BEHIND THE IMAGES

A Note About the Photography

In the earlier years of building guitars, I was far more focused on learning the craft and improving each instrument than I was on properly documenting the finished work.

I took photographs, but usually in the shop, outside, or wherever I could get a reasonably clear picture at the time. I did not yet have a consistent photography setup, and I certainly was not thinking about how those images might one day need to represent Carlson Guitars in a professional gallery.

Many of those guitars are now with their owners, so I no longer have the opportunity to photograph them again under studio conditions. Rather than leave that part of my work undocumented, I have chosen to include some of those earlier photographs after carefully refining them for presentation.

Depending on the original image, that may include replacing or cleaning up the background, correcting the lighting and white balance, reducing distracting reflections, removing dust or smudges, and making modest adjustments to contrast and clarity.

The intention is not to redesign the guitar or create something that was never there. The instrument itself—its shape, materials, wood figure, appointments, and identifying details—is meant to remain faithful to the guitar I actually built. The editing is simply an effort to present an imperfect older photograph more clearly.

Documenting each completed guitar has since become a much more deliberate part of my process. Newer instruments will be photographed using a consistent studio-style setup, though ordinary photographic adjustments such as exposure, color balance, and reflection control may still be used when appropriate.

These earlier guitars remain an important part of the Carlson Guitars story. The photographs may not have started as professional studio images, but the instruments and the lessons they represent are worth preserving.