Behind the Lens: An Interview with Photographer Stephen Pitkin

by Tom Watson

If the Center for Disease Control were to investigate the epidemiology of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), without question a primary contributing factor would be the work of photographer Stephen Pitkin. Most guitar fans are familiar with Pitkin's beautiful images of Fender Stratocaters, Telecasters, and the like, from well known books and calendars that celebrate the art of guitars.

While the artists and artisans at Fender and the Fender Custom Shop produce the stunning steel string beauties, it's the artistry of commercial and fine art photographer Stephen Pitkin and his staff that allows those of us who may never see them in person to enjoy their visual grace.

Tom Watson for Strat Collector News: Your work is well known in the Stratocaster community through the images you've created for the Fender Custom Shop calendars (1998-2005, to-date) and the book by Richard Smith, The Fender Custom Shop Guitar Gallery [above]. How did your association with Fender come about?

Stephen Pitkin: In 1992, we worked with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick to self-publish a book of his spectacular guitar collection. The book was titled Guitars of the Stars, Vol. I [left]. That book was conceived by Bill Rich as a potential series of the guitar collections of great players. Rick Nielsen’s collection was the first of the series to be produced. I recognized a great creative opportunity in illustrating a book of guitars.

Guitar collections had been illustrated with guitars leaning against backyard fences or the front seats of cars. We needed to find a way to shoot over 100 instruments, maintaining illustrative continuity yet avoiding the clichés of crumpled canvas backgrounds, barstools, bikinis and color gels. The solution was to shoot each guitar in the studio and project into the background something relevant to the history of the guitar. The result was great in that we had visual continuity, variety in design, and each photo told a relevant story with its background image.

Self-publishing a book is good for the benefits of creative control, but distribution is another challenge. Brad Smith from Hal Leonard publishing loved our book and they agreed to promote our book through their world wide distribution network.

John Page, who was then manager of the Fender Custom Shop, was working with Brad at the same time on building a team for the Fender Custom Shop Gallery. Brad suggested using us for the Custom Shop book. Our associate photographer, Mike Graham, and I were thrilled by the invitation to work on the Custom Shop project. Mike shot all of the detail views while I shot the images with projected backgrounds. I was also fortunate to shoot photos of the shop, work in process, the portraits of the Master Builders and support staff in Corona, California.

The Fender Custom Shop book was so well received that the calendar publisher, Ronnie Sellers, approached us about using the photos for a calendar series. Within three years, we had run through the existing material and needed to start an annual photo session to illustrate future calendars.

SCN: Where do you shoot the Custom Shop Calendars?

Pitkin: The original material for the Custom Shop Gallery was all shot in our studio, but the last several years have required photo sessions in California. We have typically drawn from the body of work developed by the Master Builders for the NAMM show in January of each year. The last couple of years have offered a dramatic increase in the amount of material from the Custom Shop for us to work with. We have enjoyed a great mix of the decorative art guitars, historic reproductions, Artist Tributes and custom one–offs.

SCN: The calendars are published by Ronnie Sellers Productions, Inc., of Portland, Maine. Who provides the art direction and how much input do you or members of your studio have?

Pitkin: We get broad direction from the publisher such as avoiding themes referencing nudity, but Fender doesn’t do much of that anyway. In general, the publisher seems to be happy with the creative direction we pursue. We rarely know what we are getting into before arriving in Corona for a photo session. Great guitars just seem to pop out of the woodwork.

The Master Builders become so familiar with their guitars they sometimes downplay their artistic merit. Occasionally I will visit their benches and encourage them to dig out interesting projects they had all but forgotten about. A little fresh enthusiasm reminds them that their day-to-day efforts really are wonderful. Believe it or not, those Master Builders benefit from an outside cheer-leader now and then. They enjoy seeing their work published in our calendar which has such a broad public distribution. Over the past couple of years, we have definitely seen more creative instruments come from the builders in the Custom Shop.

SCN: How far in advance of the calendar year are the instruments photographed?

Pitkin: The 2005 calendar [above] is being sold now, 2006 was finished in early 2004, and we are now starting to consider photography for 2007. In general, we are working two years in advance.

SCN: Who selects the instruments to be included in the calendars?

Pitkin: The cover image is very carefully selected by the publisher to be consistent with past covers which have proven sales performance. Mike Eldred from the Custom Shop usually works with the publisher making final selections and recommendations for the calendar pages. In most cases selections are quite obvious. I try to find a balance between artistic, decorative guitars, innovative instrumental developments and historic reissues. Many of the guitars we are privileged to work with truly are masterpieces.

SCN: What camera format and medium (print, transparency, digital) do you use for shooting the guitars?

Pitkin: Much of our work you will be familiar with was shot on film, however, we are now shooting most of our work digitally. The 2004 Fender Custum Shop calendar is the first which represents a complete move to digital photography.

SCN: Many of the guitars you've shot have extremely shiny surfaces, such as the Harley-Davidson Stratocaster. How are you able to achieve such excellent lighting without flash or hot spots on the instruments?

Pitkin: I wish there was a simple answer to that question. We always use studio strobe lighting equipment whether actually in the studio or on location. We have a particular challenge with guitars in that the figured woods require the opposite lighting techniques than metal hardware or gloss painted surfaces.

Balancing the light requires a delicate combination of very harsh light to bring out figured wood grain and soft reflected light to illuminate metal surfaces. Different body shapes also require different techniques in order to illustrate arched tops or body contouring. We appreciate the instruments so much that we go to great lengths to light them in a manner which best shows their beauty and complexity.

SCN: How are you able to get the instruments to stand up without a visible prop?

Pitkin: Luckily, guitars are bottom heavy and have a natural tendancy to lean against a small structural support. Fender guitars are particularly easy to handle since they are flat on the back. We have developed a small bottom weighted base that the guitar can lean against at a 10 degree angle. We also use a small strip of removable photo tape to secure the guitar from slipping away from the base. It is also necessary to use another small piece of tape under the strap peg to stop guitars from slipping on the background paper.

SCN: With respect to backdrops, you often make use of projected images. Who selects the image to be used and who designs the backdrop layout and prepares it?

Pitkin: We originally developed the projected background technique for the Rick Nielsen book as mentioned earlier. We refined the technique for the Fender Custom Shop Gallery book in 1995 and now the calendar images which are complete through 2006. The technique has become such a signature look for the Fender Custom Shop that we now reserve it exclusively for Fender.

We select the projection image based upon a detail relevant to that guitar, a reference to its historic relationship to a famous player or an important technical innovation. We work diligently to find a background image which will work together with an instrument to tell a story. Occasionally we attempt a bit of subtle humor in the story we tell through the symbiotic relationship of the guitar and its background.

SCN: Susan Pitkin, your wife and studio manager, paints custom backgrounds, has she been involved in creating any of the backgrounds for your Stratocaster images?

Pitkin: Susan loves the music of a guitar but is not overly fascinated by its technical details, history or construction. When we need a background painted we certainly do have her involved. For example she painted the canvas background we used in our contributions to the book, The Beauty of the Burst. Susan leaves the background images of the Fender guitars up to our efforts as we attempt to make their content historically or conceptually driven.

SCN: From the angles and lighting you use, a viewer of your object images could get the impression that you approach inanimate objects in a manner similar to making a portrait of a person. How would you describe your approach? How are you able to bring out such striking character, personality, and drama in objects?

Pitkin: We have such a deep appreciation for the instrument that we do recognize each guitar as having a special character of its own. In that sense, we approach an individual instrument in pursuit of finding special attributes much in the way portraiture is approached. We know the attributes are there and it is our job to find them and share them with you through a photograph. If the unique characteristics of a guitar are not clarified in the photograph we have not properly fulfilled our assignment.

These instruments are not commodities, they do have individual character of heritage, construction, selection of materials, unique artistic details and of course the non-photographic musical voice. The lens of the camera allows us to document and in turn share with others what we see as we review these instruments in person.

Similarly, the careful use of light can direct a viewer to a specific detail we hope to share in composition, depth and texture. An important part of the photographic interpretation is what we purposefully avoid showing you the viewer. What is not seen is left to the imagination and can often lead to amusing and fantastic assumptions.

SCN: Put us in the studio with you. Pick a particular Custom Shop guitar you've shot for a calendar and describe the studio process.

Pitkin: Perhaps one of my favorite images would be of the Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster, January, 2002. This is a classic example of a situation where the background works well to support the guitar. When I was presented the heavily worn replica I was told it was a copy of the well known Rory Gallagher guitar. Unfortunately I had not yet heard of Rory Gallagher.

Del Breckenfeld offered a couple of photos for consideration as background options of Rory playing the original guitar. The photo we selected and used as a background image almost looks like the spirit of the guy is flying around in the background in support of the guitar. When looking at the photo we get a sense of the power and emotion that went into Rory’s playing. Now that I have heard some of his music I am more pleased with the way our photo tells a story about Rory and his instrument.

SCN: What is your personal relationship with the guitar? Are you a fan of Strat legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Clapton?

Pitkin: I am a player and own several guitars. What’s worse, I have turned two of my four children into collectors with a real appetite for the good stuff. I guess the passion can start at an early age as it did with me. When I was a kid all my paper route money went into saving for a guitar. We have an appreciation for the variety of music that different guitars can bring out of you as you play. Certain guitars just call out for a specific playing technique. More guitars mean more diversity in our style of playing. As my friend Rick Nielsen accurately proclaims, "Life is too short to spend it with a crappy guitar."

In answering the second part of your question, I am always amazed by the players you listed. They all have influenced the development of popular guitar music in the most profound way. Blues based, players have always been my favorite and the ones you mention are clearly on the top. I am amused by the number of great guitarists who start their careers with “Les Pauls a screaming” and so frequently mature into die-hard Strat players. We might as well pay attention to the trend and start out with a Stratocaster from the beginning.

SCN: Of all the Custom Shop instruments you've shot, does any particular instrument stand out in your mind as more beautiful or striking? If you could own any of the Custom Shop guitars you've shot, which would it be?

Pitkin: “Sorry, I love you but I can’t commit.” Sound familiar? I could give you a list of the top 10 or 20 but I can’t pick one. I do lean toward the tribute guitars as among my favorites…Hendrix, SRV, Muddy Waters. The highly decorated guitars are great for photography but I would be afraid to play them. For the most part, art is meant to be looked at not played. Who could put the first dent into one of those masterpieces?

SCN: Has any particular guitar proved to be more of a challenge to shoot than others?

Pitkin: Clearly the arch-top and darker colors fight back the most. We are always chasing highlights around trying to bring out the sexy curves in the guitar body. High gloss black reflects everything in the room, often trying to include the photographer.

SCN: You live and work in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated from Rockford College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Were you born and raised in Rockford?

Pitkin: My family moved to the city of Rockford when I was seven years of age. I have lived in Rockford since that time… 38 years to date. Rockford is a medium sized Midwestern city with a close proximity to Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and most importantly, O’Hare airport. Regarding the beaten path… Our world is shrinking so rapidly that we are working nationally more than locally. Our work flow is so geographically diverse that our home base could be anywhere provided we have a good airport nearby. As it turns out, Rockford, Illinois (with O’Hare Airport), is our home base and I see no good reason to relocate.

SCN: When and under what circumstances did you begin your career in photography?

Pitkin: As a fine arts student I was always on the lookout for a day job that would relate to visual art in some form. My first job was assisting the curator of a local museum called The Time Museum. The Time Museum was a private collection of time keeping and time finding instruments, clocks and watches, and was regarded as the most comprehensive collection in the world. As an assistant to the curator, I originally worked on conservation and restoration of the museum objects.

In the early 80’s I was given the assignment to begin photographing the collection as we performed our conservation work. That task soon became overwhelming and ultimately a full time pursuit. I quickly recognized photography as an outlet for creative expression as well as documenting the objects I had come to know so intimately.

As a curatorial technician, I wanted our photographs to be as well lit and detailed as possible. As an artist, I wanted our photographs to be as dramatic as possible. I had a world class collection available for subject matter and no excuses for making boring images.

Early portfolio achievements included a series of collection catalogs and many magazine articles including the cover of Smithsonian magazine. From that base of work I slowly moved toward commercial assignment photography but have never abandoned my museum work or fine art roots.

SCN: In addition to your commercial work, you are also a fine art photographer?

Pitkin: Photography is an art medium which enjoys popular enthusiasm like no other. Everybody has a camera and is a photographer in one form or another. Since beginning to work as a serious photographer I have sought a way to explore uncharted ground. So much contemporary photography plays over themes already addressed over the last 170 years. I have sought out something new to offer as a photographic artist.

My recent work has been centered around the photography of flowers presented as 3 dimensional assemblages. They are images of flowers which are predisposed by their photographic process and subject matter as having a natural beauty. Yet these photographs encapsulate the decaying source of beauty, the flower itself. The relic tissue of the dead flower is masked by two images of the same flower captured at its peak display of beauty. The photographs are real, the decaying flower is real. They are both in origin and in essence the same object - one frozen in time, the other affected by time’s capable destruction. The work is exciting and bears promise enjoying the potential of an original idea. [above: “Parrot Tulip Captured 04:25:2003:5:11pm”]

Guitar Glamour Photography - Pitkin Photography Studio Pictorial Setting up the composition Adjusting the lighting Focusing the background image Setting up the camera Setting the camera's lens aperture Adjusting the guitar's tuning pegs Adjusting the computer's color calibration Computer finishing Guitar glamour image

[Images, from top to bottom: cover, Fender Custom Shop Gallery, by Richard Smith, © 1996 Hal Leonard Corporation; cover, Guitars of the Stars, by Bill Rich, © 1992 Gots Pub; cover, Fender Custom Shop Guitar 2005 Calendar by the Fender Custom Shop and Ronnie Sellers Productions, © 2004, Ronnie Sellers Productions; covers, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002, Fender Custom Shop Guitar calendars; Fender Custom Shop "Skele Tele", image © 2004, Stephen Pitkin; cover, The Beauty of the 'Burst, by Yasuhiko Iwanade, © 1996 Ritter Music (English language edition published by Hal Leonard); Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster, image © 2004, Stephen Pitkin; Fender Custom Shop "So Cal" Stratocaster, image © 2004, Stephen Pitkin; Fender Museum poster; portrait of Stephen Pitkin, image © 2004, Stephen Pitkin; “Parrot Tulip Captured 04:25:2003:5:11pm” © 2004 Stephen Pitkin; "Guitar Glamour Photography - Pitkin Photography Studio Pictorial", all images © 2004 Stephen Pitkin. All rights reserved by the respective copyright owner.]

Contact Information

Stephen Pitkin
Pitkin Studio, Conventional and Digital Photography
Email: steve@pitkinstudio.com
Website: www.pitkinstudio.com
Telephone: (815) 965-1991
Location: 611 Chestnut Street, Rockford, Illinois, USA