The Crafter's guide to Taking Great Photos - Book review

I know ironic, I took some really crappy photos of a book about taking great photos.  It was late at night I was in a rush, but the content is still the same.  I just didn't want to be hit with fines from the library.

So this books is a great little guide. If you have never done photography before. Even for me with my limited photography skills found a lot of it to be a boring read but also since I've worked visuals in several retail stores some of the set ups seemed very obvious. It is wonderful for a beginner though, explaining ISO, Shutter Speeds, Aperture, manual vs. auto focus. I think the way everything is explained is very clear and makes sense so it is an easy read. I also like that it tells the pro's and con's of each scenario even if it is something they would never recommend you using (like flash on a macro setting of a shiny jewelry).

The illustrations they use are also clear and helpful. They site a ton of examples of other people's work and their photography which makes it pleasant just to flip through. It is also a little distracting because you are seeing such great products and you forget to look at what makes up the photo and makes it so engaging where it shows off the product. I think that is a challenge either way because you want a great looking book with great looking content.

The chapters move fluidly through each phase so you can set up and follow their exercises along with it as you read through. I book marked a few new tricks I learned but personally it wasn't enough for me to want to buy the book and keep in my collection. I took my notes and put it on a list of books that I can easily borrow from the library. If you are a beginner I think this would make a great book to keep in your studio to help inspire and as a reference for when you just can't figure out why the shadows are so harsh or the photos are coming out too dark or yellow tinted.

Another thing that I liked about this book is that it also gives you some great DIY tips for making things the help with your photography.  I especially like this lightbox idea. There were also tips of making a photo box to put items into and take photos, diffusers for your flash (if you must use flash at all).

Overall it is a great book. It's just not a book that I need in my collection. If I had a friend or student starting out in etsy who was struggling with their photography I would  definitely suggest this to them or get it for them as a present. It would also make a good reference book for people who aren't aspiring or current photographers. If I gave it am amazon rating it would be a 5 Star.

DIY Photo Studio

One of my favorite things I learned during this portfolio process was how to solve some of my own problems.  With the deadline being shortly after the holidays I could not ask to impose on any of my photographer friends to help me with my portfolio images.  I had to get inventive.  I got some advice through e.mail from several of them and went through a lot of trial and error. The best looking thing would of been white foam board.  The hard thing was finding it large enough to be useful as a background without awkward seams.  Then I tried a fabric tarp but the wrinkles in it made it useless.  Finally on a hunt for larger foam board I bought a roll of extra white background paper from Midwest Photo Exchange.  I was a little wary to spend the $30 but I figured if that is the most I need to spend to make these photos amazing then it won't be that bad.

 It worked flawlessly after I set it up with some ingenuity.  I hung the paper across another longer tube on the inside so it would roll along easier and the cord wouldn't catch the edges of the paper to tear it (which I learned after attempt #2).  On the far Wall I nailed in large headed main on each side giving about 3-4" of space from the end of the paper to allow it to have some drape.  I also put folded pieces of paper between the string and background paper where it would rub and possibly tear.  This helped to make it easier to move the paper over the line and keep it from tearing.   Being able to have the white background on both the top, back and bottom essentially made a light box so my clamp lights had a much more dynamic effect.  I used my too small foam boards as deflectors on either side to help direct the light onto the garments and items while I was taking pictures of them.

For light I just used two clamp lights with ultra bright white fluorescent bulbs which I clipped to various areas to get the lighting and to bounce them off the white foam boards.  I also took all the photos with the flash off (I'm not a fan of using flash anyways).

In this photo you can see how I suspended the background paper.  I used small screw hooks.  Eventually I would like to replace the cord with Chain so that I won't have to worry about it all collapsing on me as it did one time.  That way it would also be easily adjustable.  The other main thing I did was used a tripod for taking all the photos and a shutter release controller.  No matter how stead your hand is you don't wan to take chances and in the end it will save you more time having the most stable pictures as possible.  Even triggering the release by pressing the button on your camera can cause it to be slightly out of focus of move it off center.

You can see my results in this photo. Not too shabby for a beginner photographer.

Getting in the Saddle again

I've been on a hiatus from doing photo shoots for nearly a year.  I had my wedding and lot of other big changes in my life, in fact I am still going through some of these changes.  With the impending deadline of my portfolio I reached out to my friend Adam to set something up.  With a test shoot in mind we unintentionally came up with a great looking story.

Before we get to the pretty pictures let me explain some etiquette on test shoots, that people may not be aware of.  A test shoot typically no one is paid for this. It is exactly what it sounds like, a test.  The group is testing to make sure everyone get's along, if they would want to continue to work together.  This group usually includes, photographer, model, stylist (in my case designer), Hair/makeup (same or separate people). Each person has their role in working together to have some great photos.  Per the test shoot open communication is a plus.  Everyone participating should get a chance to do or get something out of the photos that they wanted or needed.  I think a test shoot is harder because everyone needs to work together to give and receive where on a normal shoot there is one goal and it is usually the concept.  For me coming in as the "designer" I want good straight on photos of my work so that it is showcased rather then hair or makeup of the model or extreme lighting/set of the photo.  For me coming to a test shoot getting that great photo of the garment on the body is what I need.  For photographers I work with it has usually been to try out new formats or lighting, also meeting new models for future potential projects.  A lot of models come in needing new head shots or to get a look that isn't already in their look book, something more artistic.  Make up Artist and Hair of course want to show off their skills so usually head shots are good them as well to get the details of their craft.

Well that is my spiel on test shoots.  

Welcome to the pretty!

90% of the clothing are my garments

Photos by Adam Leigh-Manuell

Model is Leah Cultice

Hair and MUA is Lydia

Oh HAI!

Hello, it's been a while.  Sorry for the Hiatus but I got Married!

 It was August 20th, 2011 at my home church with my Youth Pastor from a kid being the officiant.  I won't go into a lot of details right now because I'm still sorting photos and I'm way behind on blogging other things such as my NYC and Lake House Bachelorette trips amongst other things.  I also have all my Honey Moon Photos to go through from Londond, Paris and Rome! It's been such a whirlwind and my brain is still only functioning at maybe 45% right now. I also want to wait till I get more photos from the wedding in from my Photographer (The Rogue Magnolia) before I make a big official everything post from the wedding.

Here's a small taste from some friends photos.
This First one is one of my Favorites.  A Polaroid by my friend Claire!

 Yes, Somehow our reception ended with Fireworks thanks to a Baseball game and Britney Spears concert going on down the street next to our Venue!

And a sneak peek from Candace aka The Rogue Magnolia

On the Scioto Mile

In Columbus last week this really nice new park opened up called the Scioto Mile.  Andy and I rode out bikes there to check out the opening night festivities.  It's no Bellagio but it is our own Columbus charm.  It was also a good night where I tested out our new small digital Camera and my Kodak Playsport.  We feared that since we rode our bikes and there was warning for rain that my DSLR would not be the best choice to bring on the ride.

The Park was beautiful!  It had these 4 circular rings that would either mist, spray water or even create a fog.  The ground had little water jets jumping up and down in neat rows and then there was the massive middle fountain.

 

 Here's some Video from when we first got there.

After the sun was completely set and they started the fountain show there were ton's of kids jumping into it having a great time.  I hope to go back soon with just some friends to do the same thing but as awkward 30 year old adults.

This was  photo of the Fog effect that the fountain was capable of.  It was really hard to see more then a foot in front of your face for a bit.  I'm sure some people ran into each other or wandered into the fountain unexpectedly.  

After the fountain we headed across the Main street Bridge to take some photos and check out the park coming form the other side.  I took the time to play with manual funcitions on the little Cannon Powershot S95.  First the just the photo of the city then the next two is me playing with the shutter speed and moving the camera around.  It was fun stuff, nothing I have done before but always wanted to try.  Next time I'm out with my DSLR I will have to play around more in the lights.

Keep with the Times

Hello Friends!   How is this blustery cold week making you feel?  For me it's all about the warm weather items such a gloves, mittens, scarves, cowls, Neckwarmers, and Wristlets.  Yes I know you think my life is a little excessive but there is a reason! 

That reason being that I have been very diligently (moreso then ever before) updating my Etsy website!  Usually I don't have the need of this but with the wonky Indian Summer we had here in Ohio I needed to unload my cold weather gear into the general masses. 

This has been a long lesson in Photography, lighting, photo editing and most importantly patience.  It is very awkward and uncomfortable for me who is in fiber and fashion to switch gears to a nearly alien art form of photography.  Don't make any misconceptions that there "simple" etsy photos are not using the same skills as any other trained photographer.  If I had better skills you know I wouldn't be spending so much time editing my photos.  Nearly all of them are too dark.  Then as I lighten the exposure I find some that are completely out of focus.  There is much sighing.

Here are a few of my amateur tips for taking your photos to display.

1. Use the MACRO function on your camera, doesn't matter if you aren't even that close you never know what details the camera might bring out in a stitch or detail or even mistake.  Yes, I said mistake.  The Macro has saved me from several potentially embarassing and angry comments by showing me that thread pulling or stitch that didn't quite get covered into the waistband as my meticulate 1/2" seam allowance told me it would.  Since I can see it then I can fix it, cutting off one less potential reason for a buyer to complain.

2. Lighting, good natural lighting or close to it.  I never use the Flash on my camera for product photos.  I find that it usually adds unseenly colors or makes the background look like crap.  If it's sunny I take it outside or by a window. 
Look how harsh and terrible it looks even after trying to do some touch ups. Then next to it is without flash and just some exposure lightness.

3.  Knowing your editing program.  I know a lot of people default with PhotoShop but all those bells and whistles can be overwhelming to the newbie or lazy person (like me).  It also takes up a lot of running memory on your computer while you are using so depending what else you are doing at the same time it could make everything run slower.  My current favorite to use right now is Picnik.com .  It is web based so it will be wherever you are, connects to facebook, flickr, picasa and other various photo dumping places you might use.  It is very simple to use with the Silder bars and explainations of each option

4. Set up- yep the set up is just as important if not one of the most important things to worry about when putting your items out there to sell.  Just like the window displays at the mall, the way your photo looks will determine the traffic to the rest of your inventory.  When you look at the photos on the Etsy front page they aren't always the greatest most exciting items but they are visually stunning in the photos.  Some of them are just a detail shot of that lace fringe to a skirt or Soap set up in a pretty victorian sink.  

If you can master these very few skills then you my friend are in a good place.  If you are still having troubles consider getting a better camera (borrow and test them from friends), taking a class at a local college or art school of digital photography (I know CCAD's Continuing Education has one), or if all else fails hire someone.

If hiring someone it doesn't have to break the bank,  you can simply put up an Ad with a local college or Art School to find a student to help hone their craft for a minimal fee or even as an intern to do it for you. 

These are the a few of the things I've learned since my journey with Etsy and the Craft Scene started about 3 years ago.  I'll be giving a few other tips and tricks that I've learned over the years in some up coming posts!  Good luck out there!

None of that

Sorry today is an extremely boring unfulfilled post but I feel I must make one regardless.

I am prepping for my Lingerie Trunk Show at Undone which I am also going to be showing/selling some pieces that aren't lingerie but I feel more lounge worthy. Such as the above pants. They are simple knit pants that are german military inspired. I went through my current stock and the fabrics I have and I am in good shape. No need to buy any new fabric, I just need to get it together and make the new pieces. I've also nailed down one model for a look book photo shoot for the trunk show and will shoot again with Adam Leigh-Manuell. Now I need one more model and stylist. I might leave those up to Adam but we need to discuss this all a little more and I need to get a positive YES from the current model as well as contact information. I feel doing all communication through Model Mayhem is not very professional

seeing how so many of them have failed. My biggest project for this Lingerie trunk show is to produce some a new bralet top. I think I am going to be playful also because I found all this leftover gold, black and Turquoise Lame.

There was another photo shoot that was completed with Michelle Washington a Stylist and Stephanie Matthews was the Photographer and Riquina J. I'm eagerly awaiting the photos. Unfortunately I don't think I will be able to actually post them for awhile. I am learning all sorts of new stuff about the fashion world and fashion photography that I never would of thought important. Such as keeping photos that are being submitted for publication confident until after acceptance/rejection of the photo set. Like even if only one of the photos is being submitted none of them from that set should still be posted anywhere publicly. It's really a strange world that I am trying very hard not to step on anyone's toes.

Fashion photography is unlike any other art form in my opinion. First of all there are so many people involved. On this particular turn it was a Photographer, make up artist, wardrobe stylist, and model. You could add me in as the clothing designer but that all depends on the viewpoint. It's like a group project no matter who is responsible for what and since they are all artists it's like walking on eggshells because you don't want to offend anyone. Everyone has their own take an viewpoint and direction. You just hope everyone is on that same direction. It is also more a form of advertisement to get more jobs then it is art. Only the few lucky ones can do this as purely an "art" form and be able to make it their entire living. Not that people don't live off of it but there aren't many people that can make a living off of just Fashion photography shoots. Most make up artists also work a counter, weddings, touch ups for TV or commercial makeup to supplement with Fashion. Photographers same thing they have weddings, portraits, and other none fashion related work. They are lucky because I think they have a little more leeway for art because they can do nudes, or just artistic photos that aren't directly fashion related but still art related. If that makes sense. Stylists are pretty much all around stylists, they look for the clothes, concepts, trends and they clothe people whether it be for fashion or not. They make people look good and put together in general. I just make clothes both avant garde and commercial. Sometimes I get the opportunity to be my own stylist for shoots and every once in a while I do makeup as well. I am at a lose with hair and photography though.

I think I should just keep my mouth/fingers shut all the time. I feel like I am always offending people lately when I don't mean to be. It all just makes me so nervous. I apparently made a comment that I didn't think was bad in anyway but I felt like it was taken the wrong way. I really don't want to come off as some critic or anything. I'm really open to everything. I'm just happy to get good photos of my clothes and I feel everyone has their own take on the same pieces and it's just so much fun to see what different people do. I hope I apologized enough to get that across. I just don't know what more I can do lately. Not just with the photo shoot but all around in life right now I feel kind of helpless and like I am apologizing everywhere to everyone. It makes me want to be less and less social and just hide in my basement and sew till someone calls on me. A friend sent me photos of her work and I haven't even responded yet for fear of sounding critical.......... She does amazing work.

I think maybe because of all the classes lately since I have to critique the student work constantly I don't think I am doing anything wrong. I just have to constantly instill in them what makes good aesthetic designs and their level of work is far from professional. I'm not a perfectionist by far but I know what I like and don't like and what comes out appealing. I haven't seen anything from the outside that I outright do not like, I just don't know...... I am going to keep my mouth shut.

Just a little melancholy

For no good reason at all I miss Korea like crazy these days. I am still in touch with most of my friends that I made there during Yonsei-dae but that isn't what I miss. I miss the boutiques, the subways, their versions of malls, the midnight markets, the bad smells, the bargaining. I miss it all. I only have one person in Korea to actually visit which is my room mate from college but still I want to go so badly. I feel like I am missing something. It's so hard when I remember in High School I went so often to visit my Brother. Perhaps it is this High School program that I am teaching that is making me so nostalgic about everything. I definitely want to go with Hyemi sometime before I have a kid so that we can just enjoy it over there and have some fun before we become total Ajumahs. It's hard to also not have anyone to try and speak Korean with regularly. I guess somewhere I am still have some growing pains about being Korean- American. I feel that I need to get back in touch before I have kids of my own. I don't want my kids to be confused with who they are and aren't. It's such a weird thing to think about becoming the world to someone else, being all they look up to for everything. Not sure if I am totally ready for that commitment. Things will happen and I suppose when that time comes I will just have to step up to it and own it.

Enough of the deep thoughts.........

I'm farking tired out of my mind. Classes started today and my kids are WONDERFUL. I have a big challenge in front of me teaching them and setting the bar for this program elective in Fashion. I am doing new things no one has ever done before and I want to set that bar HIGH! They are more focused then my workshop was and some of them are already far better illustration drawers then I am! I will have some pics of them tomorrow.

Speaking of Tomorrow and why I am so tired I have a sudden Photo Shoot in Cincinnati with Adam Leigh-Manuel from Alias Photography. I know him through Model Mayhem and we've been going back and forth for a bit. Finally we will meet and get to work together. He is very good at correspondence so I have a great feeling about this.

I just need to go and lie down and pass out. I still have so much work to do in the morning.........