Taylored Expressions March Studio Challenge

{If you're looking for my March i {heart} papers Design Team Challenge post, please scroll down}

It's time for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge.  This is a monthly opportunity for the Taylored Expressions team to share what makes our stamping studios hum.  Each month we  have a fun, crafty question so we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.

The question for March is:

You oughta be in pictures!! 

We all love to share our completed projects with others on our blogs and in on-line galleries.  So, when the stamping ends, the photography begins.  This is a fun step for some and a frustrating one for others.  How is it for you?

Tell us how you get those beautiful project photos.

Well, it's a VERY sophisticated photography set up I have here at the ol' Burragio, let me tell you... 

Actually, I've just developed my own idiosyncratic system over the years that works well enough for me.  I'll give you a peek into my photography process.

First of all, I always take my card/papercrafting photos with a white background.  The reason for this is that I want the cards (or whatever) to be the star of the show, and to minimize distractions for the viewer.  I also like the consistency of this, since I move the location of where I take my photos depending on what time of day it is.

Ideally, I prefer to take my pictures in natural light.  If I'm photographing in the afternoon, when the sun is in the west, I take my photos in the window of my craft room, like so:

Pretty fancy, no?  So much depends on a piece of poster board and a binder clip...  This is a little adjustable medical table that I can roll around to where I need it.  I've got a piece of white poster board that's propped up against an ink turnstile and held in place with a binder clip. 

If I'm taking a photo at night, I use a light box.  This is my least favorite way to take a photo, but often it's necessary when working on deadline.  I keep my photo box up at all times, and it sits on top of a map chest located behind my desk and against a wall in my craft room:

My preferred time of day to take photos is in the morning, when the sun is in the east and not as harsh as the western sun.  When that occurs, here's my set-up:

Please note the dirty-pawed windows and the peanut gallery made up of my constant companions.  This photo is taken in my family room/great room.  The barstool is one of eight that surround the countertop bar that sections off the kitchen from the family room.  I like to the barstools because they have a high back that I can binder clip the posterboard to and upholstered seats that I can stick quilting pins in to help keep the posterboard in place.

I don't take my photos in direct sunlight as the glare is too harsh and causes shadowing on the photos. 

I believe the  camera and lens I use make a big difference in the clarity of my photos.  I use a Nikon D90 DSLR, and I take my card photos with a AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.4 G lens that really bumps up the resolution.  It's a great camera and lens, and was a Christmas gift from my husband in 2011.

I also think photo editing is so, so important in showing off your paper crafting.  I use a really unsophisticated photo editing software program: iPhoto, which comes standard on any Mac computer.  I've bought various packages of PhotoShop, but have never taken the time to sit down and get familiar with it.  It intimidates me!  I've been using iPhoto for so many years (since at least 2002), that I know it well and it does most of what I need. 

For most photos, my photo editing process is pretty standard:

• select the clearest photo (I usually take 5-7 shots of a given project)
• straighten and crop
• use the auto-enhance button and see if that's an improvement
• I often end up adding exposure to my pictures because I hate dark pictures - I like 'em light & bright
• I occasionally will add a bit of saturation to the photo to beef up the colors
• I always sharpen the photo by at least 80%
• Then, last step, if there are any flaws (an ink smudge or a piece of lint on the backdrop), I retouch them
• I grab the photo and put it on my desktop.  I rename it, then I go into iWatermark (a software you can purchase and download over the web for Macs) and add my watermark.  iWatermark also resizes photos, and I generally resize my pictures to about 680 pixels and 72 dpi.

Here is my project photo, unedited:

And here it is, post-tweaking...

(I have to say, this image from Cuppie Love Scenes makes me giggle.  Cupcakes making out always gets me guffawing, and then there's the cranky cupcake trying to shush the Chatty Cathys in the middle seats...)

It truly doesn't take a lot of fancy equipment to take good photos of cards!  The biggest mistakes (in my opinion) that I see crafters making across the blogosphere and in galleries is that their pictures are too dark and that the photos on their blogs are too small.  If your photos are dark, try to take them in natural light and/or start playing with the exposure levels in your photo editing software.  Never assume someone is going to click a photo on your blog to enlarge it and get a closer look -- people are lazy!  (At least, I know I am -- there are too many blogs out there with big, clear photos for me to spend my time on blogs with poorly sized and/or lit photos.) I use Typepad to blog with and my photos are set to post at a width of 475 pixels (unless I change it). That's about as big as I can get them with the margins of my blog.  If I could make them bigger, I would!  A width of 500 pixels is probably ideal. If you use Blogger, or a blog service that has pre-set widths, bump that sucker up to 'large' or 'extra-large'!  Don't make me squint or have to put my face closer to the screen to see what awesome stuff you've created!

I think I've said all I can think of on this topic.  Make sure you go visit my fellow Baker's Dozen team mates to learn how they make their photos look so good - I'm hoping I can pick up some hints and tips, too!

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess

Supplies used from Taylored Expressions

• Stamps: Cuppie Love Scenes; sentiment from Moka Wanda
• Momento Tuxedo Black ink
• Copic Markers
• Foam Tape

Other supplies - Paper: patterned paper from Carta Bella True Friends 6x6 pad (IHP), Copic X-Press Blending cardstock (IHP), Haiwaiian Shores & Hibiscus Burst (PTI); Ink: Green Galore (SU!); Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities, Doodlebug Cuppy Cakes Braddies

Comments

[Charmaine Ikach]

Adorable card, Carole! And I loved reading about your process! LOVE the idea of the medical table that you stroll wherever you need it!

[Wanda G (stampcat)]

Fabulous card for today missy! Love that cuppie scene. GREAT photo tips!! I like your peanut gallery too - or quality control staff! LOL. Have a great day friend!

[Cindi Flass]

Wow! I can't believe the difference between the before and after. Mine always look like the before even after I tweak them. Gorgeous card and great tips.

[Cindi Flass]

Wow! I can't believe the difference between the before and after. Mine always look like the before even after I tweak them. Gorgeous card and great tips.

[Stephanie Kraft]

Just darling, Carole! Loved seeing and reading about your setup!

[Karen (YNS)]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one clipping card photo backdrops to everything in my home! LOL xx

[Tammie E]

Holy crapola, Carole...the difference between the before and after photos is amazing! Great tips on enlarging pics on blogs and your card is adorable!

[Kerri M.]

Awesome tips, Carole! Your Cuppie card is so stinkin' CUTE!!!

[Shannon White]

Awesome tips and Super Cuppie card Carole!! Soo CUTE!! 8-) Nice to see I am not the only one dragging chairs around, lol ;-)

Hugs
Shannon

[AngieB]

Fabulous post! Thank you so much for the tips! I love your sophisticated studio! :) I have tried lots of things but our house is really dark so I have found the best for me is the light box but I am definitely going to give some thought to your poster board and clips and natural light...I just might be able to make that work. I LOVED Seeing your before and after editing photo! The cupcakes are ADORABLE. This is my first visit to your blog, I am going to scroll down and compare photo sizes with mine. I have been wondering if I should go extra large (blogger) but it seems too big to me.....Gotta go check out if I am too shy!!!! thanks again!

[Sabrina Radican]

Such a cute card. Thank you so very much for the tips.

[Shelly]

Love your setup and your peanut gallery is so cute! Great lens (it's the same one I use) too! I really enjoyed reading about your picture process!

[Stacy aka Twinshappy]

I think this is super cool that you are all showing your photo stages and how you edit. Awesome job Carole.
Your Shepherd is adorable and so reminds me of my window and Ranger (our Shepherd) right now. hee hee Really made me smiling to see your puppies in the photo. ;0)

[CraftyMrs]

How cool! I appreciate you all putting together this hop. It makes me feel better about how I take my pictures! I just need to work on editing them.

[wendyp81]

Love seeing your set up for taking photos! You have two cuties photobombing your photo there, lol! You've convinced me I need to go back and give iphoto another try. I used to have problems getting it to recognize my old camera and download the photos. Amazing difference between your before/after photo edits!

[Mark McKnight]

Such a cute and nice card. The difference between the before and after photo is really amazing! Thank you very much for sharing these tips.