Pennsylvania Thunderstorm

Spring notes from the Sketch Pad

Namaste! Springtime is here at last! The length of daylight is ever increasing and my perennial plants are coming out of their dormant stage. The Song Birds are back serenading us with their beautiful chirps which is music to my ears. What an exciting time of year!  Inspiration for my Art is flowing like a river from every cell in my body and spilling out onto my sketch pad.

 

Lots of New Art to share with you...coming soon! Stay Tuned   :)

Photograph of the Day, Iris

Our Photograph of the Day is an Abstract image of a Pretty Spring Flower.

Discouraged

Ok, first let me say this. It may seem funny to read what I'm posting when you see I have only one sale. BUT, just because I only have one sale here doesn't mean I haven't sold my art before.

Now, to the heart of this post! I see so many people posting about being discouraged, low views, lack of sales, etc. I'd like to step in and say to stop feeling so down! Step back for a moment. Take a deep breath. Let me tell you a little story about me and my photography.

I've always loved taking photographs, I NEVER thought I'd ever make any money from it. It was my passion, my ultimate favorite hobby. I dreamed of being some National Geographic type photographer, but since I am self taught, never imagined anyone other than family would ever hang one of my photos on a wall, much less give me money for them.

A few years ago, I just couldn't help myself-I just had to upgrade my point and shoot to a DSLR. We didn't have a lot of cash, so I made a scary promise to my husband. We buy the camera and I'll find a way to sell enough photographs to pay it back (it was bought on a 6 months no interest credit card). Now I had six months to figure out not only how to use the camera, but also to get good enough photos to sell-and how to sell them!

I remembered a website I saw that sold prints and calendars and stuff-a club we belonged to used them to make t-shirts. I went there, created an account, and uploaded some photos. I knew NOTHING about how to do it. It took me days to get them sized right. I found the forums there, and in those forums were a lot of great folks that helped me learn a lot about not only how to use that website, but to run my business. It took a while, but I made a few sales. I learned more, upgraded things and finally, I paid back the camera. And then I kept making sales! I actually was earning money on my photographs!! People were paying money for my art, and it was hanging on their walls!

Think it was some little, cozy place like Etsy? Think you have a lot of competiton here? It's much, much bigger. It doesn't matter where it is, but for instance, a search on that site for "sunset photograph" brings nearly 2,000 results.

What I am telling you is that if I can do this, you can too. Find your niche. Find what makes you different than the others in it. Play it up to your customers. Get your OWN site. Promote it. Market it. Learn what SEO is. Learn about running your business. Absorb knowledge shared freely like a sponge. Even if you don't agree with someone, read their opinion, there might be a little something you can take from it. Don't get stuck in a rut and stay there. Learn from each mistake. The single most important thing I learned from my past few years is this-it's your business, not "abc company's". Own it. Don't let anyone tell you you can't, and don't believe that you can't. Believe in yourself, your craft and your business. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Now go create! Go work on tags and descriptions and things Google likes! OWN YOUR BUSINESS!!

My Online Shop:

http://www.scenicnewyork.etsy.com

 

 

Photograph of the Day, Evening Sky

Abstract Skyscape.

Better Photography

These are all great tips for photography. I do a lot of photos of Rosaries, which are a great deal like jewelry to photograph. I have tried several different types of lighting, backgrounds and settings on the camera. I recently got a new digital camera. I am still learning it, but have found some interesting things to do with it that have helped.
My additional tips:
1. Learn your camera. Even if you can’t access the on-line instructions, play with it. Take photos in different lighting, different backgrounds and different settings. You may take a lot of photos, but it is worth it. I have seen a lot of very bad jewelry photos. I have seen a lot of very bad rosary photos (those are all mine)!
2. Lighting. Very important, but you may be able to work with what you have. All the digital cameras I have had allow you to choose your lighting settings… fluorescent, incandescent, etc. However, after playing with all of my settings, I found leaving it on the incandescent (or it’s original settings) worked best because I could adjust in photo software.
3. Background or backdrop. I recently purchased several pieces of different colors of satin fabric. After trying photos with various pieces on various colors, white STILL works best. I still have difficulty with photographing white, but I have a royal blue piece that helps a little. Gold and silver tones are also difficult, as sometimes what works for the color of beads does not work with the color of the metal.
4. Flash. With jewelry-type items, I have found setting the camera to flash ALL THE TIME is better than allowing it to decide which is better (the auto setting). It is VERY difficult to fix lighting issues with jewelry-type items. They either become too bright or you can never get the color proper.
Some colors almost never photograph true to color. Purple is a big issue. I try to just make sure if I cannot get the color accurate or close to accurate that I list that in a listing. I also try to get several different photos. Most of my listings here and on other sites have multiple photos. Y’all are more than welcome to check out some of my photos of my rosaries. If you go to the item’s page, you can see how I list several photos for better “look see’s”.
Another tip for photos of jewelry-type items. Make use of your Macro setting. Some cameras will use it automatically. Mine does. I just learned that recently. Macro allows you to take really close up photos.
Tips for taking photos without a flash (sometimes it’s necessary) USE A TRIPOD! I don’t always do this and they come out blurry. I have one item with an additional photo (pink miracle bead cat rosary) that was taken without a flash. I have it listed as the photo is for color reference only, as miracle beads (also known as fiber optic beads) give a halo effect when a photo is taken.
I use Corel Paint Shop Pro, and it allows you to brighten photos, as well as adjust the color balance. It helps with lighting, as sometimes lighting can change the color of metal. I rarely adjust the gold-tones with the color balancing because it washes out the gold.
When worse comes to worse, I paste a photo in Word and adjust the contrast and brightness with the picture toolbar. Then, I copy and paste into Paint and save as a “.jpg”. It’s a last resort I don’t do often.
Hope this helps for all you jewelry-type photo takers. If anyone needs any additional help, contact me and I’ll try to help.
One thing I have noticed here with photos is the lack of using the editor in Bonanzle to adjust the cropping. Seeing only a partial photo is annoying. My suggestion to all those who have photos that are only partially there because the photo is too big, go in to the editor and adjust the cropping.
Another tip…
I noticed I do when I took another photo tonight. I use it when I take photos of enameled pieces or items in plastic sheets or glossy finishes.
If you have a problem with glare or shiny spots…
_~ Try to take the photo at an angle. _~
When the flash hits a glossy or enameled finish head-on, it usually creates a shiny spot or “white spot”. I’m sure all those selling sports cards in the plastic protective sheets know what I am talking about. You may have to take the photo several times to make sure you get a “good” shot.
A tip I learned a long while back with any photography… ALWAYS TAKE MORE THAN ONE PHOTO!
I ALWAYS take more than one shot just in case. I hate to have to go back and set everything up again.
Several shots will help if…
1. one is blurry
2. one cuts off something you didn’t realize while taking the photo, one glares
3. one’s too dark
4. one’s too bright
Take your shots…
1. with the flash
2. without the flash
3. from several angles
4. with different backdrops – change colors to enhance colors without washing them out (here’s a tip I learned… just because a white porcelain item is trimmed in gold does not mean it will photograph well on a gold backdrop. I found the gold backdrop is rather distracting and washes out the trim)
It may seem time consuming to take so many photos, but you will be much happier with your photos in the end.
From so many photos, you will learn…
1. how your camera works with the lighting
2. how specific items photograph
3. what angle works best
4. how to make adjustments for certain colors
5. how certain metals photograph
If photographing jewelry-type items, keep this in mind…
once you find a spot – lighting, backdrops, etc. – that works well and produces great photos for your items, ALWAYS start off photographing in that spot. But, don’t limit yourself. There will always be that one piece that doesn’t work and you have to find out the best way to photograph it.
If I think of anything else that may help the jewelry-type photographers, I’ll let y’all know!
Have fun with your photos & God bless!
Sacred Heart Blessings Handmade Catholic Rosaries & Chaplets
Sacred Heart Rosaries
St Francis Paws4Critters Rosaries
~ Hand-crafted by Robyn, Hand-guided by God ~
My Online Shop: http://www.sacredheartblessings.com
My Bonanzle Booths: www.bonanzle.com/booths/sacredheartrosaries
www.bonanzle.com/booths/paws4critters
My Blog:
http://sacredheartblessingsrosaries.blogspot.com

Photograph of the Day, Toad

See if you can find the Toad in his abode on the Forest Floor.

Photograph of the Day, Goat

This cute little Goat appears to be in the lap of luxury while lounging around in the tall grass.

Photography Tips

I just ‘discovered’ something that might help others. I saw a few mentions of it in a search but here is my slant on it.
I have been using my camera for ALL photos for quite some time now. I sold many vinyl LP’s and tons of CD’s that way. But, the photos were always a little skewed one way or the other due to parallax errors. I decided once to try scanning in a book. What a difference! Not only was it straight but the colors were much better, too. And SHARP. So, now I am changing my listings to use scanned photos wherever possible. It just looks a whole more professional. Yeah, it’s kind of time consuming, but I think the overall results are just much better. I scan them in to a folder that I call Scanned Online Items, and I can use the same images in other venues, as well. Unfortunately I could not have used this method for my vinyl LP’s as they were just too big. Years ago there was software to knit two scans together but I haven’t seen it in a long time.
I hope this helps someone else.
My Booth:   http://www.bonanza.com/booths/PC_Bob

Photograph of the Day, Deer

 

div> This Photograph of the Day is of a Deer Deer couple; a Buck and his Doe sharing Supper.

Don't Think...Just Shoot by cardartfromtheheart

How many times have focused perfectly on that lovely, rare bird, been ready to press the shutter and 'oops' off he flies? Or the one photo, the bride tells you, not to miss is The kiss. Okay, you have it all lined up, focused properly, lighting right, they are going for the kiss, your finger hovers over the shutter button, and the bride drops her bouquet! Quick, Snap it!
Don't miss the unexpected treasures. Just because you were looking for a ruby, don't throw out the diamond! If you catch that lovely, rare bird in mid-flight across that Colorado Blue Spruce frosted with snow, it's going to make a far more interesting shot than the almost posed one you were shooting for. And the groom all puckered up, while the bride gasps and plunges down to retrieve her cascading floral arrangement.. this will in all likely hood, be the most treasured family heirloom for generations to come. So often, as we say, 'Awww' and drop our camera, we are missing the shot of a lifetime.
It has been my experience that I never have a problem placing one of those accidental photos. Many make good humorous greeting cards for me over at cardartfromtheheart. And they are always the favorites in family albums. So when Mother Nature plays a trick on you, catch her in the act. You won't often be sorry.

Click on the Title to this post to visit my Greeting Card Shop.

Wetter is Better by cardartfromtheheart

They always want to pigeon-hole us, don't they?  Are you an A,B,C or D?  Perhaps I'm none of the above, or perhaps I'm all of the above.  I have found within both my writing communities and my photography communities, most of us have overlaps.  This hub will center around these two niches of mine, as I cannot separate one from the other.  So whether you are a Writer or a Photographer (or both!) you should find food for thought in these pages.

My first tip for the Photographer is to "Get your feet wet!"  Take a close look at my first photo, the Sharp Shinned Hawk.  He's cold, wet and hungry... Which is exactly what the photographer had to also be in order to capture this image.  The brilliantly colored autumn leaves hint at the coolness of the day, while the evergreen boughs dripping with raindrops, accentuate the cold; almost make you shiver.  Don't worry about it being a cloudy day; the wetness of everything gives your film much more saturated color to work with than any old clear, sunny day.  Then too, don't be afraid to use your photo software to best advantage.
The bit of wisdom my Sharp Shinned Hawk has, I hope, impressed upon you is this:  Wetter is Better!

Click on the Title to this post to visit my Greeting Card Shop.

Bird Chronicles part 1

Are you a Duck lover? Had any Duck encounters? I'd love to hear about it! Post here...

I know of few people who don't like to see a mother duck and her brood. There's something sweet about the protective mother chaperoning her chicks through a field, in a stream, even in a city. I had the opportunity to watch this little family happily swimming about.