Tag: photography

On Persistence

I want to be a better photographer.

I’ve mentioned this a few times before. Learning to use my camera in manual mode was on my 30 Before Thirty list, and it’s something that I’ve continued to work on. I can take a decent photo, and I’m probably better than the average amateur, but am I where I want to be with my photography? Definitely not.

I love Ira Glass’ take on persistence and creative work. It’s something that I’ve kept in mind as I work on improving my skills.

“…most everybody I know who does interesting, creative work, they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste and they could tell what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be.”

“…it’s only by going through a volume of work that you’re actually going to catch up and close that gap.”

So that’s what I’m doing. I’m currently working on my 4-6 Weeks Project (a daily photograph), and I’ll continue to challenge myself after that. Persistence is good.

Can you identify? What are you working on becoming better at?

January 13, 2011
The 4-6 Weeks Project

I am one month away from my due date today. We’re about to add a baby boy to our family, and Eleanor is about to become a big sister.

If this pregnancy is at all similar to the first (I went 15 days past the due date), then I figure we have about 4-6 weeks to go. An earlier arrival would be welcome, but to remember our last days as a family of three, I’m starting a new project. The 4-6 Weeks Project. I will document each day with a photograph and a few sentences, and at the end I will compile them all into a keepsake book for Eleanor. I’ll also share them with you here weekly.

{ Introduction • Week One • Week Two • Week Three • Week Four • The End • View All }

Today, we are one month away from your little brother’s due date, and soon you will be a big sister. You and mama played with your pink and brown Connect Four set while daddy was at work. You’re very serious about putting the pieces in just so, and you’ll only use the brown ones. You gave all of the pink pieces to mama.

January 12, 2011
FAQ: Product Photography (Part Two)

In part one, I discussed a few different options for product photography. Here, I’ll focus on taking a good photo against a white background. That’s what I’m (fairly) good at, and I think that’s where most people have trouble.

The Setup

I use a homemade light box, a tripod, four adjustable lamps from IKEA, and daylight bulbs.

Three of the lamps have 100 watt daylight bulbs, which is often enough. If there are harsh shadows, I’ll also turn on the 60 watt lamp to add a little overall illumination. The light box is a clear plastic container with some fabric batting wrapped around it to soften the light. The white background inside is just a piece of poster board.

Getting the Picture

As I mentioned in part one, I am not an expert photographer by any means. I am however, quite good at Photoshop.
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October 16, 2008
FAQ: Product Photography (Part One)

A lot of people have asked me if I have any tips for taking product photos. I’m not an expert photographer by any means, but I’m happy to share what I know.

If you have a shop, it’s important to have the best images you can. I tend to use a lot of digital representation because it works well for my product – I design everything on my computer so I already have all of the images available. I also like everything to be uniform and exactly spaced, but I’m a bit persnickety like that.

As convenient as digital images are, one can’t underestimate the power of a good photo. I tend to shoot products against a pure white background (to use on my home page, in blog posts, and in newsletters), but I’ve seen several other techniques used to good advantage.

What kind of background should you use?

It’s all personal preference. Think about your brand and the image you want to convey, think about how the images will be placed on your site, and keep bloggers and the press in mind…

I like white backgrounds because I like the way the photos look neat and borderless against a white page. When Modish had a shop, all of the products were shot against different fabric backgrounds. Erica Weiner photographs all of her jewelery against a black background and adds a vintagey frame, and it works really well for her brand. Think about what’s going to work for you, and then be consistent in implementing your ideas.

Hopefully your shop will attract the attention of the press, so you may want to keep that in mind as well. Magazines often ask for images to use, and they almost always prefer a white background. Bloggers like me often put together style boards, and photos with white backgrounds are easier to work with so that’s another good reason to use them. However, “lifestyle” photos (using pretty backdrops and props or models) can be very pretty, and there are a lot of people that prefer them. Three Potato Four has excellent examples (their photos are always well-styled).

So how do I take a good photo?

I’m going to focus on photos with a pure white background because I think that’s what people have the most trouble with. That’s coming in part two…

October 15, 2008
Friday’s Flickr Fix

Ez from Creature Comforts just started a new flickr group: Friday’s Flickr Fix. “This group is about finding inspiration by juxtaposing (putting side by side) two or more of your flickr favorites to make a statement or tell a story.” Here’s my first submission:

The first photo is from Liquid Paper, and the second is from TypeFiend. Aren’t they sweet together? I love the little paper one, in that iconic house shape. And the second one? It’s like a full-sized gingerbread house! There’s just something so wonderful about both of them, especially together. Two perfect, tiny houses.

March 2, 2007