Photography in Flux Editors' Perspective - Are You Creating a Captivating Image?
August 02, 2011
Photography in Flux - Editors Perspective starts with Suzanne Ramljak, Editor of Metalsmith Magazine, writer, and curator. It continues with Marthe Le Van, Editor of Lark Books. The recorded program is now available for you to hear online with the original Powerpoint from the SNAG Conference.
As I edited the audio from the SNAG 2011 Professional Development Seminar I hung onto every word. I learned a lot about the editors' perspective on the qualities of the best photos, and mistakes they see every day.
This newsstand is an example of visual pollution in our "media-saturated culture". Suzanne Ramljak, Editor of Metalsmith Magazine, presented this as an establishing image in her lecture for Photography in Flux
How appropriate for a magazine editor to consider how the magazine competes on the newsstand with many other publications, candy, and packaging, all at the same time.
Did you ever think about how photos of your artwork compete with the "5,000 ads" people look at every day?
Irving Penn still life photo
Suzanne Ramljak offered many fabulous quotes:
"The still life photographer makes the photo as compared to takes the photo."
Are you making the photos of your artwork fantastic, or are you merely taking a photo? Ramljak reinforces that "artists need to create a captivating image."
"There is no neutral background in a photo."
"Artists need a captivating image to compete with the visual noise without sacrificing the integrity of the object."
Click for more examples of The Art of the Reproduction online.
Suzanne declares: "The web poses new challenges. Anything can happen to your images and does." Just consider this compilation of the painting, Birth of Venus, by Botticelli. Each square is from a different website. The variances represent the half-truths, misrepresentations, and lack of control artists, photographers, and editors have when images leave their computers and travel at the speed of light on the Internet.
The Photography in Flux - Editors Perspective continues with Lark Books Editor, Marthe Le Van. Among the many issues addressed were the questions: What is a good cover photo? Is there a national, European, Asian, or international style to jewelry photography?
Getting down to the nitty-gritty of photos on the Internet, Marthe confronts us with the reality of small postage stamp size images on a gallery website or social networking site. Do the photos of your art or craft have a strong enough graphic quality to get a viewer to click through on the image?
Le Van answered a question that I have always wanted to know. What makes a good cover shot? What do you think?
Earrings by Beate Klockmann from the
book 21st Century Jewelry edited by
Marthe Le Van
Is it possible to break all the rules and still have a great photo?
What are your questions? Can ASK Harriete offer answers? Open the discussion.
Listen and learn from the opinions and experiences of both of these experienced editors in Photography in Flux.
This post was updated on February 8, 2022, to provide current links.