Studio Work

The above photographs were made for a

company that specializes in products for making molds.

 

Someone has said that the two happiest days in a photographer's life are the day he opens his first studio and the day he closes his last one. I don't necessarily subscribe to that, because I sometimes miss my studio, even though I closed it 20 years ago.

I started my business on January 1, 1978, working from my home -- which I continued to do for six years. In 1984, I decided that having a studio would help me expand my business, and found a nice space in an industrial section of Chattanooga. The studio had been used by another photographer at some time in the past and already had a nice darkroom with a large sink plumbed in. It also had a good-sized shooting area and a separate office.

I was there for three years, until a major project fell through and I could no longer afford it. I moved three times in the next six years; finally, 1n 1993, winding up in my ideal studio in a commercial building on a downtown street. It was great -- a large shooting room with a very high ceiling, a roomy darkroom, and an office and reception area. I was there for seven years.

Image for a printing company.

 

Gradually, however, two things happened: beginning around 1997, the commercial photography business in my small market began to decline, and the nature of my business changed so that I was doing more work on location than in the studio. By 2000, the income from studio work just about equaled the amount it cost to operate the studio. The rest of my income came from work outside the studio. A no-brainer. I closed the studio on June 30, 2000. But as I said, I still sometimes miss it. 

I can set up an impromptu studio in my basement, and that works okay. But I miss having a place where everything is right at hand -- light stands and lights already set up, backgrounds ready to move into place, and a fully equipped darkroom ready to process color or black & white film -- that part, at least, unnecessary in these digital days. 

Working from home has its advantages, to be sure. I no longer have to pay rent and utilities for a studio which is used less and less often. Also, instead of making a 50-mile round trip to Chattanooga every day, I only go when I have business there. And the internet now makes it far easier (and cheaper) to keep in touch with clients and prospective clients. 

But I did some nice work in my studio (I modestly say!). I hope you'll enjoy the samples I've included. I'll write more about this in the future and show some more of the things I did. 

Blog Note: I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at alifeinphotography.blogspot.com. I'm trying to build up my readership, so if you're reading this on Facebook and like what I write, would you please consider sharing my posts? 

(Photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2020)

Soli Gloria Deo

To the glory of God alone