May 09, 2010

Photo lighting

I've been getting a lot of emails about how I photograph my cards. I thought since it was Mother's Day I'd do a quick post addressing some different lighting ideas as my gift to you!


1. Where the light source is coming from is very important. In this example, the light is behind and to the left of me. Rather high in the sky (I'm using the sun). It washes the card out a bit, and makes it hard to see the small details like the embossed BG.




2. Here I turned the card just a bit, and it faces full sun. See how it casts icky shadows and the bottom of the card is dark? It also highlights all the flaws! Yet, now we can see the embossed BG perfectly and the stitching at the bottom (and the tiny insect crawling on the main image panel! lol).


3. This is inside, but still using natural light filtering in through a window. It removes the bad shadows and shows the card rather well, while NOT drawing attention to the minor flaws. BUT, you can no longer see the stitching at the bottom, and some of the depth is gone. This makes the card look a bit flat.


4. I went back outside for this one and stayed out of any direct sun. This example is back-lit. You can see the subtle nuances of inking on the BG best here, and all of the flaws are hidden (except for my horrible stitching job around the oval panel which has nothing to do with lighting and everything to do with user error).

5. I also took a photo using my home made light box studio but inadvertently deleted it! Figures! It was the best of the bunch for this particular card! Sometime with white or cream cards, my light box is best because I can use tiny spot lights all around it to better highlight the card base.

So these are just a sampling of different lighting and BG techniques you can use to showcase your specific card to it's fullest extent. Remember that each card will be different concerning which type works best.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers, mother-to-be, and grandmothers. You are doing a great job and we thank you!

Much love,

15 comments:

Sasya said...

Thank you Dana!! "I'm using the sun" too LOL :)) great pictures!!

Alice said...

really pretty card, Dana!! thanks for the photo comparisons, too! =)

Diane Jaquay said...

Nice post Dana, I'm always looking for ways to improve my picture taking!

Carol's Ink Spot said...

A very pretty Mother's Day card in all the different light locations! Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated.

Amy Kolling said...

Thanks for showing us different lightings!! Beautiful card...green and purple is one of my favorite color combos!! Have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

B said...

Fun compare and contrast!

Taheerah said...

Great card Dana, one of my favourites of your most recent creations! Nothing to do with the fact that it's back to PTI supplies, oh no ... lol!

Very interesting insight into how you photograph your cards and what a difference variations in conditions can make. I really need to get a home-made light box done when I've a chance, but not as urgently as I need a better camera!

Keva said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I actually got the camera i've been wanting for Mother's Day so now maybe i'll have better pics..lol.

Love your card..its so pretty and I love the colors and stitching! Happy Mother's Day...hope it was great!

Gladys said...

So sweet! Love your card! Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

Very beatiful Mother's Day card!!!

Barbara said...

Gorgeous card, Dana! Thanks for the photo tips--I'm almost always taking my pictures at night, so I have to use my light box.

Jill said...

Aw, thank you for going to the trouble of all those lighting comparisons! Very helpful! And the card is lovely--my favorite part: the color combo . . . and the ribbon treatment!

BethieJ said...

FABULOUS Dana!! I love all the different areas/lighting photos you shared.. We had to do something similar in photography class.. we had to take the same item.. take a photo in the same spot every 4 hours.. it was fun to see the difference lighting made in the photos!

Jen Carter said...

Great tips! Beautiful cards!!

Sue Plote said...

Beautiful card, fabulous tips - Awesome post!