Art Shows, Here I Come!

This summer has proven to be good for getting involved in local art shows.  I recently started doing jewelry open houses at friends' homes, and July and August I have one art show each month.  The first is Americana Festival on July 4 in Centerville, OH.  The second is Yellow Springs Art on the Lawn in Yellow Springs, OH.  My newly designed booth is looking great and ready to be packed up.  These things get me so fired up!  It's so rewarding to work so hard and then sit back and watch people come look at all you've done.  (Let's face it, and hopefully buy lots to offset all the costs of the new booth)

The "Wow" Factor in Jewelry Photography.

Welcome back to Life as Rebecca!  While this has been a site that started with snippets about my life, I am trying more and more to make this valuable and insightful to my viewers.  I recently was doing more research on jewelry photography (we jewelry makers know how much of a PAIN this can be with the lighting, the reflections, and how the stinkin things keep moving while I'm trying to take a photo of them! Ugh!). 

A miracle of a post showed up on the internet, which I found through a fellow jewelry maker's blog--Handmadeology -- and is already transforming the way I photograph my jewelry.  I have even used a friend who has some photography skills and a great camera, but these tips are invaluable for any jewelry maker who needs to put their photos on the web. 

It's called the $6 Dollar Solution to Jewelry Photography and here is the link:
$6 Dollar Solution to Jewelry Photography

The $6 thing really grabbed my attention as well, since all my extra cash these days seems to be going to the dentist or school loans.  I used a Nikon point and shoot type camera, nothing incredible.  I also used an extra lamp with three energy saver fluorescent bulbs just near my table. It was a pretty dreary day, so the extra light helped.  Just make sure the placement doesn't create harsh shadows.

Here are my results, in a before and after:

                                                                           Before:

 

Not horrible, but the shadows make it look a bit blurry. 

AND here are the pics from my $6 Solution photo shoot!

After:

Now it looks professional

What stands out most to me is that the textures and colors are so true to life.  There is nothing missing in the photos that you would only see in person.  You can clearly see the glossiness of the ceramic pendant, the matte copper of the chain, the shine of the silver earrings findings, the sparkle and clarity of the swarovski crystals, and finally, the beautiful streaking in the orange shells.

I hope this is helpful to other artists and jewelry makers seeking good photos.  I've always found that if I'm true to my calling, the financial aspect always works out somehow.  Thanks to the $6 Dollar Solution, this is just another answer to prayer.