Project Photo Tips.....

hey ladies.....i've been getting asked how to get a good project pic to add to online challenges and contests so i thought i'd do a little mini tutorial for you.....

DISCLAIMER:  just so you know i am NOT the best at this but i've got a few tips that work for me so you MUST practice......what do they say, "practice makes perfect" :))

Here we go:

Natural lighting is always best so if you have a nice space near a window with natural light this is going to give you the best results.

Try to photograph your project 'straight on'.  This could mean positioning it on a desk or table like this.......

or on a stand like this.......

or laying it on a piece of poster board and standing over it like this......

....this is the first un-edited shot

.....this is after it was cropped, straightened and had the color sharpened.  

Better right.....You can see the detail more clearly and if you're trying to win a contest that's important :))

There are 2 schools of thought on if you should photograph with a colored background......

or on white as shown above.

I think this is your choice......they both can showcase your project very well if they are taken straight on, in good lighting and edited well.

In some cases you will want a close up detailed shot of a portion of your project.  This is where you can get low and close and take an angled photo of your project......like this.....

Okay, editing......I know that this is where some of you get nervous.  If you take digital photos and use a computer you all have some type of editing software.

PLEASE NOTE: You will most likely always need to do some kind of photo editing to adjust the size (cropping) and enhance the color of your shot.

It could be within your windows program on your PC or iPhoto on your Mac.  Or you could have purchased another program such as ACDSee, Photoshop or even as advanced as Corel Paintshop Pro (but if you're able to use that one you don't need me for this :))

Once you load your project photos onto your computer you can play with them a bit in your editing program.  This is where you can rotate, straighten, crop and adjust the color in your image.  

This is BEFORE....

and this is AFTER....

Depending on the program you choose to use there are online forums to answer any technical questions you may have.

 Most editing programs are simple enough to figure out the basics to be able to create fabulous photos for you to add to online galleries or challenges and contests like you'll find HERE.

.....you need to take a ton of pics in different light at different times of the day, from different angles and then do the same within your editing program.......and then you will find what works best for you...... 

Don't be afraid to check out blogs (like the rest of the Bella girls to the right of this post) and see how others photograph theirs.

Once constant you will find over and over and over

...TAKE THE PICTURE STRAIGHT ON...

not on an angle

(unless it's a close up of course)

I hope this helps and I really look forward to seeing more of your work HERE for Bianca's bi-weekly challenges.

Happy Sunday......

Talk soon.

j. xo