When is a Piece of Work Finished?

by Hank

When I had my studio in Manhattan, I specialized in still life (if it didn’t talk back, I photographed it).  I worked with large format cameras (4x5 and 8x10) so the subject stayed in front of my camera after an exposure, unless I was photographing food.  I would add highlights, open shadows, and adjust the exposure one sheet of film at a time until I was satisfied with the picture.

A photograph was finished when I could do no better.

Today, I still keep those standards except that I view the changes on the back of the camera and then on my computer screen instead of a light box.

Whether it’s a photograph or a wooden vase, it seems like there is always one more thing to do to make it finished.  Prints have to be signed, matted, framed, and finally a hanging device added.  My wooden vases need at least three coats of polyurethane, with sanding between coats to remove the excess, then making the signature permanent, and finally a coat of paste wax.

A piece is finished when I say it is.