OK, I admit it, I'm a klutz. I remember transferring to a new school in 1st grade. The teacher stood me in front of the class and asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. “A Ballerina,” I answered. She took one look at my bandaided, scabbed knees, (from rollerskating on sidewalks) and burst into laughter. That was my first humiliation. Since then, I’ve tripped, stumbled, tumbled down stairs, even fallen off my shoes (while standing still). When I worked for Chicago architect Harry Weese, I happened to be walking through the atrium where the president of the company was speaking with a client. Just as I got near them, my foot caught on something and I tripped, barely saving myself. My boss calmly gestured to me and said to the client, “And this is Grace….”
So it’s no surprise that I broke my favorite studio camera by knocking it (accidentally) off its tripod. Technically, it was a freak accident, but the camera hit the concrete floor and never recovered. So now I have an older camera that serves as my studio camera. It’s my workhorse, and I keep it on a tripod so as to take the best, clearest pictures—much better than hand-held.
To ensure that I would never accidentally destroy this camera, I made a 6-7-ft leash for it and attached the leash to a hook I drilled into the ceiling. I actually have three of these setups, one for each room of my studio. The end of the leash (strong cords knotted together) has a lobster clasp that I can easily hook to the carrying strap of the camera while it sits on its tripod. At the other end, the ceiling hook is one of those plant hangar hooks that people in the ‘70s used to hang macramé plant slings or lamps on chains (I know I’m dating myself here, but really, how much more humiliated can I get?) This way, I can paint, take photos, and go back to painting without worrying about knocking over the tripod again—the leash will keep it upright.
If you are a truly graceful person and never have accidents in the studio, I applaud you. But there’s another reason why I use an older camera rather than my fancy, beautiful cell phone: I often want to take pictures quick, before the paint dries, which results in my getting paint all over the camera even though I try to wipe off my hands.
Also, I take occasional videos as I’m working, primarily when I’m trying out a new brush or tool. I set it up to shoot either over my shoulder when I work on a horizontal surface, or at an angle to an upright canvas where I dart in and paint. It’s fantastic to have a record of a beautiful sweep of paint, or exactly what a certain shape palette knife does. Thing is, my hands are usually covered with paint just as I want to hit the “stop recording” button. I would never want to risk damaging my cell phone that way.
This is not to say that I never use the cell phone to take pictures in my studio. When I get to a point in my work that I want to take a photo to send to a friend or post online, I’ll clean up, then grab my cell phone to take a “public portrait.” That’s much easier to send than an image on my camera. I often fold the studio camera down and rest the cell phone atop it and the tripod, to steady my hand.
One last suggestion: If you’ve been working on a piece and are really pleased with it, consider taking BOTH a photo and a video, especially while the paint is not fully dried. Start recording with a shot of the entire piece, then move in and film a “closeup tour” around the painting. End with backing up for a second full shot. It doesn’t need to be long, perhaps not more than a minute, but you’ll love having the result in your archives. (You might have to work sans tripod for this).
And there’s one situation where I never use photos from either this camera or my cell phone—when it’s time to take the official photos of my paintings. That’s when you should either use a professional-grade camera and lighting, or hire a professional.
Stay safe in the studio.
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