Thursday, February 19, 2009

Picture Perfect

I need to take a photography class. There's no question about it! As I position and shoot my jewelry to add into my Etsy shop, some of the pictures are crystal clear and beautiful; others are muddled, or the beads glare, and the images don't do the pieces justice. Without a doubt, every single piece I've photographed looks much better in person.

Ironically, New Year's Resolution # 4 for 2009 is "I will take at least 4 classes or workshops." I'd been looking at some beading classes out at the Creative Castle in Newbury Park and considering whether I have the strength, fortitude, and finances to go, but now I think that I need to contact a photography shop first and learn what I can do to improve my skills in that department. For whatever reason, the idea actually excites me a little.

Cosmos is holding his own. As my skills are getting better, infusing him this morning was easier. I still feel terribly guilty about the process, but there's no question that he feels better than last week. We even went for a short walk today, and later, he took great offense at a commercial on TV where the woman was calling "Boys! Boys!" He KNOWS that "Boys" is the name that I use when I want both dogs to come, and he did not approve of some strange woman on his television calling them.

I've figured out how to give him his compounded medication. It comes in horse-sized pills, and he was not fooled by me wrapping food around them. (You'd have to be pretty dumb not to know what was happening with the size that they are!) However, if I take some shredded cheese, melt it in the microwave, then open up the capsules (he needs 3 a day, all at once) and mix the powder up in the cheese, he doesn't seem to realize that it tastes bad. And I'm relatively sure it tastes horrible. The pharmacist warned me about that when I picked them up.

I guess in the battle of cheese vs. medication, the cheese comes out on top. Especially cheddar.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

make a shadow box out of foam boards and clear tape strapping/postal tape. Pick a cloth/material or an object you would like to have the jewelry against (as a backdrop that won't draw the eye away from the jewelry) It will compliment the jewelry color. I went to the dollar store and got those little plastic boxes of different sizes, and then I got swatches of solid color fabrics at the fabric store.

Use LED tap lights, or a shop clip on light for lighting on the inside of the box and play with your lighting.

I've done the above when I was photographing the jewelry for temera.

Play with Macro (usually looks like a flower for a icon) option on your camera if you have that too.

Wish I could be there to show you what I've learned.

Anonymous said...

ps congrats on your sales!

Joe Ganci said...

Are you using the macro setting on your camera? It's used for making close-up shots so that they come out clear and not fuzzy. Lighting is important, the more defused the better, being sure to get the angle so that you are not casting a shadow with the camera on your jewelry.

Oh, I see Ang described all this better than I did! Well, I've written it and am posting this anyway! :-)

Unknown said...

Hey Laura,

All these posts are great. one other thing you might wish to try is a tripod or some way to secure the camera. Also try using the timer on your camera to take the shot. this will make sure that there is no outside force on the camera during the shot. This will take the camera handling out of the mix. You also might want to note your settings so that you can be as consistant as possible. Then when you get the right pics. you will be able to recreate the enviroment each time. When you note your lighting make sure you note what time of day it is. every light source can make a difference. If you are taking all the pics at night then you will have better control. I hope this helps - Kevin Marshall

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