Green Business

I have just joined the new Green America Exchange and feel hopeful it will lead to some strategic alliances in the future.  If you aren’t a member of Green America, the Green Business Network might be worth checking out, members have the added benefit of opting into the barter system the Green America Exchange offers.

In the meantime I am preparing to post a new article here for those that want the photo tips. I appreciate everyone’s patience with me as I get all the parts and pieces working together. I know that I will soon be very grateful for having all this time invested in getting my social network ducks all in a row. Any questions you might have about your photo dilemmas would be helpful, I know you’re out there, so don’t be shy!

Morning Poplar

One last test before I close the laptop and get ready to head to the Sanity Rally. At last!!! some success, seems like Facebook and Word Press finally decided to shake hands. So to confirm the flow through is working correctly I have decided to try one more tweak.

I’m sure as it get’s lighter outside this poplar tree will greet the sun as it does every morning, in it’s most magnificent style. I will miss this tree when it goes, not that I wish it any ill fate. It’s probably 80 to 90 feet tall and since the day we first lived here I have found it too beautiful for words. But every tree guy who has seen it tells us to take it down. It’s split trunk and proximity to the barn make it a disaster waiting to happen. Tell that to the Baltimore Orioles that nest in it every summer and raise their broods.

Waking slowly

It’s early, but not painfully so, and here I am again trying to get all these components to work together. I want to begin really using this blog for it’s intended purpose and part of that plan includes making anything I post here also flow through to the Facebook page for My Calico Eyes. It has been a little frustrating, but I’m not giving up. So if you are one of the folks that has been willing to lend your moral support, and you have signed up for the RSS feed would you let me know if you see this post?

So far, I think only me and all the slowly waking cats in the house might be up, it’s dead quiet, except for the sound of my tea kettle.

Multiple colors, one necklace

Greetings!

I have often been faced with needing to show multiple colors of the same product in one shot, it can be tough to do without products either looking like “marching soldiers” or being too visually confusing. If you want the viewer to have a literal idea of what the product looks like (and feel safe they know what they are purchasing), the product needs to be easy to see. Try to remember that your perception of the photo is tainted by the fact you know exactly what the product looks like. Others will not always see what you are seeing, because they have never touched or even seen your product. Keep your shot simple, but at the same time don’t be too rigid with how you arrange things.

Basic Available Light set up

Greetings!

I have had a question about how to get clean, simple shots of small (or even medium to large) products without fancy lights. Well it’s not that hard with a few simple tools. First you should know that a lot of photography is done with “ambient”, or “available light“. There are a few easy things you can do that will turn your living room window or back porch into a mini studio. Now granted the shot below of the pottery has a reflection of the window which you may or may not find desirable. I chose not to worry about it for this particular discussion, we can talk more about controlling reflections later. This set up will work nicely for most objects, but anything reflective will need a little more TLC. The hourglass was done with the exact same set up and the reflection of the window is actually desirable.

Fair Trade Futures Conference

A little more than a week ago I had the pleasure of meeting and mingling with hundreds of like minded folks at the Fair Trade Futures Conference in Boston. This event brought together leaders, advocates, consumers, and entrepreneurs all looking toward an ever

Advanced lighting technique

Done for Mid Atlantic Country Magazine sometime in the early 1990's on film

So, here is an example of what I would call a feature shot. It’s shown from an overhead perspective with some styling and propping. This gives the viewer an unexpected look at ornaments which are often shown hanging. To emphasize the translucent nature of the ornaments I added small Christmas lights  to shine through the glass. The lighting here utilized both strobe and ambient light, the exposure was about 1 to 2

seconds long. Flash lighting is similar to daylight as far as it’s color, the twinkling lights are much warmer and very dim in comparison. So the trick is to get the flash set low enough that the ambiance of the string of lights can come through.