Photographing Your Lamp (Don Conti)

(See also Photographing Lamps in the FAQs)

It's easy! Give it to me to shoot - and don't look a gift horse in the mouth!
If you live out-of state and don't want to ship your lamp here for photographing, I can tell you what I have learned through trial and error (and tons of film) about taking slides to be considered for inclusion in our "Lamps for All Seasons" calendars. In order to get an acceptable slide, you'll need patience and lots of film. Don't expect perfect results from the first roll of film you have developed. This is not going to be a particularly quick or pleasant experience the first time out, but will be very rewarding when you are finally satisfied with your photography - as it was for me the first time someone said, "Oh, what a good picture of my lamp!"
Basically, you will need the following equipment: 35 mm camera tripod cable release "80A" blue filter Ecktachrome 100 Daylight slide film (or Digital Camera) 3 hooded light fixtures with clamps (Hardware store stock) rheostat or "dimmer switch" 6' x 6' backdrop of velour (sold as "robe material" in fabric shops) or felt material in either a black or royal blue color. (When using a background other than black, make sure that there is a uniform "wash" of light on the background.)

  1. Not so basically, you now pin or tape the backdrop to a wall and "scoop" it onto a table - NO WRINKLES, NO FOLDS, NO CREASES!!! I use a stiff brush to remove wrinkles from the material on the backdrop and table.
  2. Center your lamp on the backdrop and, at the back of the lampbase, cut a small hole in the backdrop through which you can pass the lamp cord. Make sure that neither the cord nor the hole can be seen from camera position.
  3. Plug the lampbase, lit with 100 watt bulbs, into an extension cord that has been fitted with the important "dimmer switch". (If needs be, maybe you could find a "wannabe electrician" friend to make this switch for you.) With the "dimmer" you will be able to control the light level without having to change the wattage of your bulbs while you experiment with light intensities. (We see many lamp slides that have been sent to us for calendar consideration that cannot be used because of too much light intensity. In these lamps, the colors are "washed out". Remember to EXPERIMENT.)
  4. Use 100 watt bulbs in the hooded fixtures. Making sure that the fixtures are out of camera range, position one directly above your lamp and the other two on either side. Check from the camera position to be sure you aren't getting reflections off your lamp from these light fixtures. Check to see that the vase cap is lit and, if the base is to show in the slide, make sure that the side hooded fixtures are lighting it properly.
  5. Turn on the lights in your lamp and check for "hot spots." Mask any hot spot with white paper cut to the size of the offending area and attach the paper to the inside of the lamp with Tacky Wax© or clear tape. It is best to mask hot spots rather than lowering the light level to eradicate them. The lower light might cause "dead" spots in other areas of the lamp.

Now that your lamp is set up for photographing, it is time to deal with the alchemy of camera stuff. I use Ectachrome 100 Daylight film and an 80A filter instead of the tungsten film simply because, when I began photographing lamps, this was convenient for me. Now, I don't have to learn new techniques associated with changing film type! I have also fallen into the habit of photographing everything at an exposure of one or two seconds with an f-stop no less that f8 (usually at about f16). Many failures have taught me to "bracket" every shot. Bracketing is simply taking the shot at the f-stop indicated by the light meter and then taking additional shots at one or two stops above and below the indicated stop. This way you are sure that you will get at least one acceptable shot. Always use a cable release and a tripod while using the parameters states above. Look through the camera lens. If you see a teeny tiny lamp in a sea of background, GET CLOSER! Check our calendar's format to see the balance and relationship of the lamp with with the correct amount of background. MORE HINTS If possible, take shots of the lamp with its base as well as shots of the lamp, only. If your slides seem drab or yellowish or are somehow a pale imitation of the real thing, try one of the following hints.

  1. Replace one or two of the bulbs in your lamp with 250 watt blue photoflood bulbs to "punch up" the colors when you do the second shooting. (These bulbs can be purchased at photo supply shops)
  2. Try extreme closeups of only the lampshade and use more light intensity than you think is appropriate.

BEFORE MAILING THEM TO US, COMPARE YOUR SLIDES WITH LAMPS FEATURED IN OUR CALENDARS! *** INFORMATION TO INCLUDE WHEN YOU SEND US SLIDES

  1. Lamp design,its size and whether or not the lamp is a reproduction or an original design
  2. Kind of glass used to craft the lamp
  3. Type (name) and manufacturer of the lampbase
  4. Photographer's name If you would like, let us know of any special considerations or crafting tidbits that might have occurred as you built your lamp.
  5. Lamp photos that you want to be considered for our calendar should be sent to ASGLA by February 1st.

DIGITAL PHOTOS

. Digital images in tiff format at an image size of 2560 (3:2) taken at the highest resolution possible will be accepted. Send digital images to asgla@comcast.net or mail slides or cds to our Gig Harbor address.