In response to Assignment 4 my tutor suggested I consider how the glassware of Alvar Aalto was displayed online. Looking at the Alvar Aalto Museum website it provided a good example of how to photograph objects along with how they can be displayed online but isn’t restricted to his glassware.
The background of the page is a light cream which means that if the subject has been shot against a white background the photograph still stands out from the page. The faint vertical grey lines encourage you to scroll down and ensures you take in all the images. This is also the way they draw together the few images that don’t fit within the main aesthetic of the page.
There is no horizontal separation between the images except on a few occasions and this doesn’t work for me in a few ways; firstly, where two or more images with the same background colour are placed together and secondly, where a small gap has been left between the images.
The images are very ‘factual’. the subject, whether a chair or light fitting is the centre of attention, there is little to distract in the background which are neutral off whites, greys and blacks. There are a few exceptions on this page which show situ photographs rather than a studio setting:
- Aalto Glass Vase
- Floor Lamp A805
- Light Fitting A 333
- Auditorium Light Fitting
I particularly like how in the photograph of the glass vase, the background is rough, light-absorbing concrete and provides the perfect foil of the smooth, luminosity of the glass.
The studio lighting emphasises the shapes of the items for example ‘light fitting A 331’ where it lifts each of the sections and there’s fun in the photographs too, in Table Lamp A702 the two lamps appear to be having a little tête à tête.
References
Design archives – Alvar aalto foundation (no date). Available at: https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/works/design/ (Accessed: 22 May 2021).
Katies Photographic Journey 