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I'm not a great photographer by any means, but so far these are the things that have worked best:
Prop white paper up on your surface (against a cup or something) and lay a sheet of white paper down, too.
Either use natural light, or if you live in my house (read: hardly any windows!) try to use color balanced light, I use a combo of Ott lite & fish tank lights.
Use the Macro setting on your camera - but make sure you're far enough away that the pic doesn't get blurry.
Steady the camera on something (I actually use stamps that haven't been put away yet ;)).
Try to make sure that you don't have weird shadows in the background but don't worry as long as you have space to crop around the card. That's what editing software is for!
Try, try again. Yuck!
Good luck!
__________________ All inked up... and somewhere to go. My gallery, small but mighty... or maybe just mighty small! Come see my almost new blog... M'ija Stamps!
First, I set my cards on two sheets of card stock to create a white background. Then, I set a lamp so it shines on the card and gives plenty of light. I also use the macro, or close-up, setting on the camera. Mine has a little button with a flower on it for this purpose. Then, I use photoshop to crop the picture and adjust the lighting.
HTH.
I am always taking pictures at night time after the children are asleep, so I rounded up some supplies in my house and made a photo studio box. Take a look at this blog .
I don't have to change anything but resize my photo on my computer, because I use the highest resolution on my camera (10MB)...I also use my Macro setting (flower button) like Cre8tiveTeen mentions.
I use large soup cans to hold up my workshop lights. See it here.
__________________
- Janelle
Fan Club Member, Dirty Dozen Team, and Challenge Hostess
Adequate light and close up setting does it all.. You can get really nice pictures then. I recently found I had close up setting in my camera.. Now i dont have to take 50 photos of each thing and later break my head on which one to post .
I found a very light gray or very light shade of blue worked better for me than white did especially if you have much white showing on the card itself it tends to glare. I use my score-pal as a base, stick cardstock into the top edge and prop something behind it then another sheet of cs on the mat.
What I have heard is that the most important thing is to use natural light! For me, I work Mon-Fri in the daytime, so that doesn't work for me. I try to take my pics on the weekends in the mornings - close to a window. You know the packs of Designer Paper from Stampin' up! ? There is a white piece of cardboard that comes in each one of those packs. I use 2 of those - one I lay flat on the table, and the other I prop upright (as the background).
That creates a white background, and the natural light gives you a nice, crisp image!
__________________ Check out my blog for ramblings and samples: here
I will try your reflecting system. Thank you for contributing to the thread When I scan they have been to HOT and when I photograph they have been to muddy. So I appreciate everyone's suggestions and experiences.
I actually have better luck if I get some of the window in my photo (not JUST the card), as it seems to "think" there's more light than there really is, and it takes a really sharp photo (in technical terms it increases the shutter speed and/or decreases the aperture, which makes it sharper). The card needs to be slightly angled AWAY from the light, so that the light isn't shining directly on it (it washes out then, to me). Then I crop out the window and resize the photo. My photos are not "stunning" by any means but at least they're sharp this way. I'm not sure what you mean by "muddy" but maybe that will help. I also have to turn off my flash and prop the camera on something to steady it. I don't always use the Macro (close up) setting because the focus is more tricky in that setting...you can get one spot completely in focus but anything a little further away will be blurry then. I definitely use it for a closer image of any detailed coloring, etc. that I want to show more clearly.
If I MUST use flash (if it's night time), then I position the camera waaaay above the card so that the center of the flash is completely OFF the card...then any glare is not on the card, and it won't be too awful bright and washed out looking.
Finally, I take about 10 pictures from different angles and usually get ONE decent one LOL
ETA I looked at your gallery and your photos look fine to me, so maybe my tips won't help you! LOL I am sure you are comparing them to real life, so maybe the only thing is turning the card slightly away from the light and not using flash, so the colors are more intense?
I also forgot to mention I use the "vivid color" setting on my camera, maybe that would help if you have that option (it's in the Settings). You can also edit the photo afterwards to a certain extent, and increase the Contrast a tad.
__________________ Lynn
"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right�--Lincoln
Last edited by nottoocreative; 03-25-2009 at 11:09 AM..
I actually have better luck if I get some of the window in my photo (not JUST the card), as it seems to "think" there's more light than there really is, and it takes a really sharp photo (in technical terms it increases the shutter speed and/or decreases the aperture, which makes it sharper). The card needs to be slightly angled AWAY from the light, so that the light isn't shining directly on it (it washes out then, to me). Then I crop out the window and resize the photo. My photos are not "stunning" by any means but at least they're sharp this way. I'm not sure what you mean by "muddy" but maybe that will help. I also have to turn off my flash and prop the camera on something to steady it. I don't always use the Macro (close up) setting because the focus is more tricky in that setting...you can get one spot completely in focus but anything a little further away will be blurry then. I definitely use it for a closer image of any detailed coloring, etc. that I want to show more clearly.
If I MUST use flash (if it's night time), then I position the camera waaaay above the card so that the center of the flash is completely OFF the card...then any glare is not on the card, and it won't be too awful bright and washed out looking.
Finally, I take about 10 pictures from different angles and usually get ONE decent one LOL
ETA I looked at your gallery and your photos look fine to me, so maybe my tips won't help you! LOL I am sure you are comparing them to real life, so maybe the only thing is turning the card slightly away from the light and not using flash, so the colors are more intense?
I also forgot to mention I use the "vivid color" setting on my camera, maybe that would help if you have that option (it's in the Settings). You can also edit the photo afterwards to a certain extent, and increase the Contrast a tad.
Good information Lynn. I've also read that its good to have whitest white somewhere near the object of the photo. It helps the camera (if on Automatic) adjust its white point and get truer colors. Maybe this is why your photos do better when some of the window is in the photo.
I just got a free year's subscription to PC Photo. Maybe I'll learn something about all this and report back.
Thank you all for sharing!
__________________
- Janelle
Fan Club Member, Dirty Dozen Team, and Challenge Hostess
I am now addicted to clean and simple cards but the colors don't look good when I take pictures at night :(, I am going to try the shadow box, but it won't be tomorrow. Glad you posted this!
If you go here and look for the Aug 15th issue you will find instructions for an infinity board. I've made two using the instructions here (or a very close approximation) but I haven't had a chance to use them yet!:rolleyes:
__________________ All inked up... and somewhere to go. My gallery, small but mighty... or maybe just mighty small! Come see my almost new blog... M'ija Stamps!
Taking a *good* picture of projects
