Here are some simple tips that can help you out:
Take several photographs
Do you (or someone you know) refuse to be photographed in a particular angle? Causing you (or the photographer) to take the photograph over and over until you're happy with the result? Well, it is exactly the same with artisan craft photography. Experiment: try different angles, different lighting, close up, a bit more distance, and so on. Keep shooting until you’re fully satisfied. My experience is that I often take more than 50 photographs of one droplet until I find the one photograph that I absolutely love; which is tiring, but totally worth it. Just take your time.
Let there be light
Using a flash might be a good idea, however, a flash that is too strong or a direct flash could ruin your photograph. This is particularly true if your craft has different materials, different colours or or if you are using a shiny background, it could create some unflattering effects. You could use these things, of course, but use them wisely. For instance, use something to diffuse the light to prevent a hard contrast.
It helps to experiment: use a lightbox, with flash, without flash, during daylight, natural light, indoors, outdoors... see which fits your craft the best!
Yes, you heard me. Not your whole house though (I mean, you can too ) but at the very least, clean the place where you want to photograph your craft. Do you want to take a photograph of your handmade doll on your desk? Then make sure that it’s clean beforehand.
Make sure that the contrast between the background and your craft is harmonious. For instance, if your item has several colours, avoid using a colourful background, as your craft may not stand out as well as you'd like. You can use a monochromatic background instead (black and/or white).
Stabilization, please!
A slight imbalance or a movement can lower the quality of your work in terms of focus and sharpness. So, brace yourself and your camera/phone! Keep your arms close to your body and find a position that suits you best. You can also use stable surfaces to take your photographs - like a chair or a table.
Other tips: use a tripod or a camera/phone holder (if you have one), try kneeling or sitting (as long as it leaves you comfortable), hold your camera/phone firmly (but not too tightly), and use both hands!
Do you make jewellery or cosplay costumes? Then, why not use a model? If you choose to work with a model, remember that the focus must be on your craft, not the other items or the models.
Yes and no - even though it is undeniable that close up shots give you the opportunity to show great detail of your work, some of the great impact from your work can also come from a full view of your craft. So, don’t forget to take the big picture!
If you can’t decide which one is best and want to show some of them, you can make collages.
Don’t neglect the post processing part!
Taking the photograph was the first step. You can process your photograph using editing software, see the lighting, crop it, frame it, make a collage, add a watermark (not too big though)… Post-processing can be very helpful if you wish to enhance your photographs but it is not obligatory. But if you do decide to edit them, just like you've spent some time making your craft and taking your photographs, take the time to edit them.
You can also use filters and effects on your photographs, as long as you don’t overdo it.
And last but not least….Ask for help!
Just because you ask for help doesn't mean that you’re weak, it just means that you’re willing to learn and improve.
So don’t hesitate to ask for feedback about your photographs.
There are a few different ways: you can ask for your relatives' advice and feedback and you can also do some research on the internet and deviantArt!
Furthermore, why not ask someone else (a relative, eventually) to take photographs for you? A very good friend of mine, who is a crafter, asked for my help more than once in order to take photographs of her handmade clothes for her website, and we ended up collaborating together. So, ask away!
is a group that could help you improve in photography and give you feedbacks about your photographs!
Articles that could interest you:
A guide for improving your AC-photographsTHE CHALLENGE
As artists who creates 3-dimensional art/craft there is a challenge as to show our creations by photo - in a portfolio, as a deviation on dA or anywhere else on the internet.
The viewer can't touch the surface, feel the fabric or smell the wood. The photograph of the item is all we have, and if the photo doesn't show your creation in a good way the whole impression can be completely destroyed.
If the photo is too blurry or the lighting is too poor it's hard for the viewer too fully appreciate your work and might not see/understand the hard work behind it since details are lost in the poor quality of the photo. Also messy backgrounds, cropping and image size make a huge different when viewing all kinds of work
Of course it makes a difference with what kind of equipment you have, but as long as you know how to use it there is no real excuse to blurry photos.
The tips and tricks I've listed below to combat different problems can be used no matter what camera
How To Photograph Your CraftsThe absolute number one cause of rejection of DD suggestions for most Artisan Craft CVs is poor photography. There is nothing worse than seeing an otherwise brilliant piece ruined by a dodgy photo. But even beyond DD acceptance, if you want to people on dA to be able to appreciate your skill you need to be able to show your work off to advantage.
Sometimes I'll tell a self-suggester that I can't feature their work because of the quality of the photography and they'll inevitably reply, "Oh, I'll have to get a better camera."
Repeat after me: the tools never make the artist.
You don't need a $9000 sewing machine to stitch a dress, you don't need a $1000 stand mixer to bake a cake, and you similarly don't need a top of the range SLR to take a brilliant photograph. It's all in how you take the photo.
To help us understand photography concepts a little more, Fella is going to help us out. Say hi Fella!
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Project Educate: Photographing Your Crafts...
Photographing crafts is not as daunting as it seems. For those of you out there with amazing creative streaks in you, it isn't actually that difficult to take it one step further and put the effort into snapping your wonderful creations. It just takes a little planning, a camera and some creativity.
The Don'ts...
Rule Number One
Never ever ever ever ever Photograph something on your bed. Ever. I mean it! Your bed is for sleeping, and er, other things. But definitely not for placing your well constructed craft item upon, pointing your camera at, and pressing the button.
You might think I'm stating the obvious but seriously, the amount of people who think they'll just pop their item on the bed and take a picture...is..well..I don't have the statistics but there are many of Us!
Rule Number Two
Stay away from your cluttered up shelves and bits and pieces. Put your craft i
Photography Resources List
General Editing
Windows
Fotor
Serif Photo Plus
Pixlr
GIMP + G'MIC (plugin)
PhotoScape
Paint.Net
Polarr
Pixlr-O-Matic
PicMonkey
Photography 101: Chapter 01: Basics and LookingSo, a few days ago I decided to ask through a poll and see if you guys were interested if I were to write about photography, how I work, and so on. I got a 100% positive outcome on that, so I decided to just go ahead and write a complete guide on photography. Considering I aspire to be a teacher one day, this is a great opportunity for me. Today, as I publish the first chapter of this guide, we start off with the basics, because these are important stepping stones in becoming a photographer!
Photography 101: A Photography Guide
Chapter One: Basics & Looking.
When you want to get into photography, or when you just want to get better, it helps to know what terms like exposure, aperture, shutter speed and so on mean. That was my first step of getting into photography: some theory, and actually understanding that theory.
Let’s start off with what photography really is.
When browsing to the Wikipedia page on Photography, you’ll
Photography 101: Chapter 02: Composition-LocationToday, the continuation of Photography 101! (I feel like an American TV-host saying this!)
In the previous chapter we talked about the basics, some important terms in photography and how to change the way you look at things. If you haven't read that chapter yet, you should! Check out the first chapter here:
Photography 101: Basics and Looking
Please make sure to read that before you start chapter two down below.
Photography 101: A photography guide
Chapter two: Composition and Location
Welcome to Chapter Two of Photography 101! Today we will be talking about something that has always proven very important to me in photography: composition and location.
Composition
In photography, and pretty much all visual art-forms, composition is crucial. Composition can either make or break your image, it can make your image intriguing or utterly boring.
A quick overview of all the composition topics that will b
Photography 101: Chapter 03: LightingHi! I am Yuukon, and I am a photographer. Today I am here to tell you all about lighting in photography!
If you are new to Photography 101, you can check out chapter one and two here:
Photography 101: Chapter 01: Basics - Looking
Photography101: Chapter 02: Composition - Location
Chapter Three: Lighting
There will be several subjects coming to light (no pun intended!) in this chapter today. Some of these things will be directly related to chapter one of this course, where we talk about basics and terms in photography. If you forgot what something means, check back there to find the explanation.
Subjects we will talk about:
- Aperture
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
Aperture
In chapter one we discussed the basics
Photography 101: Chapter 04: Light sources and WBChapter Four: Light sources and white balance
Hi there! It's Yuukon again, with a new chapter of Photography 101!
If you are new to Photography 101, I recommend you to check out the first three chapters first:
Photography 101: Chapter 01: Basics - Looking
Photography101: Chapter 02: Composition - Location
Photography 101: Chapter 03: Lighting
So, today we will be talking about the various light sources you can use in photography. These are the three most used light sources that I will focus on:
Available Light
Natural Light
Flash
Next to that, we will also talk about the importance of white balan
How to: Reduce noise in your photographI often see photographs pass by covered in sometimes a very, very thick layer of noise, and I always ask myself:
"Why did the photographer choose not to remove it? Is it because they don't know how to?"
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This is noise. In this case, caused by a high ISO setting.
This is a grain.
Can you see the difference between the two? Noise often brings some of his friends along in the form of some ug
Websites:
www.lightstalking.com/
strobist.blogspot.com/
www.apug.org/forum/home
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!