Tips on Taking Great Photos

I get a lot of nice compliments on my photography, but it has been a real learning process for me. Even though I have taken photography classes, have a really nice camera, and always made sure I had good lighting for taking pictures of my kids, I was taking crappy pictures for my website and marketing materials. I never thought I could achieve a "magazine photo" at home, so I didn't even try. My designer finally kindly hinted that I should "stage" my pictures and try taking them in natural light without the flash. I went all over my house and took pictures of anything I had painted and e-mailed some new photos to her. As soon as I saw the materials she created with those new photos, I realized how right she was. In my business, great pictures are a very important aspect of getting new clients.

This also translates to the blog world. Anything looks better when it's photographed well. So, what if you don't have an awesome camera? That's ok. I took a series of pictures to show you the different looks I get with two different cameras. One is my Nikon D50 SLR (about $700, with accessories) and the other is a Canon digital point & shoot (about $150 camera.) All of these pictures were taken of the same subject, in the same light, on the same day, in the same location.

Nikon D50 with Speedlight Flash.
This is how I take almost all of my pictures. I was very anti-flash (and you'll see why in the pictures below), but then I e-mailed with my brother's friend, Blake Gardner, who is a professional photographer, and he gave me some tips on using a flash correctly. I use a diffuser and also "bounce" the flash off the ceiling and it creates this great light. (It's not bad to get photography advice from one of the best head shot photographers in LA, huh?)

Nikon D50 without flash
I also take a lot of pictures using this method, but the problem is that I have to wait for a sunny day and the right light to get a great photograph. On a gray day like this, the picture looks a little blah.

Nikon D50 with camera flash

Can you understand, now, why I am anti-flash? the flash casts weird shadows, the light looks unnatural, and the background is dark.

Canon digital point & shoot with camera flash
Just when you thought it couldn't get worse... So, this just emphasizes that you can take bad pictures with a cheap camera as well as a good one.

Canon digital point & shoot without flash

So, we're getting better, here. Already the picture is improved by turning the flash off. If this was taken on a sunny day, the picture would've been really nice.

Same exact picture as above, but I have adjusted the fill flash, saturation, brightness & contrast using Adobe Photoshop Elements.
This shows you that you can do wonders with an inexpensive point & shoot camera and some photo editing software.

Bottom line - You don't have to drop $1000 on a camera to get good pictures. You can buy a low end digital point & shoot, use it correctly, help it along with some software and have gorgeous eye candy for your blog, Etsy store, or website.

Other photography tips
1.) Stage your pictures. Think of having a "photo session" with your craft, furniture piece, or room. Try different arrangements, pull things from other rooms and pick a nice back drop.
2.) Take your pictures in your brightest room at the best time of day. You'll want your subject to have lots of indirect sunlight.
3.) Take tight close-ups and get a lot of different angles. Sometimes a piece looks totally different when you look at it sideways or from over head.

My mom and I just got back to my house this evening and we are dying to pick through all of our attic finds. However, we are pooped and will leave it for tomorrow. I can't wait to share it all with you! I also have some amazing thrift store finds and a few more tutorials. So much to blog about, so little time.