My blogging has come a long way since the early days where all my writing was in a boring font, and to the left, and with pictures all a fuzz and misplaced.
I've learned SO much and a lot has come from other blogs and their input!
So today I thought I'd share with you how I get my photos "blog/shop ready".
First off, I don't own a DSLR.
I own a Fujifilm S1500 that I got through Amazon
(but can also be found at Walmart).
It also comes in S1600, 1700 and now 1800...without too much difference between them (some with more megapixels or zoom).
It's great, and has a long strap so you can buy one of those schmancy strap covers.
(Or get lucky like me and win one from Eclectic Whatnot)
Oh my gosh...excuse those nails...can't edit out everything!! hahaha
I love this camera, especially that it was under $200 and takes amazing photos.
My #1 favorite thing about it, is that it can take pictures up to 2mm away from an object. This is FANTASTIC for my shop because I sell jewelry and items that need
CLOSE UPS!
With my last point and shoot, my photos came out like this:
When I upgraded to the new camera, they turned out like this:
Much improved!
So yes, a good working camera is a great thing to have.
Next up, there's photo editing.
This can make or break your picture.
Typically, I shoot only in natural light.
They just always come out better.
So head to a window or outside (preferably on a cloudy/overcast day) and go to town on snapping photos. If that means dragging a piece of newly painted furniture out to the lawn to snap a photo, DO IT! You'll be thankful later you did. Nothing beats natural light.
I edit my photos in Picasa (a free downloadable photo editing tool found HERE).
Typically with Picasa, hitting the "I'm feeling lucky" button fixes everything.
Sometimes not, and you have to do it manually by tuning it up to your liking.
Here's what a photo I took yesterday of my mantle looked like right out of the camera:
After Picasa editing:
So what did I do?
Clicked "I'm feeling lucky"
Retouched the photo to remove the hooks that hold banners occasionally
(not perfectly edited out, but well enough)
That's IT!
Another example of an edit, by just changing the "fill light"...
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Another thing Picasa is great for is Collages.
Here's some I've done recently:
Lastly, putting your name of your blog or shop on a photo is a great idea!
Picasa makes that easy with their 'add text' button and a slider that makes it as bold or transparent as you'd like.
I don't do this often with my blog, but I certainly do with my shop!
What's the biggest photo tips you've learned?
I'd be happy to hear more!!
Always room to improve :)
Hope this served as a bit of help to you guys!
