| Jul. 18, 2011 |
4 Comments
When the folks at American Craft magazine asked me to help gather photos for their upcoming timeline celebrating the past 70 years of craft, I thought, "Sure, how hard can it be?"I had no idea what I was getting into.
More than 75 photos and 50-plus hours later, I realized image research for this project wasn't going to be as easy as it might seem going in. While some artists, galleries, and museums were eager to cooperate ("Oh sure, give me your email address, and I'll send you something right away"), others were, well, not ("You'll have be transferred at least half a dozen more times, promise your first-born child, and even then we might not give you a photo. Hold, please.").
Although acquiring each image usually required more than one request, being a part of this massive project commemorating the magazine's 70th anniversary was a thrill. Plus, it was just plain fun to describe my day saying, "Well, when I was on the phone with the Smithsonian ..."
From the scores of phones calls and emails, here are a few experiences that stand out.
• The folks who work with famed environmental artist Christo made my day by saying, while I was free to pay an agency for a photo of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Wrapped Coast, I could also have it free of charge from Christo himself. Christo's only request? One copy of the published magazine. Done.
• In my quest for a photo of hunky Pirates of the Caribbean blacksmith Orlando Bloom, I was sent to at least a dozen extensions at a certain movie studio. No one ever helped me get my hands on a photo, but at the end of each conversation, I was told to "have a magical day." Hmmm. "Magical" is not the word that came to mind.
• The folks behind the St. John's Bible asked me to describe how using a photo of the famous illuminations would inspire others and invite contemplation of the sacred. Er, uh, well, I was really hoping this test would be multiple-choice.
• In talking with a source, we found out that, back in the early '70s, Steve Jobs audited one of Lloyd Reynolds' calligraphy classes at Reed College. Apparently that class helped to convince him that early Apple computers needed beautiful, readable fonts. Showing Jobs during this time felt like a must journalistically. And, bonus points: Steve Jobs in a wide collar? With long sideburns? '70 haircut? I needed that photo! Inexplicably, neither Reed College nor Apple saw the urgency in my request. I never was able to get permission, but you should check out the photo here.
Oh, and did I mention that I was on the phone with the Smithsonian today?
The interactive version of our timeline (published in our upcoming August/September issue) will be live on our website next Monday, July 25. Kristen Powell is a freelance communications professional and serial volunteer. She loves one-of-a-kind art (and talking on the phone).
Comments
July 18th, 2011
Well, it turned out beautifully! Thanks for all your hard work.
Posted By John from Minneapolis
July 18th, 2011
It was quite an eye opening experience for me to handle the photo requests for a book that was to be published. Very rarely was a photo available without a cost attached. Moreover, the payments ranging from $100 to $350 were for photo rental for a specific purpose. We were unable to purchase a photo. It seemed that museums charged the most for the photos, Smithsonian included. Photo reproduction costs are a larger budgetary item than expected.
Posted By C. Johnson
July 18th, 2011
Thanks, John from Minneapolis! It was a really fun project!
Posted By Kristen Powell
July 18th, 2011
C. Johnson, it WAS an eye-opener how much we had to pay for some of these images. I don't know why, but I was especially surprised by the charge for movie stills.
But it was all worth it - the timeline is fantastic!
Posted By Kristen Powell
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