There is so much more to blogging than just writing, am I right?
You have to do the thing, take the pictures, edit the pictures, write up your post, publish your post and then market your post. whew! It's a lot and can get overwhelming at times, but luckily I've learned a few tips and tricks along the way. In today's post I'm sharing an insider's view of how I set up and take my photos. Come on in and take a look:
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Here is an example of brown craft paper being used as a background (you can see it in the first photo too).
I like using materials that create a solid, neutral background so that the item I'm photographing really pops out. I also tend to stick with plain or simple designs so that the overall photo doesn't end up too busy.
In this photo I spread the craft paper out on my kitchen table, placed my items to be photographed on top and then took my photos from above (usually I stand on a chair). In the top photo with the cupcakes you can see the same craft paper, this time hanging from my back splash. Sometimes I want a seamless background with no real definition between the wall and the table top. I accomplish this by taping the paper just below my cabinets, rolling the sheet down along the counter top and then letting it rest inside of an open drawer. I use this method a lot for my Etsy shop.
*I make a point to stock up on paper and poster board for my photography backgrounds at Dollar Tree. You can click here to browse their online selection.
Here is a post where I show you how I use poster board as a background.
Here is the post from the photo, in case you are interested in TMNT party decor, or just want to see how the photos-with-craft-paper-background turned out 😉
Other times, when I'm taking pictures of my kids for example, I like to use actual photography backgrounds. This was a Valentine shoot that I did with my children. The best lighting at that time of year, and in the morning, is in the kitchen across from the patio door. I pushed the kitchen table up against the fridge, attached my background to the top with painters tape and then allowed it to drape down to the floor. Then I sat my kids on top of the background and shot away.
Usually when doing a people shoot I need a large background on a stand, but sometimes I can get away with these smaller ones. I find them inexpensively on Wish, just be patient with their shipping times 😊
Sometimes it's just too overcast outside to get good lighting, or maybe I ran out of time and have to shoot at night. For these times I pull out my umbrella lighting kit. It's definitely more work to set up and put back away than using the sun, but when natural light isn't available I'm glad to have it! There is only so much you can do with photo editing and having good lighting to begin with is worth the extra work.
You can find my exact lighting kit here on Amazon.
*Look closely at the white 'wood' background being used in both photos, it's another one of my Wish finds!
Now what if the lighting is good, but you are getting a few shadows that you want to eliminate? On this day all I needed to do was grab one of my reflectors and position it to bounce the light from the window back across my photo space. I'm sure there are plenty of professional hardware choices available, but I managed by attaching a plastic clothes hanger to my hanging light and then hooking the reflector on to that. Whatever you've got to do to get the shot, right? 😂
You can find my reflector kit here, also on Amazon
And that's it for this collection of photography tips and tricks. May your batteries always be full, your memory cards with plenty of space and your lighting abundant!
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I hope you liked this photography post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer
© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2020
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Thanks for these photo tips. That's definitely something I want to work improve. Visiting today from Tuesdays with a Twist. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteNo problem Marielle, thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I am going to check out Wish for backgrounds. I never thought of them for this purpose before! Thanks for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things party.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Pam! :)
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