What to Photograph
This web page is set up to help you best understand what to object or “artifact” to choose for the artwork I will create for you.
Choosing your artifact is not as much about the object itself, as it is about the emotions and memories it evokes.
Perhaps the best way to discover your artifact is to understand the depth of unique meaning my images hold for my clients, and for myself:
If this project has a single inspiration, it was a long ago afternoon I spent with a friend on a distant plant in my backyard. Like any good Space Explorer, I had my trusty Ray Gun with me (re-discovered on eBay). I also found the communicator from my memory in toy form, and photographed that as well. I doubt even real astronauts experienced as adults what I did in my imagination as a five year old.
The glasses belong to my client’s late father who loved to read, and nearly always wore them. The book is in Armenian and from his library. It’s the very specific individually of the photograph that makes transforms it from the still life we can all experience into the portrait that it is for her.
The movies and TV shows of our youth have grown with us into adulthood. In these three images, I wanted to capture them in an unexpected light with a wink and nod to fellow enthusiasts, past and present. You’ll note that be it a wind up Star Wars Toy, a an enemy of The Doctor, or a well detailed model, I can find a new perspective that will bring you back to the love you had for your favorite stories throughout your life.
My client runs his family owned company that makes aircraft parts. Early on, they created a part for this WWII era plane, and the image was created as bespoke artwork for their office,
Growing up, I loved to play GI Joe (these were the original full size GI Joe’s with”Kung Fu Grip”). I had a Mummy adventure set and I loved to bury and unbury the mummy in the backyard. I found the toy again on eBay. What you are looking at in the image is the transformation of kitchen mixing bowl and a bit of dirt into an early morning excavation and the sun rises on the Egyptian desert and curse of the Mummy’s tomb stands ready to battle my intrepid adventurers.
This horse ties to fond memories of family and growing up for my client. As an already detailed work of art in itself, my challenge was to add life and dimension while honoring the original object’s artist. In this case, I created a variation, with different lighting.
For my client, this ship represented adventure. As someone who also loves to be at sea, I easily understood what he saw in it. As the sun rises in the morning the anticipation of an unknown port is palpable, and as timeless as this classic ship from a bygone era.
I discovered the project during Covid, and began by photographing what I could find in my own home. For this unique image, the objective to photograph the “camera” that might create those images that might have naturally created the other images in this series.
This elephant was a treasured possesion of the late mother of my client. When my client came to see the artwork, she brought along her step father, who lives with her, who also responded to the work. For them, it is a connection to a lost loved one.
In my generation, the Tonka Truck was a right of passage, large, metal, and nearly indestructible. Whole backyards were excavated on a daily basis.
For the last decade, I’ve ridden a Spyder (it’s a three wheeled motorcycle, with two wheels in the front). Rather than photograph a model size version of what I ride now, I found something that reminded me of similar toys I had as a kid, and the rides I went on in my imagination. It connects my past and my present in a way that is meaningful to me.
My client ifondly remembers going to school for her degree. This hour glass represented her time reading and learning. I echoed the hour glass in the foreground with a second hour glass behind it to add dimension and physical beauty to the artwork.
My client was a couple who played baseball together during their courtship. For any lover of baseball, this image will certainly resonate, but this was one of their gloves, and the specific ball was chosen because they use it to play fetch with their dog.
My wife, Angie, recently opened up a skin care treatment room (she’s a Registered Nurse). Peonies are her favorite. I chose to photograph it as it neared the end of its life. The colors were chosen to be appropriate the image, to compliment her space, and to integrate with a wallpaper mural in a shared lobby area to bring the entire space together and create a warm and inviting space. My joy comes in knowing how much she enjoys it every day she goes in to work.
What to think about
These questions and thoughts may be useful for you:
The objects are all photographed on a table top, and generally range in size from a quarter to a violin. Toys and miniatures are extremely common, and the objects themselves are usually rather simple.
This is not a digital creation, it is an in camera process that I created. So, when you see a car, it’s a miniature version of that car. My astronaut is actually part of a Lego set and stands just 2” tall. I have images of a phonograph, the Apollo 11 Odyssey Lunar Lander, and go-carts racing that are all pocket pencil sharpeners and cost $6 each on Amazon.
This is usually not so much about what is important to you now, as it is about what was important to you and what was loved when you were young.
In general your feelings and imagination around the object should be greater than the object itself.
You’ll see examples of my work on this page, some of those may provoke a feeling or put you in touch with a memory. This much more about feeling than logic, so it helps to jot down every idea you have and to trust that something that represents a seemingly small moment might actually be the key to connecting with your memory of childhood wonder.
Usually, the more specific the better. There are lots of spaceships, but only one specific Millennium Falcon toy you owned.
Don’t worry about being original, it’s my job to find a new perspective, just think about what you loved when you were younger and don’t judge yourself.
Here are some questions to consider:
What toy or object was magic to you in your youth?
What toys took you to other places in your mind? Itmay have been means of transportation, be it a hot wheel, an F-16, or a pegasus. You may also have transported your imagination by looking into a microscope or looking through the window of your favorite dollhouse.
Were there action figures, dolls, or stuffed animals that you loved?
Was there a TV show or movie that fired up your imagination?
Was there something you wanted to have in the real world, such 007’s car or a pirate ship?
Were there games you loved, such as jacks, Monopoly, or badminton.
Do you remember Holly Hobby Ovens, The Game of Operation, bathtub toys, Slinkys, roller skates with metal wheels, Light Brights, Erector Sets, Dominos, Pez, walkie talkies, Big Wheels, balsa wood airplanes, or your first bicycle?
What else do you think about when you read this list?
Did you own a kazoo, xylophone, or a whistle that drove your parents crazy?
Did your Barbie love to go exploring under your parent’s bed in your brother’s G.I. Joe ATV?
Do you ride a motorcycle now, and think back to that dye-cast version you had as a kid?
What did and your friends play with, or at, when you were seven or ten? In elementary school, I set up the bridge of the Enterprise on my patio and the grassy backyard stood became a myriad of alien planets filled with danger and adventure.
Most of my clients don't still own the particular toy that they remember. That’s ok. We can usually find what we need on eBay, and you might be surprised what happens unexpectedly when you start looking and see toys you haven’t thought about in years.
You may want to ask your parents what they remember, or perhaps reach out to an old friend.
Not every object or idea will work, so that’s why it’s helpful to have multiple ideas to talk about.
I hope that you’ll take some time to see what comes from answering these questions or thinking about these ideas and examples. You’ll probably want to open your browser and see what rabbit holes you get yourself into by looking for these objects online. Many of my favorite images in this series were more the result of what I ran into when I started looking for what I thought I wanted to photograph.
I’ll be here to help. For now, here’s a search to get you started. Here’s another one. I bet you didn’t think to look here (or maybe you did). This was a good starting point for what I loved. Just start anywhere.