by John O'Keefe-Odom
Taking a small risk, I'll go ahead and show some of my concept sketches for an upcoming photo session at Covenant College, which is proudly featuring John McLeod's "Point of Departure" sculpture show in its library gallery.
McLeod had an opening last week; a big success. We had a chance to see the sculptures in the gallery; and, John got a chance to speak to an audience of college students. The presentation was coordinated by Jeffrey Morton, Associate Professor of Art at Covenant.
Covenant College is hosting McLeod's show for a little while longer; and, we've made arrangements to photograph it in situ.
That's Ivy League talk for "on location."
If you ever get a chance to photograph a sculptor's work, I recommend it. Thanks to some advance coordination, we have some great objects for our photographs' topics; and, they're already staged in a great location. Time to get ready to make some photographs.
Here's where the concept sketches come in.
Normally, I usually make a few diagrams and some lists for myself. Of the sketches that I made for this session, the most complex overhead diagram would be a big part of my functional planning for heading on out there.
It reminds me of what I want to photograph, how I want to set up; and, because the sketches and lists can be reviewed after I make them, they can be used to generate a reasonable inventory of equipment to bring along.
Just sitting down to think things through from the standpoint of visualization can really support the photo session's planning.
Before I started planning, a few things happened:
- I saw some of the sculptures before they got there, so I already had some rough ideas
- I coordinated with McLeod and the College to arrange the photo session
- I visited the gallery opening, with an eye for what I might want to photograph later
Process-wise, this covers a lot of before-camera work:
- Topic familiarity & research
- Interpersonal coordination
- Location visits
- Visualization of compositions
With those basic points in mind, I was able to draw up these concept sketches.
After the session is over, and the pictures are in, we'll see how I did. In the meanwhile, I'll be able to proceed with more confidence because I have spent some time planning. Particularly, planning with respect to the design of the photos.
It's the composition ideas that drive the other steps, like what equipment to bring and how we want to process and display those images later. I know that equipment list is sexy; but, let's remember that the photographing is about making photos.
I'll provide an update once the photos are in.
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