Professional Photography

Last November, my friend and mentor-supreme, Lorin Fields, assisted in my booth during our local annual Alternative Gift Market. She wished I had a display print showing a comely lass wearing one of my pieces. During lulls she also worked on me to consider entering high-end craft shows, specifically the Piedmont Craftsmen Guild show in November.

Both of these issues require better photography skills than I've achieved so far. Lorin, in her mentor capacity, arranged for me to tag onto a photo shoot she already had scheduled for last Saturday at her church. The photographer, Seth Tice-Lewis, is well-known in our area and came highly recommended by Lorin, who has worked with him several times in the past year, as well as by other artists. The model, Angie, is a friend of Lorin's from church.

Keep in mind, each piece entered in a portfolio only gets seen for a few seconds and needs to make an instant impact on the jury. Lorin came by my house a few days before the shoot to help pick out 10 of my strongest pieces, and to figure out what Angie needed to wear to show them off.

The day of the shoot, I arrived at the church and tried to stay out of the way as Seth and Lorin got to work.

This group has wonderful energy. Before her first shoot with Lorin, Angie went online to research modeling poses. Then she practiced in front of a mirror until it came naturally. In this picture, she's goofing a little bit:

Here, we've set up the pose for one of my bracelets:

The result:

Angie wanted to try a more natural hand position for the next bracelet:

Wonderful!

I think I've got my display print in this one:

When choosing a photographer, ask for recommendations, and look at samples of their work. Keep in mind fees are handled very differently amongst them: some charge by the roll of film, others charge a large set-up fee, others charge by the shot. Choose what works for you and get the best you can afford. The better your work looks, the more likely people will want to buy.

copyright 2011 Shibori Girl

Purple, Blue... Or Both?

Thankfully, Hanna seems to have fizzled out. We supposed to get some rain and wind, but nothing more. Now we just have to worry about hurricane Ike, which doesn't look like it will hit us head on. Poor Florida, they do get more than their fair share!

Thanks so much to Kelly, from Boxing Day, for the Brilliant Blog nomination! Now THAT'S the crowbar I needed to pry me out of the "poor me" mood I've been wallowing in. If you haven't seen her blog, it's very entertaining - she makes art for sale on Etsy using recycled materials.

My list of nominees:

A Fanciful Twist
Rochambeau
Collage Diva
Artsortments
Somepinkflowers
Tea and Honey Bread
A Whimsical Bohemian

The rules for the nominees:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

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On another note, I had quality studio time last night and made some bracelets. How is it possible, that after two years of jewelry making, I've neglected this huge corner of the market?!? In tough times when people don't want to spend for a necklace, I should have smaller ticket items like bracelets for them.

I started with some gorgeous lampworked glass beads, bought a few years ago on ebay (lovingly referred to as feebay around here). This was a set of three different groups of beads intended to be used together. When I bought them, I saw some black with purple and blue flowers, some purple with blue dots, and some were clear lavender.

After I made the bracelet, I stuck it in the light box to photograph it. I turned on the fluorescent spotlights, and...Holy Crap! Those clear lavender beads turned sky blue!! How freaky is that?

I checked with some glass workers on Etsy and found out there is a special Moretti alexandrite glass that will do this. But how is it possible that I had these weird and lovely beads for years and never saw this? I spent a half hour walking back and forth in the doorway from the den (which has incandescent lighting) to the kitchen (which has fluorescent), just to watch the color change back and forth. Simple pleasures, right?

Beads Coming Together Beautifully

I've been having fun this weekend. Marble Man made sure I got some quality studio time today and look what my muse has inspired!

Gold yellow petal beads are tinged with a hint of blue and green

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Swarovski crystal teardrops in a gorgeous sky blue

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Pink glass petal beads surround tangerine Czech fire-polished crystals

These are so much fun to make that I'm going to make lots more.

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On another note, I've gotta get moving! I just learned I'll have a space at a Church charity sale in town during November. I'm not sure how big the space is, but I do know they are providing me with one table. So, some creative thinking is in order to come up with a good way to display jewelry. I've been told I can use a few of my 2' x 6' grid panel to make a standing screen. And at a yard sale today, Marble Man found the greatest framed mirror! I removed the mirror, will paint the wood frame a nice burnished gold color, and then fill the frame with a velvet-covered board for pinning up earrings.

I'll keep you posted on booth design progress. And if any of you have suggestions: please pass them along - don't keep 'em to yourself!

Thanks.

Another Giveaway

On Saturday, August 9th, I'm being featured on the blog, Handmade Showcase , which includes an earring giveaway. There are contest rules which you can find there (the drawing will take place on August 23rd at midnight). Please do participate in the contest - I want these little beauties to go to a loving home.

Materials:

Stacked vintage frosted white and lavender Lucite flower beads
Stacked antiqued brass bead caps
Swarovski crystals and sugalite rondelles
**Antiqued brass ear wires - will change to gold-filled if desired

Retail value $17.50

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This week my time was consumed with retaking a bunch of photos with my spiffy new light box. I've found that black poster board makes a GREAT back sweep. With the bright lights it comes out a soft slate gray and shows off work to great advantage.

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Part 2:

OK, OK, check this out you guys! I got some new toys in the form of acrylic risers in black and white. Look how FREAKING AWESOME these pictures came out!!

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If I'm not careful, people are going to think I hired a professional photographer for these. I'm really liking this light box!

Learning A Thing or Two

For the past several months I've been trying to approximate professional-looking photographs of my pieces. I thought I had done a pretty good job, using a sweep of white silk and a window with a reasonable amount of natural light. This meant I could only shoot on sunny days, and between 1 and 3 PM, when the sun is in the correct position. Not satisfactory at all!

Last week, while Marble Man was off, sunning himself at the beach, I was at home dogsitting and spending a LOT of time online. I came across several blogs talking about light tents and light boxes. Hazaah! This is what I need. I Googled "light box" and found several nice ones, but, hey... they're really expensive! By the time I bought the tent, the lights, and a background sweep, I could expect to spend about $300. Then, I came upon a blog with a tutorial on how to make one myself out of an old box and some tissue paper. This is exciting. I have a box. And paper, and tape. OK, let's get started! There were some things about the design I didn't want, so I changed it a bit to suit my needs:

I would use a box that is at least 12" square. We're going to cut five sides out of the box, and leave one side intact as the base.

Measure 2" in from each corner and draw a line with a sharpie pen.

Then, with a box cutter, cut along the lines. PLEASE be careful - we don't want any accidental appendectomies or amputations.

Now tape white tissue paper on the outside of the box over four of the cut-out sides. One side remains open for the camera.

Finally, you will need a piece of white (or black) poster board, or bristol board for the back sweep. This creates a nice seamless picture with graduated shadows. You want it to start at the upper back corner and finish in the lower front corner. (I couldn't find a piece big enough to reach both corners, so I "made do" with a smaller piece for now. I'll replace it with a bigger one later.)

The other thing to consider is lighting. I tried using floodlights with regular incandescent bulbs. As you can see below, this was a mistake. The result was dim with a dark yellow cast. So, I broke down and ordered some special floods with tripod stands and tungsten bulbs. Wowie, zowie. Perfection!

Here's the finished setup:

Final result with camera set on "macro" and a light on each side of the box, pointing down through the tissue paper:

Now if I get the urge to take photos at 3 AM, I just flip a couple of switches and I'm good to go. Rainy days? No problem. There's nothing like having the right tools for the job at hand.

I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..."

...for my digital camera and longtime friend, Canon Powershot A80, that is.

Once reliable, he's now a moody S.O.B. who requires more than a little romance and sweet talk to do his job. I grow weary with trying to judge his temperament upon caressing him awake, tenderly touching his "ON" button, breathlessly waiting to see if he'll perform or not. Lately, if I'm extremely lucky, he awakens, ready and willing, takes the first picture flawlessly... and then craps out on me to do this:

Let's just say I've been putting a lot of quarters in the Swear Jar of late.

With an Etsy Showcase set up for next Monday, I really need to get some shots of new earrings. After yet another unsatisfying photo experience yesterday, I shouted, "S**T!", to the skies while resisting the urge to rip him off his tripod to hurl him against the wall.

I went online to do a little research, found something I'd be happy with, and ran out the door to do some comparative shopping. I hit the four big shops in our area, including Walmart and Circuit City. None of them had what I'd planned to look at, but all had the next step up, Canon's Powershot A590. What a little sweetie-pie! Trim and sexy in shape, lightweight due to needing only 2 batteries, and it takes fab-U-lous pictures too. Circuit City had it on sale (even better!). I gladly handed over my credit card and took the Little Darling home with me.

"Oh, Happy Day!" Now my pictures look like this:

MUUUUUUuuuch better! To keep the romance alive this time, I guess I'll need some candlelight, Al Green on the stereo... who knows where that'll lead? Stay tuned...

New Work, New Pictures

Summer is here and my new work seems to reflect the lighter, softer mood of the season:

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(Click the pictures below to see Etsy listings)

texture and color evoke memories of the beach...

A beautiful lampwork bead by RB Glass (also at Etsy) is the focus of this ocean jasper and labradorite necklace.

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a chunky, fun necklace...

What an amazing find! Gasperite faceted barrel beads and desert jasper faceted ovals were on sale at my favorite bead shop. Mix with deep red and brown jasper rounds, coffee brown jasper rondelles, add a fancy sterling silver box clasp...

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One of the great things about Etsy, is there are people selling craft supplies too. These antiqued brass filigree bead caps and ear wires were perfect for making some old fashioned, inexpensive earrings to sell.

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sweet summer romance...

Creamy pale green amazonite round beads and vintage styled brass bead caps and Lucite flower beads come together in a budget-friendly pair of earrings.

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how to look like a 1950's movie star...

One of my extra long shibori dyed chiffon silk scarves gets a romantic, yet chic, makeover on a summer hat.

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modern, yet classic...

Another wonderful find at my local bead store: purplish brown muscovite ovals were also on sale. Strung with freshwater pearls, gold-filled beads, and faceted red jasper rounds, this necklace makes a dramatic statement.

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I'm so grateful to Marble Man for helping me get some studio time in the last couple of weeks. I've had a blast.

A Really Slow Learning Curve...

...and an obsessive attention to detail means I spend most of each day thinking of ways to improve my Etsy.com listings.

At first, I shot pieces on plaster mannequins. The display forms stay where you put them, don't chew gum, talk, or play with their hair while I'm pointing the camera at them. After experimenting, I found the best time of day for optimum daylight, the best room to use, etc. And I took an insane number of pictures.

Now to publish. I was happy with the individual pictures. But, as a whole, apparently people felt they're boring: row after row of white mannequins. The only thing that changes is the piece they are wearing. Potential customers would veer away from my shop without interesting images.

*Sigh* They're right. After several days perusing other sites, I knew the direction I would take. I ransacked the house, collecting all the funky demitasses, plates, wine glasses, and other chtatchkas that would be useful and started again. MUUUUuuuuch better!

before...

...and after shots of yellow turquoise earrings

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Last weekend, Dear Ya-ya Debbie, came over to model my yummy silk scarves (Stock whose pictures badly needed spicing up). She did an amazing job. What a creative mind!

before and after shots of a scarflet

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a beautiful scarf becomes a chic belt

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a chiffon scarf becomes a floaty little overskirt

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Debbie modeled for a couple of hours on Saturday. There were MANY pieces still to photograph after she left, so I thought of other ways to hook people into viewing. I raided my shoe collection for some sexy little numbers. Artful draping, crazy gorgeous shoes, result: a high "wow" factor.

My favorite pair of beaded and ruffled taffeta shoes
are a fab display base

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quilted violet suede and patent leather:
a great contrast to blue silk

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Debbie hard at work



FINALLY! Time to goof off a little