Selkirk Pansy

The last few posts by The (un)professional inspired me to look at my paperweight collection as a blip item. This is a Selkirk Paperweight crafted in Scotland. I think this weight is named "Pansy". Although Murano paperweights are popular (because they're cheaper), the Scottish glass (Caithness, Perthshire, and Selkirk) are first rate along with Baccarat (they don't just make glasses and plates). There are some low volume American studios that do some awesome work as well.

Not much art on my part with this blip, but I'm posting it because it was a technical exercise for me. I have no studio skills. Paperweights are difficult to photograph because there is always a reflection unless you photograph them in a uniform light tent (which I don't have). My studio is my kitchen counter with a pillowcase as background. To minimize reflection, I had no nearby lights, but you can still see some far away small light and window reflections. To maximize macro field of view, I used a near pinpoint f-stop and with a long exposure on a tripod.