i am a new member to ganoksin, and based on what i’ve read, i feel
confident that there will be some good advice regarding my question.
i am new in the jewelry business, and looking at all my options for
selling my work. in approaching most wholesale venues, and some
retail ones, i realize that i will have to submit images for
jurying. i have, what i believe is, great advice on how to set up my
slides (the order of) from a bruce baker cd, but what i am not sure
is if i (specifically) would be able to use the images that i had
professionally taken for my website for the jurying process. if
anyone has the time to give a glance to them my website is: daletdesigns.com. it seems the blue background is interesting yet
doesn’t take away from the piece itself. any feedback?
is if i (specifically) would be able to use the images that i had
professionally taken for my website for the jurying process. if
anyone has the time to give a glance to them my website is:
daletdesigns.com. it seems the blue background is interesting yet
doesn't take away from the piece itself. any feedback?
Your website looks very nice and professionally done.
My one quibble is with the navigation – when I click jewelry, I
have to immediately decide whether I want to see earrings, pins or
whatever. I wish when I clicked jewelry, I could be taken to some
jewelry, and then decide.
Re your pictures: they may be okay for juries, they seem a smidge
close up for juries.
You can always pay for a Virtual Jury and get feedback that way.
My only comment, and it is nearly trivial, is that I would slightly
prefer a more consistent background and I prefer the more saturate
blue over the lighter. But it is just a very slight notion. Overall,
the photography is excellent, the site is excellent, the layout and
commentary is excellent and your work is excellent.
You might be focusing on the wrong aspects of the photos. When I
recently had some professional photos taken of my work the
photographer immediately asked if they were for a jury. I was told
juries often have very explicit requirements for photos, especially
background colors of the photos.
I haven’t submitted to any juries yet, but I wonder whether any
colored background would be acceptable, no matter how flattering the
color. Has anyone had this experience?
Re your pictures: they may be okay for juries, they seem a smidge
close up for juries.
Absolutely not! It is nearly impossible to over-maximize the size of
the image in the frame for jury pictures. The larger the better. One
of the basic newbie mistakes is to submit images with too much space
around the object.
Davida, your images should be fine for jurying purposes. Having the
blue backgrounds all with the same saturation level/hue would be
optimal, but it’s not imperative. You could submit these images as
they are and not have to worry about them being competitive (except
for the jewelry itself, of course, but you do very unusual,
attractive work and should be able to get into many shows!).
thanks for taking the time to respond. i really appreciate your
feedback. my website is about to undergo some updates–including the
one you mentioned! how does one find a “virtual jury”?
I was told juries often have very explicit requirements for photos,
especially background colors of the photos.
There are no rules for jury photos. I have never seen an application
that said, “backgrounds must be red or gradient gray”, or anything
else.
There is a very strong tradition for a gradient gray background, or
a true drop shadow effect. “Everybody does it,” so if you don’t, you
slides will stand out.
Okay, sometimes standing out is a good thing, but perhaps not in
this case.
The keys with jury slides are:
5 images need to work as a set of related work
jewelry items need to be sized properly within the frame
background not distracting
no props – this should not look like an ad
nothing that makes the juror go, “Huh? What IS that?”
You can search the archives on “jury slides” and you will find a ton
of helpful info.
I haven't submitted to any juries yet, but I wonder whether any
colored background would be acceptable, no matter how flattering
the color. Has anyone had this experience?
I have not ever come across a show that specified what the
background could or could not be. Just the same, it is a crap shoot.
You want the jurors to notice your work, and a somewhat different
background may do that. But… you want them to notice your work,
not your background. Almost everyone uses black-to-white gradients.
Almost everyone else uses solid black, a few solid white, very few
other types. Not because they lack imagination, but because they wish
the slides to be professional-looking and the work itself to pop. The
gradient background seems to produce the most
three-dimensional-looking images, as a rule.
By the way, the comment that the images were “too close up” to be
jury slides is a head-scratcher. No such thing, as long as there is a
bit of “air” around the piece.