being recognised (a number of people who have bought prints after seeing me a number of times in the last few weeks at different locations - the recognition kicks in, and that's half the battle).

People shop as an experience, making that experience as pleasant and chatty as possible I think is what has helped me more than anything else. I like to think the phots are decent too, but I've seen many a photographer struggle at art/craft fairs that I've done - they have sometimes had better photos than me, but they are just not engaging with people in the belief that the images will 'sell themselves'.

May 23, 2011

As an aside, how about the reproduction of trademarks or logos on the aforementioned buildings ?

Presumably, as these are taken from a public place - sale as fine-art is still permissable ?

April 26, 2011

I wonder what effect any impact on production in Japan will have on a future development programme / research as well - whether there will be a delay in the release of new products (particularly cameras).

I suspect that Nikon will need a run of so many units for the current models before they can economically move over to the next generation. If production has reduced, does it mean that production will need to be extended ?

PS. I don't want this to sound in any way that I have distilled the awful tragedy, loss of live and continued suffering of thousands down to camera models - my heart still goes out to the people of Japan.

April 24, 2011

I've been selling prints and cards for a couple of years at craft / art fairs. It's not a particularly profitable task, and as Dave says, it is more useful for getting out and about and getting your name out there (I tend to gauge my success more by the numbers of business cards and chats than prints sold).

Having said that - be brutal in assessing your costs. I aim for a min of £20 for a 16x12" Matted print, and that is based on material costs of about £4 (I print myself - and I have a good source for conservation mounts / backs). I tend to sell around 5 per fair (thats a conservative estimate - it's probably more than that as an average) - at those figures, once I factor in diesel, table fees, insurance, tax, etc. I walk away probably with about £30-40 which I consider about breaking even.

If it were about the cash - I would be better spending the day in a part-time job somewhere flipping burgers.

February 19, 2011

David, I will hopefully get mine sooner than the 9 weeks too (realised I had a typo in my original response meant weeks not months - too late to edit now). I rang round a few people and looked through Amazon - that was the quickest that I was quoted, and most people said it would most likely take longer (this was for either B+W or Lee) - it was also after the VAT hike, and I was told that there was a real spike in orders prior to then that would contribute to delays.

February 18, 2011

Not sure where you are, but 10 stop ND filters are like gold dust. I ordered mine recently from Lee Filters (UK) - it is going to take 9 months (they only manufacture to order). <a href="http://www.leefilters.com/camera/news/ref:N4B8F96517C324/">Lee Filters The Big Stopper</a>. Also quite expensive. I experimented with ND filters some time ago, and always found unwanted colour shifts (tending towards magenta).

February 9, 2011

Sorry Pete - hadn't updated the thread before posting previous reply - so hadn't seen yours.

This is most definitely a 'make the best of what you're going to get' rather than an ideal studio space. We are talking minimums in almost every respect (and probably not even achieving those).

Part of the brief is also that this space should not be too restrictive for re-sale value (ie the space still needs to be a potential useful part of the house (kitchen / dining space).

I've already suggested to her that she rent a photographic studio space somewhere else rather than throw money at this, but for a number of reasons she wants the extension (not least the fact that it's a good cheap time to build).

February 9, 2011

Thanks Marios, some very useful info there.

I'm used to designing (I'm an architect), I think she is going to have to be imaginative in the way she uses the space, the site / planning restrictions will be what limits the space/size, and there will be little room for maneouvre.

The kitchen area was only going to be a sink unit and worktop / fridge for tea/coffee (most definitely not a separate room - possibly with a set of double doors to make it more of a cupboard-kitchen). The WC/Cloak room will need to be a separate space (and lobbied from the main studio space) - the lobby could act as a changing area though (unless I place if off an entrance lobby instead).

6m is probably about the longest length I will be able to achieve internally, although I will maximise the height as far as I can.

She wants some rooflights in (probably on one side only because of planning restrictions again) - no problem getting black out blinds on those - particularly as they face South West and would allow direct sunlight in.

She also wants 'patio doors' on one side. This could provide quite a useful daylight side source - but again would need black out facility.

I'm going to try and fit a mezzanine level at one end for both storage and possible access to lighting - and to allow a higher vantage point.

February 9, 2011

Thanks for the comments.

4m might be a stretch given planning restrictions that are likely to apply, 3.5m should be workable - at least centrally (eaves may need to be lower).

Hector, we have an electrical consultant sizing the appropriate consumer unit / utility supplies - an upgrade will almost certainly be required.

Would anyone be up for commenting on a plan / sections if I upload it ? - probably won't be until next week though.

Thanks

February 8, 2011

I'm desiging a studio space for a colleague that will initially be used as a computer suite but will eventually be formed into a photographic studio. This is an extension / stand alone addition to a house.

At present she does predominantly small product (crystals, jewellery, food) photography, but is looking to future-proof this space - mainly for portraiture, but also for larger products (relatively, we're not talking cars here - possibly textiles and items that can be brought in through the door). She's not sure on the size that she will need - particularly in height - to allow for lighting etc.

I've done no portrait photography at all (other than the usual family and friends), and have only done small products myself.

Any ideas on the size and height of space would be appreciated.

As for facilities, the site is limited so we are talking probably a space of about 3-4m x 6-7m and the inlcusion of a small cloakroom (wc and changing area) as well as a small kitchen. The access door will be double door sized (opening size of about 1.8m wide x 2.1m high).

Any other considerations ?

Many thanks

February 4, 2011

Thanks Zach,

I've been looking for stats on % browsers using ipad - but can't find anything - I guess that for the moment the % is pretty low to the point of being insignificant, but I'm not sure how things will change.

From what I gather the display is 1024 x 768 - so a limit of 1000px would seem to be a reasonable starting point.

I'm coding in HTML / Dreamweaver for the first time in years - exploring the flexibility of DIVs over the way I have worked in the past (using tables).

Thanks for the replies

February 2, 2011

Thanks for those links Robert - very useful - Just going to do a little reading from those before going to far in the sketch design stage.

February 2, 2011

What screen display size should you generally design for now ?

I had set a template up on mine with a central main section of approx 900px wide so that it was viewable on a 1024px display. There is a degree of 'scaleability' that I could introduce but I prefer to stick with a specific width for the main area to have greater control over the setup. Obviously this looks a little small on a larger monitor / display setup.

What sort of impact has mobile / ipad browsing had on webpage display widths ?

Should I stick with the 900px width ?

Thanks for any advice

February 1, 2011

I think you can work around a lot of lenses - not in PP, but in use. Understanding the limitations of a lens and adapting your photography around those limits can help to maximise the benefits of a particular lens. I don't think that makes an average lens great, but I think it can deliver results that are perhaps closer to those taken with more expensive lenses.

January 30, 2011

This 'hypothetical situation' goes beyond the usual protests, it is more of a movement against the incumbant Mubarak, it is not just city wide in Cairo, but has spread way beyond and covers most of urban Egypt.

The ones most likely to seize your camera in this situation are the govenment / police (possibly army - although their allegiance seems to be wavering). They are keen to limit media coverage, and with more than a hundred confirmed dead their impetus is purely on self preservation. In that sort of situation, when the usual 'rules' are thrown out the window, I would go along with any request at all from the authorities.

The protesters on the other hand, are likely to welcome coverage, it strengthens their hand (particularly if you are able to get pictures and film out of Egypt - given the heavy restrictions that have been imposed on the internet / mobile networks - although again that seems to be lessening). Of course, looters and others involved in illegal activities are another matter.

If the government falls and anarchy prevails, I'm not sure worrying about my camera would be high on my list if I were there.

January 29, 2011

I studied in Cairo for a while (6 weeks) as part of my MSc. and I've been on the wrong end of a couple of 'lively discussions' with the authorities there.

I would say, you hand everything over, in this hypothetical situation, the likelihood is that the other chap(s) will be speaking in arabic only, will be armed, and not interested in any form of discussion. In normal situations, the expectation would be that for a 'fine' for some loosely defined act on you behalf you would get to keep the camera gear.

In this unique situation, they seem only interested in limiting the media coverage.

I'm looking on with ever increasing concern. Egypt and Cairo hold a place in my heart after my 6 weeks there. It is like no other place I've been to. The first 2-3 weeks were hard, but the last 3-4 weeks were wonderful - it is one of those places that needs rewards effort (picking up arabic phrases and mixing with the locals). I was there in 1994 before the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism, but after a number of incidents in which tourists were killed.

I can only hope that the Egyptians can resolve their issues and pull through this period of unrest in relative peace.

January 25, 2011

John, I know a number of artists that 'work from photos' - I even took some photos of someone for a friend for them to use for a painting. But obviously there is a pretty large variance on how photos are typically used.

The artists I know mainly use the photos as reference - be it objects or people etc. they don't 'copy' the photos at all, but use them as source material for props as well as reference for models (where they want mainly flat on, 30d / 60d profile views etc) to construct their own compositions - or for posed reference of the human body (not always possible to work from life - especially for what would be long poses).

In those cases the final work of art is pretty far removed from any photographic source material.

January 24, 2011

28) ______ vs ______

January 23, 2011

What sort of photos does she want ? I've done something similar for a friend a few years back, and she 'just' wanted a collection of images front, side, 1/3 on that sort of thing. She didn't 'copy' an image for the painting, but wanted reference pictures.

I rattled them off in about 15 mins, and her painting was fantastic (and bore little resemblance to any of my photos) - I obviously had little impact on the final piece of art other than to provide the information.

January 23, 2011

My other half has used Etsy for a few years. She does jewellery, so it is different, but she hasn't sold anything through it. It has been useful as an advertising tool, and although it is difficult to quantify (your just going on what customers tell you), a few of her direct sales have come about from people who found her on Etsy.

It seems to be the usual story of a site attracting hundreds of sellers, and thousands of browsers, but very little in the way of sales.

January 20, 2011

Eric, the D7000 sure is a better camera (the AF you mention is one of many reasons). My point really was that within a limited budget it may be more balanced to spread the $$$ more evenly between camera and lens quality.

Also - it's not a pure $300 difference between the D90 and the D7000, the $300 was also taking into account the lenses (the D90 has the 18-55 + 70-300, the D7000 just the 18-105).

Caleb, I guess a lot of it comes down to how you plan to use the kit, whether this is part of a long term strategy with the camera being the core of the kit to which you will invest in more glass. And of course, what you will be shooting, Eric has put his finger on the big benefit in going for the D7000 over the D90 - which is the AF system - and for fast moving subjects that AF can be a real benefit.

For me, the camera has been a smaller % of the amount I have spent on my kit. I have just checked, and I have spent at least 6x more on glass than I did my camera - and yet I am generally still happy with the D90 (I don't shoot sports - although I have had some reasonable success with Bird In Flight shots even with it's 'poor' AF system).

I suppose the counter argument is that as a total photography expenditure, as the camera was a smaller %, I could have spent a few hundred more and got a better camera with relatively little difference overall.

Caleb, you could provide some detail on what sort of photography you already do / and what plans you may have. Ultimately only you know how this will be used, and what limitation that extra $300 may be for you - and that could be all the difference.

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