THE DAILY CHUM

Welcome to the first installment of “Tech Dirty to Me”. The crazy wonderful ladies at Lime & Violet have entrusted me with passing on some technical information about blogging, so each week I’ll be researching something new and sharing my discoveries with you. I plan to cover everything from how to pick a blog hosting service, to widgets, and all the stuff in between. In many cases we will be learning together, but fun, interesting, snazzier blogs should result and hopefully with less confusion, frustration and colorful language than typically results from such endeavors..

This week’s topic: Photography.

What draws you into a blog? What brings you back for more? Well if you’re like me, it’s the pictures. I want to see the rich colors, have a glimpse of the writers life, and most of all check out all the knitted details. Even if you’re not a blogger I bet you’d like to take better pictures of your family or maybe just of your stash and FO’s for Ravelry. Today I’ll cover a few basic rules for better pictures, give you some links to find more detailed information, and show you some examples.

My Rules for better photos: (I’m a big believer in breaking the rules to suit yourself so feel free to pick and choose)

1. If you like the result, you’re doing it right. This is one of my favorite rules (in life and knitting!) and it certainly applies to taking pictures. As Burger King would say, “Have it your way”.

2. Read the camera manual. Ok I know this sounds obvious but I’d also bet my skein of Silk Maiden that most of you didn’t do it.

3. Turn off the flash. Most of the time your yarn (people too) will look much more natural without it. If you’ve read your manual, I bet it explains how to shut yours off if you don’t already know.

With flash

Without flash

4. Get closer. Yarn doesn’t have a personal space bubble or zits so get right up there and capture all the detail. If you’re photographing people and don’t want to get up close and personal, max out your zoom. (But don’t use digital zoom — it doesn’t actually make things closer). I’ve been known to take my telephoto lens to a party so I can get up-close candids without anyone being the wiser.

You can really see all the color variation and texture this close. Just makes me want to touch it.

5. Don’t worry, just edit. There are many times you can’t control the light or the background or don’t want to take the time but that’s no reason to stress. You can show major improvement with minimum time investment using basic editing techniques. Most photos can be fixed just by adjusting the lighting and contrast. Editing is too much to cover today, but if there is interest I can cover it in more detail for a later post. Just give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen? (Undo is your friend)

6. Take lots of photos. If you’re using digital, there is no reason not to take photos until your finger cramps. Professional photographers take hundreds of photos to get one or two good ones. Which means most of us should be filling up our memory and draining those batteries every time we get the camera out to ensure success. As an added incentive the more time you’re behind the camera, the less chance you have of getting your own picture taken.

7. Be aware of your background. You may not have noticed that guy wearing the Hawaiian shirt behind your subject but you will in the photo. Can you move around to get a cleaner background? Try pointing your camera up or down or just shoot from a different angle. Remember rule #4: If you’re cozied up to your subject you won’t have to worry about the background.

too much background, not close enough

move to the other side — nope

shoot down — still no

shoot up — yuck

Finally, the shot I wanted.

8. Use the best light possible. Everyone that talks about photography goes on and on about the proper light and how important it is and they are right, but it’s also the hardest to control and to understand (for me at least). So here’s what I do: Try not to take your photo in direct light, turn off the flash, and rely on editing and lots of photos to help you get the perfect shot. It’s better to get some photo than to stress so much about the proper light that you miss your opportunity. If you’re at home taking photos of yarn or FO’s you might try making your own light box or investing in a light tent. LollyKnitting wrote an outstanding tutorial on constructing and using a light box if you want more details. They make a big difference, but unfortunately people and sheep don’t fit inside.

9. Practice. I’m sure it’s not news that the more pictures you take, the better you’ll get. So grab your camera and experiment; remember, you can always delete what you don’t like.

10. Never, under any circumstances, photograph your entire stash at once. This limits your deniability and provides evidence to those who might question your sanity.

Photography sites abound if you’d like more information. Here’s a selection to get you started

General information

Photography blog including tips, tricks, and exercises

National Geographic’s Tips and Photo Gallery

Inspiration

Equipment reviews and buying guide

I’m looking forward to applying all this information to my photos and I hope you are too.

If you have suggestions for future columns or comments about this one you can reach me at sam@limenviolet.com .

Sam lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two kids, two Basenjis and a houseful of yarn. She is known to all the other soccer moms in the area as the “weird knitting lady” and has been spotted knitting at the bus stop, PTA meetings, soccer, gymnastics, restaurants and while waiting in line at the grocery store. You can read more about her knitting and crafting adventures on her blog, and reach her at sam@limenviolet.com.

Popularity: 1% [?]