Post Focus: Blue Demonstrators
Introduction
Thank you to everyone that liked and commented on my Wing Sung 601 photo. It's clear from the responses that the Wing Sung 601 has been well received by fountain pen enthusiasts. A few of you mentioned the 2019 version with blue beads on either ends. This could be the perfect excuse to try a 601 in one of the solid colors.
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The Pens
Who knew I had this many blue demonstrators in my small collection. Starting from the top and moving down we have : the Jinhao 992 with Kaweco nib, Pilot Custom 92, Platinum Cool (Balance) and the Sailor Procolor 500. A diverse set with two criteria; they had to be transparent and blue while also being in my collection. The pens all have steel nibs and use converter fillers with the exception of the Pilot Custom 92 which has a rhodium plated gold nib and a piston filling system. The Jinhao had it’s steel nib exchanged for a Kaweco steel nib. The rest of the pens are as they arrived and equipped with matching converters from their respective manufacturers. .
The Photo
Setting my blue demonstrators next to one I immediately knew i wanted to try something a little different. The similarity in their color and shared transparency makes this an ideal set to explore elements of representational and abstract aesthetics. Figurative in its pretty presentations of the pen that stay true to its color and proportion. The abstract for its repetitive elements in both the photo and in the process of constructing the image. The final image serves as a one-to-one comparison of the four pens while still showcasing them as individuals.
This idea of an individual within a set extends to the photographic process. The pens were photographed one at a time to produce 4 landscape photos that were later combined into a single portrait image. I laid the first pen down on the simple white background and began to toy with the lighting and camera angle. In addition to my usual lighting concerns such as nib contrast I also wanted to show off the transparency of the demonstrators so a softbox was placed overhead and then tilted at an angle so some light would go through the acrylic and light up the interior. My setup was now complete and waiting for the next three pens. Care was taken when switching out pens to ensure each pen was photographed in the same position relative to the lighting and tripod mounted camera. The reason for the use of multiple images requiring such care was to ensure that all demonstrators experienced the same lighting conditions. Again I wanted no bias in lighting or scale. If all the pens had been placed in this scene at once the camera angle in relation to the surface of the table means the pens would be in perspective thus distorting their size and altering the lighting. No, if I wanted to accurately represent the beauty of each pen I would have to present an image that appears to ignore these physical incongruities
As before if you have an questions or a comment look for me on Instagram or Reddit.
