Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Camera Flash and Leather Jackets

Hey guys, do you think that in the long run, if too often photographied a leather jacket with flash, can ruin it, lead to an alteration of the color, or otherwise affect the aesthetic aspect of the jacket? clearly we all know the prohibitions that there are in museums with regard to photos, in particular those with flash, and it seems that in the end they have little to do with the conservation of works and so there is not much to worry about... but I'm curious to know your point of view, which is certainly more authoritative than mine. Thank you.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,920
Location
London
Disclosure, i am not a pro photographer.
I think if you left your jacket in a room getting flashed 1000 times a day for the next 10 years you might have a problem, but i don't see the odd photo shoot here and there causing a problem.

There is a difference between the Mona Lisa getting flashed by 10.000.000 people yearly and you taking 100 pictures of a jacket....

Now regarding the pics, i peronally am not a fan of photography with a flash.
IMO it takes a lot of experience and a very good setup to get good pics of leather jackets with artificial lighting/a flash.
Unless you really know what you are doing you are going to get much better result with natural light.
 

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,845
Vegetable tanned leather darkens when exposed to sunlight. Some parts of a jacket will get more exposure to sunlight than others. The result is a jacket with minor color variations. I think that adds character to the jacket which I like. I'm not sure whether flashlight produces the kind of radiation that affects the color of the jacket, but I'm surely not worried about it if it did.
 
Disclosure, i am not a pro photographer.
I think if you left your jacket in a room getting flashed 1000 times a day for the next 10 years you might have a problem, but i don't see the odd photo shoot here and there causing a problem.

There is a difference between the Mona Lisa getting flashed by 10.000.000 people yearly and you taking 100 pictures of a jacket....

Now regarding the pics, i peronally am not a fan of photography with a flash.
IMO it takes a lot of experience and a very good setup to get good pics of leather jackets with artificial lighting/a flash.
Unless you really know what you are doing you are going to get much better result with natural light.

Take it outside in the sunshine.

No. Maybe a painted jacket from 80 years ago that has historical significance should be preserved, but a jacket you wear, just wear it. Wear it out. It will be fine.

Never seen or had an issue, however I shoot most of mine in natural outdoor light.

Welcome to FL in any case! :)

Vegetable tanned leather darkens when exposed to sunlight. Some parts of a jacket will get more exposure to sunlight than others. The result is a jacket with minor color variations. I think that adds character to the jacket which I like. I'm not sure whether flashlight produces the kind of radiation that affects the color of the jacket, but I'm surely not worried about it if it did.

Thank you very much to everyone! because I have all jackets ranging from the 40s to the 80s and all have their signs of aging... I was wondering if it was right to pay a little attention even to a detail of this type, I am not afraid of the idea of new appearances of shades on the leather, I like it.. but if such a process could generate strange spots on the leather, creating an abnormal unsightly. after your words I feel more "peaceful".

Thank you @AeroFan_07 nice to meet you!
 

navetsea

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,711
Location
East Java
perhaps in places where photo is not allowed is more about they want to protect their design, ideas, art or whatever they have in there against unauthorized uses
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
Thank you very much to everyone! because I have all jackets ranging from the 40s to the 80s and all have their signs of aging... I was wondering if it was right to pay a little attention even to a detail of this type, I am not afraid of the idea of new appearances of shades on the leather, I like it.. but if such a process could generate strange spots on the leather, creating an abnormal unsightly. after your words I feel more "peaceful".

Thank you @AeroFan_07 nice to meet you!

In museums they are generally protecting paint and inks that convey fine details, are not stable and may be damaged by thousands of camera flashes.

Keep an old jacket away from direct sunshine (wearing it is fine) and keep it away from a moist environment. You can put on some leather dressing, but when a jacket is 70 years-old you are not going to undo any damage already done. My own view is if leathers start to be a source of worry about wear or fading, what's the point of them?
 
In museums they are generally protecting paint and inks that convey fine details, are not stable and may be damaged by thousands of camera flashes.

Keep an old jacket away from direct sunshine (wearing it is fine) and keep it away from a moist environment. You can put on some leather dressing, but when a jacket is 70 years-old you are not going to undo any damage already done. My own view is if leathers start to be a source of worry about wear or fading, what's the point of them?

sharing your thoughts is right, it was just a small paranoia where I wanted to know the idea of others..
 

Forum statistics

Threads
107,200
Messages
3,030,725
Members
52,674
Latest member
leatherpatch
Top