Turn-around times
12.28.08
Client-based photography is a tricky thing. In the age of digital clients expect super-fast turn-around times with excellent results and unlimited usage abilities. The reality is that even though it is digital, it isn’t magic, and if the client wants something superior time is a necessary element.
I was Facebooking a couple weeks ago and and a high-school classmate of mine who I had just reconnected with after, many odd years, placed a note on his status that he was looking for local artists to display work in his Larimer Street boutique. I immediately got a meeting and took my MacBook with me after preparing a few separate galleries for him to see. From the artist aspect, I actually prefer to remain client-centric. I think in a boutique setting my art should enhance the experience of the store, add to the ambiance, not be a separate entity within the walls. The owner looked at several different galleries and told me what he liked and we refined it to a LoDo shoot of textures and patterns in giant prints with a finished 2 foot X 3 foot frame.
It was the Tuesday, a week before Christmas, and I really wanted to hang before the holiday with the last-ditch hopes of catching a last-minute shopper. I told him I should be able to have them by Monday, and I would let him know for sure. He was shocked I could turn-around so quickly with shooting, editing, post and framing in 6 days. I was terrified, but hopeful. I did much research, found a quick turnaround printer that was still photo-quality, archival printing, and edited to match their profiles. Got archival the mats cut and waited for Monday to come around for the frames to go on sale.
All in all it was a whirlwind of a chaotic week, but I thrive on tight deadlines and I had a blast shooting in freezing weather in LoDo. I made 12 giant exclusive, limited-edition prints to the show at this boutique, in a six-day turnaround. I worked with the owner to showcase work he thought would be well integrated into his boutique, and in the end the showing is great, They look gorgeous, and they are the kind of works I haven’t done in years. It was thrilling, exciting and fun merely to push myself to the limit in getting it done.
