25 August 2013

Quilt Photography Workshop

A new monthly link up begins today!
Today is day one of the Quilt Photography Workshop by Beth of Plum and June.


 

Our challenge for August is to take photos of fabric.

Hey, I have fabric!  And I have what qualifies as a digital camera.

Here is a quick run down of the quality of photos I was able to share when I first started this blog 8 months ago.  This 'photo' was actually a scan of the fabric I was intending to use in my Enchantment pinwheel quilt.  That's right.  No camera?  Throw those pieces onto the bed of the scanner and presto.  Best I could do.


This pile was pulled to make the Playful Puppy baby quilt.
The photo was taken in my quilting room, on the work surface, in winter.
The white surface looks yellowy and the photo is slightly out of focus and shadowy.


 These fabrics were newly purchased for my scrappy neutral background quilt.
Same setting as above.  Photo taken in early spring using only natural light.  I am not unhappy with this one.

 
A new acquisition, this photo was also taken in my quilting room, but only using natural light this summer. I tried to arrange the selection a little prettier and took the photo on a slight angle, rather than looking straight down onto the pile.
The surface does not have that yellow tinge, the photo is clear and I am much happier with this shot.


This shot was one of the very few outdoor photos I have ever taken.
To say the least, I am still having trouble choosing a nice setting.  Ha.



 All I know is.....
  • I do not have the space indoors to do great photo shoot.
  • I cannot invest in lighting equipment or a better camera at this time.
  • I should take lots of pictures in different settings.
  • Natural lighting is the best.
  • I need to keep practicing to see what works and what doesn't.

Hope we can all get some great advice and encouragement from the others involved in the link up and from friendly visitors...  Like you!

See you over at Beth's!

15 comments:

Vicki said...

I have always enjoyed your photos. I use just a cheap camera, but work on the lighting. Thanks for sharing.

niniandthesea said...

I agree with all you know! The more pics we take the more we'll learn!

Nini~

Beth said...

I agree that it is just experimenting to find what works best. That is too funny about how you scanned the fabric. Thanks for joining in.

Paula@TheSassyQuilter said...

I have decided already that I can only get nice lighting outside on a sunny day. It is annoying when you need the pic now! I don't have a fancy camera either...one day. I am experimenting with the setup still. Just seeing what others are doing for inspiration.

hydeeannsews said...

yay for discovering natural light! it works wonders. the new thing I've been trying and that really helps with the colors is adjusting the white balance (if you can). keep playing with the setting, you'll discover something you like. just trying is fun!

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

It's always all about the light! May I suggest a few CF daylight light bulbs? You can get them at places like home depot and they are about $3 USD each. They do a pretty nice job of emulating sunlight. You can't use them straight on (a large piece of white paper or stretched white fabric can diffuse it).

I recognize one of those orange fabrics, it's in the bowser quilt! :)

Helen@Till We Quilt Again said...

With my photos I laid the fabrics on white batting. Like Susan mentioned above and then put a white piece of canvas (cheap one from dollar store) tilted on the side so light bounces onto fabric. To add light on dimmer days. Not my idea but read somewhere. I must try the bulbs Susan mentions above.

Jess said...

Natural lighting and outdoor photos are where it's at. And don't get discouraged by your camera - I really believe every camera can take a decent picture! I love that last one :)

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation said...

I actually like the texture of that chair with the fabrics Lorna. You know I use my iPhone for pics, and I agree with some of the other commenters that if you have good light, any camera can take a great picture!

:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Anonymous said...

I think always light is the key - and taking lots of pictures until you like one or two :S

Erica said...

I agree that lighting is always key! I don't think photos have to be perfect, just do the best you can :)

SharynB said...

I love your picture number 3 - the fabrics look so pretty there.

Nancy@owensolivia said...

Interesting to use a scanner to take photos of your fabrics. I think there is a big learning curve in photography, but practice makes perfect. That's for sure!!

ChristaQuilts said...

This is great - I'm learning so much already just from reading everyone's blog posts about it.

Kim said...

A couple of years ago I went and bought natural lighting for my dining room and family room that way I can take pictures inside at night if I needed to. It does a pretty good job. Your photo of fabrics on the chair looks great. Wish my grass was green. I could have lots of fun taking photos outside.

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