Photography trials

BEFORE
AFTER

BEFORE
AFTER

Hi friends,
I spent much of yesterday figuring out what I needed to do to try and get more professional-looking shots of my portfolio work. Note that I didn't say "professional." I'm no professional when it comes to product shots, so I can only do the best I can! I spent hours experimenting with lights and with a hand-made lightbox/studio in a box. Nothing was working.
I went out to Joanne Fabric and bought a handful of options for backdrop material and ended up favoring a light colored burlap. I put together little layouts of my invitations on paper beforehand and then once I was happy, moved them to the fabric. The planning was because I have a certain size and scale and shape the photo has to be to fit on my website correctly...so I had to design my "layouts" of the elements to fit this size and shape. I ended up getting rid of the lightbox and lights and simply just used my flash. Something I would NEVER normally do. But it was the most bright and true-to-life option without having to worry about shadows and uneven light. Who knew, after all that work?! I added some props here and there just for effect but probably didn't really need it. I've posted the shots from before (using lights and a makeshift lightbox in the beginning of this week) and the afters (the ones I just did) to show the difference. I'm happy with how they are coming out (after a little work in Photoshop) and I think I'll continue to photograph most of my portfolio in this method. I'll likely change up the background material depending on the subject. This is definitely a learning experience!

LensBaby!

Good day to you all! Well, I had vowed to start having some fun with photography yesterday. And I started by playing around with my new Lensbaby that my lovely husband gave me for Christmas! I highly recommend checking it out; it's a cool little "toy." The two shots I posted here were taken with it. I have to practice using it, but I like the effect of the edges. It adds an element of "surprise" to digital photos...you don't quite know exactly what you will get. Of course, it will change as I learn to control the lens. But fun! As another surprise with fun photography, my father emailed me yesterday with this:
"Found my Polaroid 230 Automatic Land Camera (Circa 1969) if you want it." Well, Yes! How cool! I've been researching now what film can go in it (since all the original film is discontinued) and what battery needs to be used. They also don't make the flash bulbs for that (apparently) anymore, but I can use it outdoors in the natural light I bet. THANKS DAD!! So, lots of fun photographing ahead for the year! It's fun to see what happens when you put your dreams out into the universe. Have a creative day everyone!