Glass vase stopper by James Knox.

Make sure the jury knows what they’re seeing
James Knox is a Florida glass artist. If I were a juror, this slide would be a problem because I can’t tell what this is. Knox’s other slides show objects that I think are glass containers, so this may also be a glass container, but with only a few seconds to see an image, the juror needs to know what they are seeing instantly. Sometimes that can be a really difficult task.

Knox’s other slides offer some clues. They show pieces that seem to be containers, and if you look closely at them, you see what seems to be the place where the stopper fits into the vase. But this hardly shows up in this straight-on view.

In addition, the two shadows don’t help the image. A better way to photograph this piece would be to move it further away from the background and soften the lights to reduce the shadows. I’d also place the right light further from the piece than the left light. This would emphasize the shape of the object. I would shoot the piece in a three-quarter profile and run it diagonally across the frame to make the object appear a little bigger in the image. And if all of the pieces are containers, I’d shoot at least one of the submissions with the top off to subtly tell jurors that these are containers.

Ceramics by Kendall Coniff.

Be cautious when using graduated backgrounds
Denver artist Kendall Coniff’s slide was either shot this way or is a poor-quality duplicate slide. The image is muddy and lacks punch, richness and dramatic lighting. The graduated background goes from dark to a sort of middle gray.

Every good photograph has to have a range of color and contrast. For craftwork, you have to use light to give your work life. A slide should have points of white (or light) that give the work sparkle. Blackness is OK in a background, but not in a work.

This slide also illustrates the issue of the horizon line with graduated backgrounds. Compare this image to Kammer’s work shown on the following page — Coniff’s image has only the slightest white background visible in the corners of the image, and the black part of the background starts unevenly at about the middle of the piece. Graduated backgrounds and lighting should be used to frame the work. In Kammer’s photo, there is about a quarter of the frame in the light, about an equal amount of gray, and then the blackness starts just around the lower flower. The transition of light to dark works with the image, Coniff’s graduated lighting fights the piece.

Sometimes we try to get too much into a single image. Remember the rule: Keep jury slides simple.

Jewelry by Dana Carlson.

Don’t crowd the main image
Take a look at the photo from Dana Carlson, from my old hometown of Seattle. In this complex image, Carlson seems to be attempting to show the versatility of the design of a piece by showing two pieces in one image. First, we are presented with the main image of a pendant and necklace. Then in the insert image, we see a different pendant separate from the necklace, which is now shown closed. So there are two different pendants, and two different ways to wear the necklace.

While I guess it is important to Carlson to show us that these necklaces can be worn several different ways, there should be a better, stronger image of the work itself. Jurors look for craftsmanship and artistic value more than an unusual use. I think the little insert takes us to a place we don’t want to go in the few seconds the slide is projected. What or which piece are we looking at? I’d rather that the necklace be brighter and sharper, and pop off the image than be distracted by the insert.

Glazed pottery by Eileen Black.

Experiment with your camera to learn proper light exposure
Eileen Black is a ceramist whose photographs of her glazed pottery generally illustrate her ability to handle glare in her glazed pots. Glazed pottery often presents a problem with glare. You can either try to reduce the glare by softening the lights, or you can live with it and try to make it appear somewhat natural. But I’ve chosen this image to make a different point. Here, the problem is that the image is washed out, the lighting is uneven and the background isn’t dark all the way across.

When you start photographing your work, it is always wise to bracket exposures until you are comfortable with the way your camera reads the light exposure of your work. Bracketing means that you begin by taking a photo at whatever meter reading you got with your camera, then shooting other frames at a full stop more and a full stop less than the recommended exposure. You do this by either shooting a frame at one faster and one slower shutter speed setting, or by shooting at one aperture setting higher and lower than is called for by the camera meter.

If you have an automatic camera, this can get tricky. But most cameras have some sort of exposure override system that allows you some control and is usually described in your camera’s instruction manual.

Ceramic pitcher and cups by Karen Kammer.

When composition, lighting and background all work together
I thought I’d end this piece on a positive note. I like this photograph by Karen Kammer a lot, and I wanted to use it to say some positive things about a jury slide. This is a superb photo of a group of objects. It is solid, and it holds together wonderfully. Look at the composition — simple, yet complete. The pitcher on the left stands over the cups, and its spout leads our eyes to the rear cup. We then follow the light on the cup rims to the forward cup and, from there, back up to the spout. The cups sit just below the beginning of the gray area of the background and on a line at right angles to the angle of the pitcher. These angles give the image a little extra punch.

The verticality of the three pieces is echoed by the lines etched in the pieces. The lines on the pitcher lead us to the pitcher’s mouth, where other lines lead
us to the spout. In other words, this is an image, which through a combination of lighting, background and placement of objects, keeps our eyes on the subjects

I like this photo because it works, but does that mean that Kammer will get into every show to which she applies? I’d like to think so, but no one can predict that. A photo like this one, however, can help guarantee that jurors will give the work serious consideration.