It’s August, so it must be pool shooting season…no,no,no…not in some smokey bar room hustling 8 ball. For me, shooting pool is an outdoor event (although this year I shot some indoors, one even in a Manhattan private residence). What I’m talking about is shooting swimming pools, and I’ve been photographing them for Pools by Jack Anthony for fourteen years. I work directly with Mikie. He’s one of four brothers, all involved in the family business. Besides marketing and selling the company’s pools, Mikie designs the pools. In the past five or six years, he’s gotten really, really good at it. Aided by computer technology, he’s able to construct one of a kind, free form vinyl pools; something in the swimming pool parlance that was unimaginable ten years ago. In addition, he designs and constructs high end, gunite pools. My part in all of this is to photograph completed projects, not only for Mike’s portfolio, but for his swimming pools’ submission in an international awards program as well as a local awards program.
Over fourteen years I’ve photographed a lot of swimming pools. Up until last year I always used a 4×5 Sinar view camera, usually with a Schneider 58mm XL and a center filter. I’d then scan the transparencies on a Creo scanner, and output digital files and prints. The past two years I have gone over to digital. Now, instead of going out the door with a large camera case, tripod and film bag with dozens of film holders and Polaroid, I hop into Mikie’s truck with a small camera bag and a Macbook Pro. My, my how times have changed. I still miss large format film.
This is a gunite, negative edge pool and spa on Shinnecock Bay. The white masonry is imported Italian glass 4 foot by 4 foot tile: the day I photographed this pool, it was nearly a hundred degrees, and the white tiles were cool to the touch. Nice job Mikie.
