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Kolanowski Studio
[Houston, Texas]
Looking through my
photographs, I wondered which angle to take in both storyline and
imagery for my next portfolio update. I wanted to do something involving
"The Hunter & The Hunted" [a wall-hang sculpture of a shark chomping
into its prey], but I didn't know in what vein to proceed. As I made my
way through my website, I thought about the evolution of each piece and
what it took to bring them to life. Some roads were longer than others,
but the tip in most cases was an enjoyable one. As we’ve all learned
through life’s experiences, the end result of any effort, from inception
through fruition, seldom represents well, the path taken to reach that
final destination. When people see a sculpture, they often ask how it
came into being—“can you tell me the story?” Many times I wish I had
documented the process through time-laps photos so I could tell the
story in pictures as well as in words. In that moment, I realized then
which way to go with the portfolio update....
Since I couldn't go back in
time and re-create how I came about developing "the shark and its prey",
(being that I didn't take any pictures of the process when making the
sculpture), I thought I would share with each of you how the photo on my
website came into being. I am lucky because during the photo shoot,
I
photographed..... the photographers!
Knowing that
many of you likely have never participated in a photo shoot, I hope
these time-lapse images give some indication of the attention to detail
that is required. We have all heard the stories of the supermodels
complaining about how difficult it is to be on a photo shoot—braving the
torturous tropical elements and such.
[Oh, the agony!] Ours wasn't quite as perilous an environment as
a tropical island; but admittedly, the process can be rather long and
tedious. It takes quite a bit of time to set the mood of the shoot, to
find the right angle, and to control the shadows. It is truly a matter
of "check, re-check, reposition and check again" and the end result is
in itself often a work of art.
Kolanowski Studio
did a wonderful job; the images they created are certainly a great
complement to my work. [A brief introduction--Greg and Kim are a husband
and wife photography team whose catch phrase is "A Couple of
Photographers". I think the tag-line is cleaver and a great marketing
tool.]
I've realized over the years
that a good photograph can immortalize a piece of work--taking the piece
beyond its physical representation and making it a part of everyday
living or--the Van Gogh print on your wall is a great example.
Obviously, the photo doesn’t make a “Van Gogh” a “Van Gogh”—his genius
took care of that; but, the pristine photography that captured its
identity exactly is what has made it known to the world.
In this industry, or in any
industry really, branding and imagery are key components to one's
success and I have learned the hard way that high quality photographs
are a must. A good photo may not “make a sell for you” but a bad photo
could easily send your credibility straight out the door or prevent you
from even getting in the door (that is d.p.’s marketing lesson for the
day, :-).
"The Hunter and
the Hunted":
I am proud of the piece and I know that it would
look great in a slew of venues, such as: a fisherman's bay-house in Port
O'Conner; the Houston Downtown Aquarium or SEAWORLD in San Antonio; a
seafood restaurant or bar off of Westheimer; or maybe in a home in the
Woodlands. Anybody know somebody? If not, I think that each of you
should assist me by biding on it, in an auction environment, pushing the
price up higher and higher soI can retire early......to that Caribbean
island, :-)!
Thanks
for taking a moment to read my update; have a wonderful Memorial Day
weekend.
d.p. |
