‘The Universe Within’ ~ A sneak Peek . . .

I am on a budget.  And the last thing I have funds for is professional photographs of my work {I don’t think I am alone in this, right?}.  So, I decided instead to invest in the one thing that I needed ~ a camera.  I have a Cannon (starter model with the generic lens) and spent the rest of my time learning how to take a decent photograph.  I have stalked watched other artists and interior designers and realized after a while that I could do the same thing in my home.  All I needed was the right natural light and some props.

So, I stared by recruiting my husband to help me ~ he is a gem.  And I hunted around the house for anything that I felt would help in creating a photography studio in the room of our house that has the best natural light ~ our office.

These little clips are the best things since sliced bread.  They are strong and inexpensive and come in a pack of 2o or so at IKEA.  I had my husband attach them to a beam in our ceiling and they held the backdrop {aka ~ Bedroom shades and curtains}.

Then I had him hang our white bedroom curtains and shades up behind one another, so I had an opaque white backdrop.  I LOVE white!  And wha-laa it just happens to be the best color to show off artwork.

You can see here that the pull down shades are in the back and the white curtains are in the front.  I just happen to have a century old beam on our ceiling, but the same could be done by hanging a curtain on a wall, or using a large shelf as a back-drop to hang a piece of fabric over.  The key is getting the best window where light pours into a room and have your set up facing this window.  The light will do the rest!

Now, it is just a matter of bringing things I already had around the house to play with and stage.   I spent $0 for this and had the best time shopping in my own house.  I suggest finding things that you LOVE and start staging.

Here are some things that I found to use.  Of course, this desk was perfect for the base to hold things, but I wanted an all white theme, so I covered it with a tablecloth.

Then I played around with all the things that I create and sell in my shop (jewelry, prints, journals, magnets, original artwork, etc.) and this is what I came up with.

After I took about 600 photos (literally) I  began editing them.  It is so much fun to crop a photo and make it into something entirely new.  Or to decide to focus on a specific grouping in the vignette.  I have to be honest, it took me two days because the light here in New England during this time of year, light goes quickly.  And I was tempted to use the flash on my camera to get more shots as the sun went down, but I restrained myself.

It is important NOT to use the flash.  I find that the flash brings too much blue into a photograph and really makes crazy shadows.  If I do need it, I have a handy little flash reflector that attaches to my camera (it was maybe $20) and essentially, it is a mirror that sits in front of the flash and bounces the light upwards and then back down on your images.

I am happy with how the shots turned out . . . and even happier that I spent NO MONEY doing it.

Another great thing about a photograph is that it allows you to see when things are overwhelming.  For example, I started with shots of the whole scene, but found it to be too much for my taste.  So, I simply began to take away items for more white space to show.   Here is an example of a photo that I found visually confusing.

By simply taking away a few pieces and focusing on smaller parts of the whole, I think it makes a much better image.

Staging is another art form, but it doesn’t have to be hard.  You just have to play around with things until they please your eye.  Use a magazine image that you are drawn to and study how they place each piece.  Or study other websites that you are drawn to and figure out what they are doing and try to replicate it.  The most you have to loose is your time.  And you could learn a lot by simply trying out something new.