above I have collected a range of his collections work. “It all started with a scissor collection. Shooting them individually didn’t capture the magic” -Jim Golden.
TECHNICAL: This photo was taken using controlled studio lights, these would have been fluorescent or led lights to give a bright and perfect block colour to the background of the images. There are no shadows in this image which tells us a soft box was used to defuse the light. A flash could have also been used to make sure there was and equal distribution of light and no shadows. For this reason the photo looks very clean and professional, all the items in the image took as they would in real life. A wide angle lens could have been used to get all of the items in the frame however from the photo of his set up there is a very tall tri-pod which would have been used with a standard lens. A high f-stop would have been used so that all of the objects spread across the image could all be in focus. The objects in the image would have been stationary meaning even if it shutter speed was slower to make the photo brighter they would still turn out sharp because the camera was on a tri-pod. The image is very clean and sharp meaning a low iso was used, this was possible because of the strong lighting in the studio.
CONTEXT: As well as taking promotional images for companies Jim Golden also takes pictures of people’s personal collections of items. these photos have a lot more personal value and can give us an in site to their owners life. This specific image looks like an advert or sponsored image due to the branding incorporated into it, however it has the same style as his other photos with a more personal touch. In the picture we can see different pieces of stylised cycling equipment, they all have a specific colour scheme because of the leather pieces.
VISUAL: The block background colour of this image is important to help the bicycle parts stand out, any colour could have been chosen but this blue helps the orange tones in the leather to pop. orange and blue are opposite colour on the colour wheel which means they compliment each other helping to bring the photo together. By using a limited range of colours Jim Golden’s photos look very minimal despite them having so many elements and focus points. The objects in the fame have been placed in a very organised rectangle shape, each item has been placed so that there is not large bits of empty space between them. The bike has been placed in the centre of the arrangement, which helps to create some symmetry in the image.
This is am image of how the photo above was taken, Golden has been known to start from scratch if the shot isn’t lining up. All his photos are taken in studios with bright perfectly controlled lighting to display the subject in a minimal and clean way.statement form Jim Golden about his relics of technology photo series.
Jim Golden photographer specialises in still life and photography of products, this is because of his experience in the advertising world after working as a retoucher for years. He was originally from New York but moved to Portland when he made the move to shooting. He received a BFA in photo degree and a minor in design but taught himself hoe to light from the ground by looking at the work of his favourite photographers. He focuses of capturing the true essence of a subject rather than impose a false sense of beauty on it. I am interested in his moving images which bring his usual clean still life photos to life in a simple sequence of shots put together to show motion: https://jimgoldenstudio.com/Portfolio/Moving-Images/thumbs
I like his photos of collections, where he recorded things that other people have hang onto and collect. This links to my theme of secrets codes and conventions because it helps to tell the secrets and storeys of the owner of the items, a persons possessions can tell us a lot about them and their life. it also links back to my first artist reference Ishiuchi Miyako. His series called ‘relics of technology’ also relates to my project because it links to the historic documentary style of Ishiuchi Miyako. instead of focusing on individual items in natural positions he creates more clinical and organised images.
