Location, location, location, (photography)


Conservation & Collections Management
January 19, 2015

The publication that will accompany ‘Shoes, Pleasure & Pain’ will showcase the shoes and their stories and it has been my job to provide a new set of photographs for it.

The majority of my photography is carried out in a very well equipped studio; lights that track across the ceiling (no cables or trip hazards), tripods that can look down on an object from 20ft, a huge amount of lenses and tiny bits of broken mirror for when I just really need to reflect a minute amount of extra light to lift a shadow. Photographing outside of the studio – but within the museum – forgives the odd occasional lapse in memory when I arrive to a shoot without a tripod, power cable or (embarrassingly) camera. I just go back through the museum and get it. Working on location however, often without any sort of pre shoot means that I need to pack ready for any photographic nightmare that will thwart my ability to shoot an image worthy of publication.

On this publication we wanted to try something new, so decided that in order for the shoes to have more story and context, it’d be fantastic for them to be photographed out on location: sometimes in the museum but more excitingly, elsewhere.

The oldest Soho tattoo parlour, beautiful Royal residences, the technician’s workshop and fifth floor one – bedroom flats to name a few – all the equipment in this photograph below had to come with me and its HEAVY!

 

location 5Did I ever use it all – not even close…

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Comments

Jaron you have my sympathy about the equipment, but what a wonderful project to be involved in. I have done a couple of photography projects with shoes. One where I have asked members of the community to bring in shoes and tell me their stories about them. I was amazed by how many people turned up with their precious shoes and wonderful stories. These were mainly ordinary shoes, not like the wonderful creations you are photographing. But we all love our shoes. So I am sure your book will be a sell out.

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