But - golly it's difficult to photograph a quilt!
And I have to submit a photo because there is not going to be enough space in the gallery at Festival of Quilts to hold all the quilts submitted - so there is going to be a selection process.
Which means I need to present Dislocation in all it's glory - by photo! (I also had to send a sample off for the quilt police to examine. Hmm - well the back doesn't look too bad!)
So which do you think is the best? The top or the bottom piccie?
And here is how I was trying to photograph it.
An old damask table cloth suspended over the cupboard doors (held in place with a couple of drawing pins)
The quilt on a batten suspended on the cupboard doors.
How do other people do this?
A bit of a distraction - an early morning pile of dogs!
I prefer the second photo as it has more contrast of tone. Good luck with your entry, sorry I won't be at FoQ to see them.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the second photo is the better one. It is so hard to photogrpah quilts at home isn't it? I'd love to be able to afford a professional shoot but it's way too expensive. I hope your quilt is chosen, I'd love to see it irl. The leaf joining pieces look good.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others - 2 is better than 1. Both look like the light is uneven with the top right being in shadow. If this is not how the quilt really looks, I'd say you need to try one more time - and try not to mix natural light with artificial lighting. How do people do it at home? Well, many have those big adjustable quilt stands, either placing them in front of a neutral wall or hanging a sheet or such on them for backdrop and pinning the quilt to that. Others use a big sheet of insulation board, covered with a neutral color flannel or felt. I have pretty much been relegated to using the design wall in my studio, although the light is not the best and I sometimes get shadows at the top not unlike in your pics. If the piece is small enough and the weather permitting, I'll put it on a piece of foamcore board and take it outside, propping it up against the garage door if it's in the shade. But no matter what I've tried over the years, I find taking good pictures of my quilts a real pain. But I certainly don't have the finances to pay to have it done!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
You need a big design board or lots of white wall with picture rails. And quilts that are substantially longer in one dimension are not easy at al to photographl!
ReplyDeleteGlad you finished it!!
Hi Hilary,
ReplyDeleteMy set up is similar, but I hang a white sheet with 2 or 3 skirt hangers on the cupboard doors. Then I pin the quilt to the sheet. I have daylight simulation tubes in the overhead lights which helps, especially since the only window is a patio window at the one end of the room. I do have a mirror wardrobe at the other end of the room, so that helps to bounce the light around a bit more.
When TVCT was photographing work for the catalogue for our last exhibition, Jane Glennie set up her camera on a tripod which also makes a big difference. But for the long ones, she had us pin them sideways! If the top was in the direction of the patio window, it caused the natural light to fall in a sensible way and the room lighting took care of the rest.
Worth trying.
Sandy in Bracknell
I'm with the others H, I prefer the strength of the bottom photo.
ReplyDeleteOh blimey, I've still got my creation to photo - that will be the next challenge……Perhaps I'll go for the washing line tomorrow and pins, then the wind will blow and all will be doomed.
Thank you all for your brilliant comments.
ReplyDeleteI will study and decide the best solution bearing in mind that my studio is temporary and many of my pieces are framed rather than quilts.