I began selling jewelry on Etsy in May of 2010. When I first opened my shop I owned a fairly decent point and shoot camera, but didn't know how to use it to my advantage. My shop was open for a few months before I actually made any sales, and I attribute my lack of sales to the pretty awful photos that I took. Don't get me wrong, I spent hours trying to find good places to take photos, arrange props, and "edit" my photos. They simply weren't good enough.
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| Yikes. Way too much yellow. |
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| Very busy background. |
As the years have passed, I have researched different photography tips and techniques. I learned to take advantage of natural light and the importance of simple backgrounds. I bought another point and shoot camera about a year ago that somewhat helped improve my photos, but they were still missing
something.
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| A little better, but still not great. |
This year for Christmas Sam got me a
Panasonic FZ60. I have been playing around and doing lots of research and finally took some good photos today. I still haven't even scratched the surface, but I am really enjoying taking photos with this camera. It doesn't seem like such a chore anymore!
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| New pressed flower necklace |
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| Squirrel necklace |
I found the blog
Click It Up A Notch when I was browsing photography tips on Pinterest a few days ago. She has a
great post about shooting in manual mode. I read this a few times, took notes, and printed out a little cheat sheet to keep nearby when I am taking my photos. This helps a lot!
I'm still learning and am by no means a pro, but am really pleased with the photos that I took today. Please share any photography tips that you have picked up!
Oh, and big thanks to Sam for the best Christmas present ever! :)
Have a wonderful weekend!