Bragging About Photograhpy

Good morning, ya'll. Come on in for a cup of coffee for I am about to drink my 3rd or 4th or somewhere in there. I'm thinking about getting an I V pole and see if I can just drip it straight in, but then I would miss that wonderful flavor. Are you with me on that? I just love coffee and thank you Granddaddy for showing me how good it is.

I have become enamored with photography and especially since I opened my Etsy shop. You have to have pictures of the items you are selling and some of my first ones are pretty bad but I am learning to take everyday items and use them in the pictures. I think I am getting better but still a ways to go.

I found an old jewelry hanger, the one in the picture above, with a little rust on it but a lot of character and use it to display the pieces. I think the shabby chic look adds character so didn't paint. I have a bowl of driftwood and shells sitting close by so I added a piece of each to show some texture and add contrast. Think it turned out pretty well.

Thia is a scarf I knitted on a round loom and I don't want to put myself in the picture to show it off. I took a wooden coat hanger, hung a turtleneck shirt on it, placed it on a knob of an antique chest and draped the scarf. Turned out pretty well and I have found to use a beige or off-white shirt underneath for white sometimes is too bright. The wood grains add a little contrast in texture.

Thank goodness for picnik.com for photo editing. It is a free and paid site you can use to edit your pictures and so far I have used only the free. I begin with Windows Photo gallery then take the pictures to picnik and complete the editing. Sometimes I use Picasa but mostly to create collages. The frames I can get from picnik add interest and a finished appearance.

My working surface is a wooden picture frame, with a piece of tan poster board placed in it. The backdrop is a pleated shade over my windows. I have learned to photograph during a sunny day with this shade pulled to filter the light. The picture frame and matting are a good surface to work with.

Here I added a piece of driftwood and the brownish mat is a good background for the brown in the necklace. I can change the matting in the frame easily for it is not attached.

I like to photograph outside when possible for I can get truer colors. Early morning and mid -afternoon seem to be the best with morning being the better. This is an old chair I painted white many years ago and was about to re-paint but now I am not for I like the shabby chic look. It gives texture and contrast to the crochet and knitted pieces. Again this is cropped and framed with picnik.

A chair makes a good prop for you have several options to drape and the seat to lay your item on. I like to use chairs in my photography for I think they add a lot of interesting detail.

This is an old, broken clothes rack I was about to toss. I am glad I didn't for I am finding it to be a good prop for draping scarves as you can see above. I also like the shadow on the patio with the blue sky in the background.

Outside with a slight breeze was perfect for this loom knitted scarf for the yarn is very light and the scarf is light and wispy and the breeze blowing it was great. Use nature to make it interesting.

This is an old treadle sewing machine I use on the patio and I really like the contrast of the iron with the delicate yarn I used in the scarf.

Using as much contrast in texture as you can will make the object you are shooting pop. My camera is a Nikon D4o and I love it. It is easy to use and you have quite a few options but I mostly use the automatic settings.

These are just a few tips I have discovered, now go forth and take some pictures. All the items are for sale in my Etsy shop. I love to knit and crochet and my family and friends have been flooded with scarves, etc. so thought I would try to sell them Not doing so well but I am learning to take better pictures so that is a good thing.

Ya'll have a good day and come back for a cup of coffee.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach