Skip to main content

Art in glass photo story

In 2014 one of my highlights was photographing a glass blowing session, together with my wife and fellow photographer Magda, at Marcel Vlamynck's Art in Glass studio in Brugge, Belgium.

During the session I concentrated mainly on shooting still images but also took a moment to film Anneleen who was working together with her father, master glass artist, Marcel Vlamynck. She is a talented glass artist too.

The famous Flemish actor and photogenic artist, Luk D'Heu, a keen glassblower himself, was also there adding his good humoured comments to the ambiance.



Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck and daughter Anneleen put the finishing touches to a vase while Flemish artist and actor Luk D'Heu looks on.

Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck uses a wad of wet newspaper in his hand to shape a piece of molten glass.
Marcel and Anneleen examine a glass vase, glowing hot at around 1,000 °C, as he rolls his blowpipe on the rails of his work station. Gravity is used to help shape the glass.
When glass is at around 1,090 °C it glows orange. Marcel Vlamynck uses a tool to shape molten glass.
Marcel Vlamynck concentrates as he blows down a blowpipe (or blow tube) to inflate molten glass so that it forms a bubble (or parison).
Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck clearly enjoys his work as he stands in front of the furnace waiting for his molten glass creation to reach the right temperature for the next stage of the process.
A tense moment as the glass vase Marcel is working on is transferred from his blowpipe to Anneleen’s ponty.
Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck adds the finishing touches to Anneleen’s vase.
Marcel and Anneleen high-five each other with their heat resistant gloves in celebration after their glass creation is put into the annealer machine. There it will slowly cool down so that the glass is as free of stress as possible.

The video shows a number of other exciting still images from the session and selection of 22 images from are viewable on Flickr.

I hope you've enjoyed the photo story. Comments always welcome.

Till soon,
Paul


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Approach to taking a portrait

Portrait of Amitabh Bachchan. Click on the image to see larger version. Every portrait is different but there are also elements which are the same, whether you’re shooting the famous or the locally famous. Fame is of course all relative. It depends on profession, accomplishments or media celebrity status. Whoever the ‘famous’ individual is there are millions of people in the world who will never have heard them. For example I photographed the legendary Indian Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who amongst his many accolades was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, the highest civilian award of France. But I’m positive that many people in North America will not have heard of him – although he has more fans than Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro put together. I find that however well known a person is cracking through egos and insecurities is really important when it comes to getting authentic strong portraits. However I hasten to add that when it came to photographing Amitabh th

The portrait photographer's motivation

Easy access to the Internet and digital photography has resulted in an ever growing number of photographers uploading their images for comments and ratings from peers. Online communities evolve and these mini-societies each have their pecking order, internal groups and communal preferences. Photographers learn from each other. On sites that have a rating system there is often pressure to conform to certain styles, techniques and even subject matter. Although I participate in numerous sites (it's great fun), I recognise the danger of becoming a herd animal and losing the edge of individual creativity. There will always be the creatives that lead the way and the imitators that can only try to follow in their footsteps. This lead me to think about classifying photographers according their inner motivation. So as a bit of fun here are a few different types: The innovator Driven to always find something new, different and creative. Wants to be leading edge. Motivated by creative satisfa

Capturing the truth: The power of documentary photography to shape public opinion

Photographer, writer and artist, Paul Indigo (Photo by Magda Indigo ) Documentary photography is more important than ever because it plays a critical role in informing and shaping public opinion, particularly in today's fast-paced, information-saturated world. With the rise of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, we are bombarded with images and information daily. It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. From a trusted source, documentary photography counterbalances the often sensationalised and biased coverage of social and political issues. Documentary photography can challenge dominant narratives and foster greater understanding and empathy by presenting a nuanced, humanistic perspective on complex issues. It can highlight underreported and marginalised issues, giving voice to those who are often ignored or silenced. In a world where many people feel disenfranchised and marginalised, documentary photography can help to create a sense of community and solidarity by