(This short article from the book follows a much longer one by the
Canadian artist, photographer and writer Raymond St. Arnaud. Ray covers
gray cards, lenses, copy stands, best types of cameras, measuring
distances, lighting, exposure, photo labs, digital cameras and much
more.)
More Tips on Slides
Here
are some more tips on shooting, choosing and otherwise dealing with
slides in a way that will greatly improve your chances for success:
-
Project your slides for
about 10 seconds each, first to decide which ones would catch the eye
of a juror and then to determine if they meet the standards of clarity
and accuracy and relevant material: sharp focus, good color,
straightness of image, lack of distracting backgrounds, ragged corners,
fingerprints. (Clean with air duster or soft, lint-free cloth or brush,
as appropriate.)
- Nothing but the (one)
work should be in the slide. No fingers, friends, frames, tape or push
pins. Shoot flat work against a solid non-shiny black background such
as black felt or cotton or a flat wall or board coated with black
blackboard paint (available from some paint stores) or—less
desirable—mask off the image with Mylar® tape on the original slide
before you have dupes made of it. Avoid white backgrounds, because the
bright white area affects viewers’ eyes so that they cannot see all
details of the projected slide properly. Shoot 3D work against a solid
gray or otherwise neutral background without any distractions. You can
purchase very effective neutral gray graduated backgrounds from photo
supply houses. In all cases—2D and 3D—the image should fill the slide
as much as possible but no closer than about 1/16" from the edges to
allow for certain projectors and the cropping that occurs when dupes
are made.
-
Many artists prefer to shoot multiple originals because secondary copies tend to be less sharp and slightly cropped.
- Exposure should be
exactly right so that the colors are accurate. Accuracy is the keyword;
the work itself may be rejected even though the slide has been
accepted. For the same reason, if using a computer program to balance
colors or touch up the slide in any way, do not make the image look
better than the original.
-
Unless you are a real pro
at using a polarizing filter on the lens and polarizing filters on the
lights, do not attempt to shoot a slide of a work that is under glass
or Plexiglas®.
- Shooting several originals is usually cheaper—and produces better images—than having duplicates made later.
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Shooting with a top of the
line digital camera, then correcting color, masking out the background,
then having the files made into slides (www.photoslide.com does good
work) can give acceptable low-cost results, according to some but not
all artists who have tried this route. More calls for art accept
digital images—certainly if the work is to be shown on the web—than
before, but never submit a digital image unless it is expressly allowed.
- Unless instructed
otherwise, submit your slides in a plastic sleeve used for storing
slides, cut to size and clearly marked with your name and address. This
protects your slides, keeps them together and makes your entry easier
to handle.
-
There is no uniform format
for marking slides, so follow the prospectus carefully. Neatness
counts. If the prospectus isn’t explicit, see the College Art
Association. site, www.collegeart.org/caa/career slidelabel.html, for
guidelines.
- While you can buy a label
making program, it’s really simple to use your word processing program
instead. If you need explicit instructions, drop the publisher a line
or email .
Make sure the labels you
put on your slides are firmly affixed. While university and other slide
libraries use special high-temperature labels (see www.slidescribe.com),
St. Arnaud said, “I’ve never had a slide come back with an indication
of a problem and I use standard Avery address labels cut to size.”
Labels to use: Avery 5267 white return address labels (or equivalent),
which are just the right size for the top or bottom of a slide, or
Avery 5160 (or equivalent) which can be found in most office supply
stores but which need to be cut to size. If the prospectus prohibits stick-on labels, however, use a fine-tipped permanent marker if you can write small and legibly, otherwise you should probably pass.
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Sol Kjøk, Swirling 31 (center panel of triptych), 2003, graphite and colored pencils on paper, 14 x 6 in.
This is just one of 35
images of artwork in the book by artists who have been successful in
entering juried shows, winning grants, fellowships, residencies and
public art commissions.
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