Interview with Beth Davis
by Lucy Swift
Cluster Crafts Curator Lucy Swift here speaks with Beth Davis, freelance photographer and stylist. With previous experience as an in-house photographer at Heals, her breath of experience spans widely across the design industry working with a range of established and independent clients. Now freelance, her clients have included those among Made.com, Tala, Soho Home and Skandium to name a few. Just as with Cluster, Beth’s focus is working with those in the creative industry with a shared passion for their craft. Her photos not only portray a beautiful minimal visual style, but her approach is one that truly connects with the minds of the designer capturing their work in the best light. In this interview, we discuss Beth’s practice, and hear best tips for setting up a home photography studio with lighting conditions in mind. Hear from Beth as she unfolds some photography tips and techniques that can be taken from the studio into the home environment. Looking to connect with Beth or see further work, please get in touch on https://beth-davis.co.uk/ .
What advice can you offer creatives looking to photograph their work during the lockdown period of COVID-19?
I think one of the main difficulties we’re all facing is that change came about very suddenly, and that there wasn’t much (if any!) time to prepare for working from home. But if you have a camera, and some space - then that’s a good place to start. My advice would be to keep it simple, and let your work do the talking. A series of clean, nicely composed images on a well-considered background will help show your work at its best.
CW Jewellery Singles
CW Mobile
CW Mobile
Are there any tips or key advice you can share to achieve the best outcomes for product photography? What key ‘conditions’ are needed?
- Finding a good light source is perhaps the biggest issue. Try and set up next to a large window if you can.
- Use some sheer fabric across the window (tracing, or greaseproof paper can also work) to help diffuse the light if shadows are feeling too strong .
- Another trick is to use large white sheets of card to help ‘bounce’ light, and lift shadows. Position them next to your product, opposite the window.
- Aim for consistency with your shots - try and shoot everything from the same height & angle, and in the same light conditions as much as possible.
Beth Davis
Creatives may be unable to outsource photography of their work during this current period. Is it possible to make a home photography studio? If so, what tools / equipment is needed?
It obviously depends a lot on the size of your home, and the size of your work! My husband has been extremely understanding when I’ve taken over the living room to shoot, though I’ve turned down a couple of ‘at-home’ jobs that our little flat couldn’t quite accommodate. But providing you’re shooting table-top items, there’s a lot that can be done with a good light source (a large window, say) and a neutral backdrop - this could be large sheets of card, or fabric. A tripod can be really useful for consistent heights and angles. It also means you can shoot on a longer exposure - to make the most of daylight.
In The Studio
Your early career began working as an in-house photographer at Heals. What inspired you to transition to freelance? Have you found it challenging to form your own creative community?
I worked with so many brilliant people during my time at Heals - both inside and outside the business. In many ways I would say the move was inspired by wanting to make more of those relationships, and to be working on a wider range of projects across the industry, beyond the shop floor.
I haven’t taken the most traditional route with my career - so I feel lucky that the people I met during that time became the network I needed to support a move into freelancing. For the first couple of years at least, the majority of my work was via colleagues who had moved on to new companies, and mentioned my name when they got there - it made for a varied few years!
Since then I’ve worked hard to nurture my relationships, and to grow a community of clients whose work I really admire and want to support - which has helped shape my business into what it is today.
After working for many independent brands such as Tala and Skandium, what advice can you offer regarding the types of images that work best for press? What do creative stores pick up on when looking for new work and do high quality images help?
High quality images definitely help - they’re so often the ‘shop window’ to your brand.
In my experience, press are looking for a story - whether it’s about materiality, process, functionality, or even something as simple as colour, so it’s great to try and convey this in the shots.
In terms of putting together a set of images, I would aim for three or four ‘main’ shots - these could be styled, or collection shots, to show the full range of pieces. Then a series of detail shots, and product shots would also be helpful. This should cover (most) press requests!
Perhaps one piece of practical advice - I shot a collection of images with a furniture designer a few years ago, with a beautiful, deep blue backdrop. We were both really pleased with the shots, but the feedback from the press was that they were too dark for print - so that could be worth bearing in mind!
Espasso x Tala
Matter of Stuff
What advice can you offer creatives currently looking for a photographer to work with? Creative photography in particular lands upon capturing the ‘story’ and ‘essence’ of the work. How can they be certain the photographer is correctly suited for their work?
I think it’s a case of looking for common interests, and an understanding of where the work has come from.
I always like to meet people face-to-face before working together if I can, so that we discuss their work, the story behind it, and how they see it being portrayed. Apart from being a really enjoyable chance to talk (something I love to do..) I also think these conversations are important for gauging a sense of connection - on both sides.
In practical terms, it’s good to look through a Photographer's portfolio - do you like their work? Have they worked on similar projects? Have they got an eye for detail or texture that might reflect your work? I would also suggest having a clear brief in mind when you get in touch with people - it’s a great starting point on both sides.
What does the future hold for your practice, how do you see the next few months unfolding? Are you currently open to accept product work to photograph?
It’s extremely hard to say, in many ways! I’m trying to take each day, and week at a time to be honest, and am watching to see how it unfolds.
But in terms of my practise, I love the process of working with designers, craftspeople, and independent shops, and I very much hope there’ll be a place for this in the months to come. It’ll be more important than ever to promote work we believe, and feel invested in - and I’d like to let that dictate my choice for the rest of the year, as much as possible.
On that note - yes! I’ve been working on smaller projects from home as and when I can, and am open to doing more of it. I’ve always tried to have a flexible approach to when and where I can work, and have a feeling that will come in useful too - as it means there’s scope for shooting in people’s studios and workspaces once restrictions lift a bit. Watch this space!
Triangle
SC Pendean Desk