[6-20] "Table"

One of the nice aspects of using a permanent photography studio is a table for posing.

For a while, I didn't—then I saw an image of a journalist in Vanity Fair. It was small, no more than two inches wide, but the guy looked relaxed, distinguished, and the suit worn combined with the dark wood grain made the image unmistakably striking.

In 2017, I experimented and asked a guy standing against a grey canvas backdrop to place his hand under his chin (as if he were seated). He laughed but obliged, though this was silly, as one can imagine.

Soon after, I purchased a pre-made table, designed for taking notes in a medical office. It had a laminate top, supported by a single pillar on the edge, adjustable with a spring lever.

The table would bend and creak, and the wheels were made of plastic. For me its purpose was aesthetic: placement of hands/elbows.

For a while I placed a grey canvas decorate the surface (same shade as backdrop). The images got better, even though some aspects were never ideal: clothes would crease, like suits; and even if they felt comfortable, it didn't look that way.

Last year, seeing no great options on B&H or Ebay, I designed one, purchasing parts individually. I tell new clients the story; I explain the surface is a butcher block (home depot), that it telescopes (up/down); the support system is a heavy-duty light stand (kupo), with a 5/8" receiver. From an angle it resembles an imaginary bar during covid-19.