Why my “Sanctum Sanctorum” is important to me
When I was 18, four months out of high school, I was let loose on the island of Oahu in the service of my country.
Being 18, single and set loose in Hawaii in 1977 wasn’t enough, however.
I also had access to a darkroom AND a studio.
And that’s when my love of photography grew into a Fatal Attraction.
To have all the scenery of Hawaii, as well as points west and south, the ability to develop and print my own film (color starting in 1979) was awesome, it really was. I learned so much from the two old photographers I studied under then, one being a Pulitzer nominee who had an image from the Korean War in the Family of Man exhibit and book. I made everything from contact prints to murals and ate it up and wanted MORE KNOWLEDGE and SKILL!
And that’s where the studio came into play.
Anything I could get into the studio, I photographed no matter if it were alive or not. I bought and read books about all kinds of studio photography. I had a steady stream of friends and friends of friends pose for me. I even did figure studies of the bravest of my subjects.
I had access to a studio in college at APSU in a sense. I did all the photos for the athletic department for publications, so I did my share of mugs. But one of my fellow SID photogs had her own lights and soon took that over task and made some money on the side for her efforts.
While my education in photography continued in school, to include spending a semester shooting NOTHING but 4x5 sheet films in a view camera, I rarely did studio work anymore. For one thing, there was the matter of not having access to lights and backgrounds. Oh, I could do wicked work in environmental portraiture, but it isn’t the same.
In a studio, you control 100 percent of the light reaching your subject and then being recorded. You can literally PAINT WITH LIGHT! It is a feeling of creativity that, to me, few things rival.
Now I own three studio strobes with stands and detachable soft boxes and a small bag of other attachments. I also have a small background stand and a couple backgrounds and a small fourth slave strobe to add light to THAT.
But now I have a DEDICATED space where I can not only use these tools, I can look back on ALL the studio spaces I’ve shot in and design it to suit my OWN needs! I have three windows that can be harnessed for posing AND as light sources to also control.
There was a time when I shot studio work three and four times a week and I ATE IT UP!
Well, my soul has been crying out for that freedom to create with that much power and satisfaction for years. Only this time, I’m not just doing it for the love of creating; I also will be my own boss in how I make this pay for itself so I can buy BETTER lights, camera gear and computer to make the process even easier.
When it is so easy there is no EXCUSE not to shoot, you shoot. And you gain experience as an artist. This experience turns into better results, which in turn, leads to people paying you to record their images there.
But the one thing I want most from my “Sanctum Sanctorum” is the ability to change backgrounds on the fly. The easiest and fastest way to do that is green screen. So my studio, while having traditional backgrounds, will also be a place where I can make magic with my lights, the sun and my camera via green screen.
And with that comes a whole new skill set to learn and master.
I have been coasting in my photography for years. While my flower and butterfly and hummingbird photography is rewarding, it isn’t paying the bills right now. Until I get a revenue stream coming from it, it goes on the back burner (there are ideas for developing that stream back there).
The studio, where I can create REAL MAGIC that people will PAY FOR, is where I need to concentrate my efforts right now. I need to get the space optimized and my skills back up to where they were 30 years ago and then take them beyond that into 21st Century photography.
Besides, my “Sanctum Sanctorum” has a nice view of Tranquility Bay and the wind chime is right outside the big bay door.
This should REALLY be a place to create magic in a year. It should also give my soul something it has been screaming for a long time now.
One step at a time. It's just so hard to not want to RUN at this stage!
Being 18, single and set loose in Hawaii in 1977 wasn’t enough, however.
I also had access to a darkroom AND a studio.
And that’s when my love of photography grew into a Fatal Attraction.
To have all the scenery of Hawaii, as well as points west and south, the ability to develop and print my own film (color starting in 1979) was awesome, it really was. I learned so much from the two old photographers I studied under then, one being a Pulitzer nominee who had an image from the Korean War in the Family of Man exhibit and book. I made everything from contact prints to murals and ate it up and wanted MORE KNOWLEDGE and SKILL!
And that’s where the studio came into play.
Anything I could get into the studio, I photographed no matter if it were alive or not. I bought and read books about all kinds of studio photography. I had a steady stream of friends and friends of friends pose for me. I even did figure studies of the bravest of my subjects.
I had access to a studio in college at APSU in a sense. I did all the photos for the athletic department for publications, so I did my share of mugs. But one of my fellow SID photogs had her own lights and soon took that over task and made some money on the side for her efforts.
While my education in photography continued in school, to include spending a semester shooting NOTHING but 4x5 sheet films in a view camera, I rarely did studio work anymore. For one thing, there was the matter of not having access to lights and backgrounds. Oh, I could do wicked work in environmental portraiture, but it isn’t the same.
In a studio, you control 100 percent of the light reaching your subject and then being recorded. You can literally PAINT WITH LIGHT! It is a feeling of creativity that, to me, few things rival.
Now I own three studio strobes with stands and detachable soft boxes and a small bag of other attachments. I also have a small background stand and a couple backgrounds and a small fourth slave strobe to add light to THAT.
But now I have a DEDICATED space where I can not only use these tools, I can look back on ALL the studio spaces I’ve shot in and design it to suit my OWN needs! I have three windows that can be harnessed for posing AND as light sources to also control.
There was a time when I shot studio work three and four times a week and I ATE IT UP!
Well, my soul has been crying out for that freedom to create with that much power and satisfaction for years. Only this time, I’m not just doing it for the love of creating; I also will be my own boss in how I make this pay for itself so I can buy BETTER lights, camera gear and computer to make the process even easier.
When it is so easy there is no EXCUSE not to shoot, you shoot. And you gain experience as an artist. This experience turns into better results, which in turn, leads to people paying you to record their images there.
But the one thing I want most from my “Sanctum Sanctorum” is the ability to change backgrounds on the fly. The easiest and fastest way to do that is green screen. So my studio, while having traditional backgrounds, will also be a place where I can make magic with my lights, the sun and my camera via green screen.
And with that comes a whole new skill set to learn and master.
I have been coasting in my photography for years. While my flower and butterfly and hummingbird photography is rewarding, it isn’t paying the bills right now. Until I get a revenue stream coming from it, it goes on the back burner (there are ideas for developing that stream back there).
The studio, where I can create REAL MAGIC that people will PAY FOR, is where I need to concentrate my efforts right now. I need to get the space optimized and my skills back up to where they were 30 years ago and then take them beyond that into 21st Century photography.
Besides, my “Sanctum Sanctorum” has a nice view of Tranquility Bay and the wind chime is right outside the big bay door.
This should REALLY be a place to create magic in a year. It should also give my soul something it has been screaming for a long time now.
One step at a time. It's just so hard to not want to RUN at this stage!