Choosing the right fabrics.
Deciding what pattern to use.
Cutting and piecing with precision.
Carefully and thoroughly basting your quilt.
Choosing and executing a fabulous quilting design.
Adding the label and binding is like an artist signing their work.
But the last step in this art form? It's all about presentation.
And just like all of the other steps, presentation takes practice to get it right.
Photographing your quilt will take a lot of hard work. Learning what works and what doesn't.
Here are some examples of my hard learned experiences.
Tip One: Indoor lighting bad. Outdoor lighting good.
How frustrating to see your pretty quilt with that horrid yellow hue!
Experiment with natural lighting.
Even indoor photos will look good if you use natural lighting to your advantage.
Tip Two: Staging your photo shoot.
Getting a good picture of a full sized quilt can be a challenge.
Tip Three: Looking for a great backdrop. Without the frame and helper.
Photoshop can be used to "Doctor" a good shot to make it a better picture!
I use the Paint program that came with my computer.
And Picasa to crop photos, sharpen colours and add light.
Tip Four: Experiment with layout and Use of props.
Close ups are a wonderful opportunity to experiment.
Tip Five: Take lots and lots of pictures in lots and lots of different settings.
I took ten shots of this little bundle. But only one was good.
Experience and practice.
Just like all the other steps in quilting, the showcasing of your work is a tough job.
But so worth the extra effort!
Linking up with Jessica of Quilty Habit and her Sewing With Certainty Linky Party!
27 comments:
I agree. Presentation is really important. I already heard my friends telling me that something looks much better in real than on my pics so I'm working on it :-)
Great tips Lorna, I'll be putting them into practice.
Great post Lorna! I love the way you sum so many of these things into simple phrases that are so true lol. Outdoor lighting - Good!
You speak the truth! Nice examples too. :)
So true! Great tips Lorna. I know I take about 100 to get just a few good ones. The pics are great to show what a difference a good picture makes.
Great post! I take lots of photos to find the right one, too. Thanks for all the hints. :O)
Great post. I've been trying to take better photos. Especially finished quilts in different settings. Thank goodness for digital cameras and their greatest function of erase :) Could you imagine developing film of all our bad shots?!
Agreed! And how did I ever miss your sunnyside quilt?! I am in love <3<3<3
Thanks for the helpful tips. I struggle terribly with taking good pictures of my quilts.
From a newbie quilter-Thanks for the tips. ;)
Wow that first inside/outside example is incredible!
Thanks for this post! As a relatively new quilter and a very new blogger - I regret daily that I did not take better pictures of the quilts I have given away :( I have been harassing family members for weeks to take their quilts outside and take pictures. . . and I still do not have pictures. . . getting ready to jump on a plane with a camera!!!
Your photos are ALWAYS so inspiring! Thanks for sharing some of your secrets.
I always love seeing great photo tips, it makes such a difference! Your examples were simple and lovely!
What a stellar post! You're so right about all of that - and showing the before and after...just great!
-Lettyb
This was such a well written post! To the point with very helpful information. Awesome :) I couldn't agree more about natural light and picasa!
Great information! Thank you....
Thanks for taking the time to share your tips. They are all very helpful!
This is a very informative post. I love your photos.
I totally agree, taking pictures of quilts are one of the hardest things. I have found that taking pictures outside right at sunrise as well as using the DSR instead of the point and shoot camera work for me.
Great tips for photos! Thank you for sharing!
So lovely! :)
Greetings from Finland!
Hugs, Ulla
This is great post Lorna.
Probably my favorite posts lately are about quilt photography. Thanks.
This is a great post! Thanks for the tips!
i'm putting this into practice!!
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who takes ten pics of a stash share to get just one that's great! : P Wonderful tips, Lorna!
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