Foxtail, Pt 2

A couple of weeks before we shot the lookbook, I spent two early afternoons with Betsy at her studio taking photos of her newest pieces and of some older ones. On one of those days, we visited the basements of the shop where more artists make things as varied as ceramic cups, kayaks and guitars. It's a gigantic building, and there are so many artists working there side by side. I hope to be able to take photos there because it's such a fantastic place. 

I just created the "project" tag which will be the tag I use for my paid and unpaid work. For now, if you click on it, you can see the work I've done with Betsy, but I hope to build on that and start working with more local artists in the next few months. 

Foxtail Jewelry

☞ Last week, I shot my first product photos for Betsy, the designer behind Foxtail Boutique. I met Betsy last November through my friend Melissa and when I found out that she had a jewelry line, I volunteered to help her photograph her work. I love all of her pieces, but my favorites are in the last two photos. 

☞ We met up at her studio* in the industrial district, and we used one of her friends' work tables as a background. Betsy brought some props from home and did the styling. We both liked the rugged and rustic look of the work table and I'm glad we didn't cover the stains. The good light didn't last, so we moved everything to the staircase where we shot** a few pieces before going back to the table and dealing with the lower light. 

Notes

* The studio is home to many local artists and you can see some of their work on the workspace's website. I recommend watching the OPB clip. 

** I shot some pieces on film, but haven't had the film developed yet.

Home

Looking at photos I took of the apartment back in November and December makes me realize just how much things have changed around here. We no longer use the coffee table as a dinner table* because we finally found a dinner table that looks like a pub table. Now we're civilized people, and to mark the occasion, we invited people over last Saturday for drinks and dessert crêpes. We used our new-to-us (but vintage to everyone else) martini glasses and cute Anthropologie tumblers** to serve cocktails. 

I haven't been shooting much lately. I still have a roll of film in my AE1 that I started after New Year's Eve***. The weather has been terrible these past few days. We had a tiny amount of snow (disappointing!) and lots of rain. When it stops raining some days, the light becomes really golden, especially in the late afternoon, and I think it's a good time to go out and shoot, but I never know where to go. I need to get out of this rut I'm in. 

I've started jotting down ideas for photos in a little notebook a friend brought me back from India, but haven't actually made those ideas come to life. I have a project in the works, but I haven't begun shooting it. I've mostly been spending a lot of time checking out photographers' blogs and finally organized all my negatives into sleeves with dates, camera and film used. I have 45 or so sleeves of 35mm and a dozen medium format**** rolls for which I don't have sleeves. Now I just need to find a binder for them. In the meantime, they're staying in the vintage metal box below. 

I got a really good deal on a 1960s tripod and it's come in very handy in this dark apartment, especially with the new f/1.4 lens mounted on my Canon AE1. I'm really proud of my vintage arsenal, but now it needs to be put to better use. 

Notes

* Unless we're watching Twin Peaks while eating Thai food.

** A wedding present from Brent's sister 

*** I got some Portra 400 for Christmas and can't wait to see how it turned out. I've only shot Portra on my Holga and Diana, and that over two years ago, before Kodak merged VC and NC film. 

**** I wish people would stop calling 120 film 120mm. It's 120 format, not millimeter.