Art & Antiques/Blacksmith Shop

Forging a Relationship and a Business with a Collective Passion

For the first time in four years, I ventured passed the A-frame of BB road and found myself in the midst of lovely small town, Rocheport. Before heading over to the Art/Antique and Blacksmith shop I walked around the town and tried to capture a place I had never been to before. The silence on a Sunday afternoon was a wonderful contrast to the loud hustle and bustle of Columbia. After a few minutes in the fresh air I felt like I was miles and miles away from Columbia and it felt great! Who would have thought peace of mind would be so close? Anyways, the reason I came to this town was because I had seen the Art/Antique and Blacksmith shop on Rocheport’s town website. A working blacksmith, I thought, that could be visually interesting. The shop was neatly organized and elegantly displayed with elaborate art pieces and antiques. What really grabbed my attention though, was the passion Christina and George had for art and the adoration they had for each other. George was took me on a tour of the store, proudly pointing out his wife’s splendid art pieces and talking of the “remember when’s” they have had together. So the conversation flowed on, the original story idea was thrown to the backburner, as a new more exciting one was taking place in front of me. I didn’t even venture into the Blacksmith garage but I did get to look at pictures. If you are interesting in seeing George’s blacksmith work, take a walk over to the Columbia Public Library and check out the gates by the secret garden.What non-photographers don’t know is that photographers go through slumps. There have been times where I’ve felt that I lost that creative touch that make a photograph a picture. The only way I can ever get out of a slump, it to stumble across inspiration and this assignment was inspirational. It was neat to see the Robbs’ strong passion and honest enthusiasm for art. The atmosphere reminded me of a phone conversation with my grandmother, who always makes me feel welcomed.What I struggled with on this assignment was balancing my flash with the setting sun. The shaded store was too dark against the saturated blue sky. It took several attempts to change aperture and flash positions. I’m still not that thrilled with the outcome of the outside shots. I wish I could have taken some prior to sunset. Another struggle was which antiques to shoot as close, detail shots and which ones would be shot from a farther distance. Mirrors and shining silver pulled my attention towards closer shots where as interesting furniture and tapestry pulled me towards farther distance. If I had more time in the shop, I would have liked to play around more with detail and distance. On the whole, I think this shoot was successful. And if you are ever seeking peace and quiet, take a drive into Rocheport. I can assure you it will relax your spirit.

- Kathleen Buhrmann