Archive for the ‘photography tips’ Category

Advanced Photography Tips in Friendly Plastic

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Yesterday, I gave some basic photography tips to get you started.  If you simply want to share photos with family and friends, then the basics are all you will need.    However, if you want sell your work, such as on etsy, consider implicating these more advanced tips.

Why?  Because a picture is worth a thousand words.  Pictures can express feeling and emotion and they can create an impulse to buy...or a emotion of "I just gotta have that!"

So, with that thought in mind here is some more advanced tips.

Use diffusers to create soft light.  You can do this by placing a white shower curtain over a brightly lit window.  Or you can purchase a photography studio box for about $40 to $50.  These boxes have fabric on each side for you to diffuse light through.  This lessens harsh and undesirable shadows.

Avoid using a flash as this creates harsh shadows.

Play with the more advanced exposure settings on your camera.  If you find yourself in a low lit area, instead of turning on lights, which can effect the white balance, try increasing the "exposure" setting on your camera by a notch or two.  Take a test photo to see if the lighting is adequate.

Use a mirror to bounce light underneath objects to highlight the bottom or take away harsh shadows.  For a softer look, use white card stock to bounce light around and add a little highlight to certain areas.

Styling your jewelry or projects can really upscale their value.  For ideas on how to style your jewelry, look at jewelry or fashion magazines for ideas.  You don't need to spend a fortune on props.  Have a look around the house and get a little creative with your imagination.  Perhaps you have a vase that you can dangle some earrings from?  Or a nice simple wine glass?  Sand?  Rocks? and believe it or not, rice and black beans are great options too!.

Of course, this tip list is NOT exhaustive...there's so much more I could share.  But these are a little more advanced to get you started.  

Let's put those tips into practice.


Here Shari Wallace of WolfCreek Designs on etsy uses sand to stylize her photograph.  She's displayed the bracelet on a rock, which adds a nice effect without being overpowering.


 Jana Ewy of Just Bananas always does a great job of stylizing her artwork in her photos.  Here's she's used some inexpensive pebbles to add an organic touch. 

Notice that neither of these photos have harsh shadows and both are in clear focus.

I believe if you put these few tips into practice, you'll really make your artwork shine!!!



Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
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Posted in Beginner Friendly Plastic, Etsy, Friendly Plastic colourizing tips, Jana Ewy, Just Bananas, Plastic Industry News, Shari Wallace, photography tips, wolf creek designs | No Comments »

Simple Photography Tips for Friendly Plastic

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
By now, you've probably been reading our daily posts and have created a mountain of Friendly Plastic projects - Right????  I sure hope so!!   Now it's time to share them with the rest of the world.  But how do you photograph them so that they will stand out in the photo?

Here are a few of my favorite tips if you are just beginning:

  • Select a camera that will do nice close up (macro) shots.  This is very important.

  • Hold the camera steady - if you can't, consider using a tripod and the timer button on the camera

  • Use a simple background.  A light grey, black or light blue works well.  As an option you could use a pretty piece of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper with a gentle pattern.  Stay away from pure white as this tends to confuse the camera and sends the white balance in a tizzy.

  • Use natural lighting if at all possible.  Shoot by a window, but not in direct sunlight.  You can also take your project outside and choose a nice shady spot.  This helps avoid shadows.  Lighting is so important - so give attention to this particular tip!
  •  
  • For nice detail shoot the photo in as high of resolution that your camera will allow.  Mine is 8mp.  The higher the megapixel the more detail in your photo when enlarged.  
  • Here's an important one.....if emailing your photo to your Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook or to me to share, please resize the photo down to an "email version".  Most photo editing programs will allow you to resize these photos to send quickly over the internet.  If you are using Photoshop, simply click on FILE then SAVE FOR THE WEB and this will do the trick!!  
The photo below is a good example of simple photography.




I photographed this on a patterned piece of scrapbook paper.  While the paper has a light pattern to it, it doesn't detract from the Friendly Plastic pendant.



 You can see that the patterned background that I used above would not be a good choice for displaying a variety of beads, such as these beads created by Liz Welch.  She effectively used a lighter grey background to highlight each and every bead. 




 This is an example of a close up photo.  Liz used a black background to make the individual bead stand out.  The photo is clear.  Just a word of caution, be careful using black backgrounds, since they could come off as greys, blues or purples. 

Have fun with the photography and stay tuned tomorrow as I give some more advanced tips!

Email me your photos!!

Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
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Posted in Amaco, Beginner Friendly Plastic, Friendly Plastic Tips and Techniques, Linda Peterson, Liz Welch, Plastic Industry News, photography tips | No Comments »