But I wanted to share just a bit of a follow-up to my reveal post for my latest quilt, Confectionery. The good news/bad news plan I mentioned then was to head to the local beach, and use my new photographer's background stand to photograph my quilt.
The good news is that it telescopes both vertically and horizontally (maximum of 9.5' high and a range of 40" to 11' wide), which would feasibly accommodate a very large quilt. The clips (purchased separately) are easy to use, and the whole thing is pretty easy to set up, packs up into a sturdy bag, and is very portable.
The bad news, which should have been obvious, is that it is wind-sensitive. Ie. It is sturdy enough indoors and in very calm weather, but if there's much of a breeze, it can and will tip over. The other negative, to me anyway, is that the whole set up is a bit unsightly. In retrospect, if we'd adjusted the stand higher and wider, I could have photographed the quilt without the feet and sides of the stand showing. That leaves the clips showing, so we'll be working on a way to minimize that, though I definitely don't want to sew a quilt sleeve on every quilt I want to take on location to photograph. If you have any ideas, please do comment.
So leaving the beach with me moderately happy with the photos I'd taken, we passed a distillery that was new to town, and hubby pulled right in. Luckily for me, they didn't open for an hour, so we drove around looking for more places to take photos to pass the time! Then we stopped back by, did a little sipping, chatted up the owner, and topped off our afternoon in an unanticipated way. So note to self - and you too - if you want to keep photo assistants happy, and an assistant does help so much, combine your photoshoot with something fun for the assistant. Plan a shoot around lunch out, a winery visit, the park, or another entertaining outing. Besides making it an enjoyable time for everyone, you'll often find a new, interesting photo opportunity. It's a good thing.
interesting. I guess I won't bother investing in one of those stands. Glad you made the best of your day!
ReplyDeleteThere is always a learning curve when it comes to using new things, and you have mastered it well, learning how to use your new contraption. Keeping the assistants happy is a great tip. I've taken my quilts out, but usually just drape it along something that is out there. Yours sounds like a great solution at least for calm days.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I can so relate to the stand problem. I currently have the one that our guild owns and we can only take it out on a calm day. Right now I only have binder clips. No way am I sewing all those hanging sleeves. :D Thanks for the link to those clips - I may purchase them for the guild.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful and I don't mind seeing the stand at all. It's kind of cool looking.
ReplyDeleteI have a few hanging sleeves at different widths and when I am ready to take a picture of the quilt I just safety pin an appropriate size sleeve onto the quilt. I use safety pins every 4-7 inches on the top and bottom of the sleeve to hold it in place and it works pretty well.
ReplyDeleteCool set up! Maybe you can use on of those "question mark" like hooks and hook each of the two legs and stake them into the grass. Or maybe maybe a long sand bag to lay through the legs. Or clip little sandbags to the bottom edge of the quilt?
ReplyDeleteLove the pic with the bright light hitting the quilt and dark dramatic sky beyond.
ReplyDeleteSmart lady, keeping her photo assistant happy! He'll be ready to head off with you for the next photo session! : )
The way the light catches your quilt is absolutely stunning. So absolutely gorgeous. As for the distillery...well you can never go wrong with a glass of sipping whiskey and a good friend to share it with.
ReplyDeleteCould you use something like tent pegs (or sand bags) to weigh down the stands? And use safety pins to temporarily attach a hanging sleeve? And how about a weighted sleeve to pin to the bottom of the quilt, using curtain weights (or pennies!)? It's still a lovely photo, even if it wasn't quite as straightforward as it should have been!
ReplyDeleteHmm have you seen the curtain rod rings with clips, dunno if they would be better.
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