About Duncan Price

Duncan Price specializes in photographing glass artwork, but it was by no means the first stop on his journey in photography. He can still remember the first photo he took – a bursting yellow lemon on the green, green grass of his childhood home in Australia – complete with ten tiny toes edging into frame. Fast forward to another continent, and years pursuing multiple genres of photography, Price eventually found his way to shooting inanimate objects. Happiest in a controlled lighting environment – with no more ‘bad hair’ days or rain caused delays to deal with, he eventually found his niche shooting glass artwork. He particularly enjoyed collaborating with artists, collection managers, art collectors and curators at museums as his portfolio grew. The fact that this all happened in the Pacific Northwest of the US – the home of the studio glass movement was the icing on the cake.

The Art

Translating an original, three dimensional artwork into a single frame starts with the composition. What are the most important features of the piece, how to reveal delicate texture, or communicate the visual heft of the piece are just a few of the variables to consider when setting up the shot. Then it’s just a matter of lighting, right? How hard can that be? This is when the photographers interest is really piqued, and the quest to control the conversation between light and surfaces really begins. Eventually, a successful shoot results in a photo where no thought is given to that process, there is just the artwork, speaking clearly for itself without distraction.

The Focus

Yeah, it takes a concentrated effort to orchestrate that conversation between light and the art – just the slightest adjustment of the light source can be the difference between a successful shoot and hearing the photographer mumbling some colorful Australian expressions under his breath. Hopefully, when the final image is saved and the lights are turned off, there still some actual sunlight left, and not too much rain to get out on the bike for a spin and some fresh air.