Insights from Artist Peggy Winters
As an artist I realized early in my career the importance of professional looking slides. There is nothing more frustrating to a juror or a gallery director then to look at an artists slides only to find an image that is either out of focus, color that is either over or under exposed, or an image that does not fill the entire frame. Another problem that I often hear about are slides that have part of a tree, a brick wall or a building showing behind the painting. Therefore, it is imperative that either a plain white or black background be placed behind the artwork. No matter how good the art work is, if your slides are not accurate, nine out of ten times your work will end up in the reject pile. Remember, your slides not only represent your artwork but they also give the gallery director a first and lasting impression of you as an artist.
After much research and experimentation I have developed a system that works well for me. I have found the most important thing you need to produce good quality slides is an adjustable 35mm. camera. I use a Milnolta Maxium 7000i that has three modes, manual, aperture priority or automatic. The camera must be placed on a tripod with a cable release to assure a clear image of your art work. To obtain uniform lighting, I use two light stands that have ceramic sockets(because of the intense heat), with Tungsten 3200K-500 watt bulbs. The slide film must be compatible with the lights, the correct film is Tungsten 160 Kodachrome slide film either 24 or 36 exposure. When you actually start taking your slides, the most critical step is bracketing. You must remember to bracket by the half stop to assure that you get good results. For those of you not familiar with the term, bracketing is under or over exposing the film. After shooting your slides, it is critical that you have your film processed at a professional photo lab. If all of this sounds overwhelming, I would suggest taking a photography course at a college in your area. The course, along with several good books is how I learned how to take good photographs and slides.
Unfortunately, this is an expensive and sometimes time consuming process. I would estimate a cost of about of $600 or $700 if you have to purchase a camera and tripod. You could save the expense of the lights by shooting your work outdoors using daylight slide film. If you decide to take your slides this way, using a gray card or a light meter will assure uniform light across your work. I have personally shot slides this way, with very uneven results. If you can afford the initial financial investment it will pay for itself over the years. You will find that you are getting in more prestigious exhibits and gallery directors may be more interested in your work. In fact, when you become good enough at taking slides it could be a source of additional income. Artists are always looking for someone to take good quality slides of their work.
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