Digital Scrapbooking and Photography: How to Photograph Your Layouts

I think one of the questions I get asked most often is how do you photograph your layouts.....so I'll give you a little run down of what I do. Give you some hints and maybe answer some questions you've had on the subject.

The first thing you have to remember when photographing anything, THERE HAS TO BE LIGHT. You really can't get around this, whether it be natural or you have a studio with high tech gear. This is really the key when doing any kind of detailed photos of crafts, projects or scrap book pages. SO being that probably most of us DON'T have a studio just photograph our layouts here are some simple tips to get the results you want.

1. Indirect light is best, and you really want that light source to be natural if at all possible. Don't put your project DIRECTLY in the light rays. Just like when we photograph people being in the bright light created unwanted shadows and can distort the true color.

For example, look at these two photos. The top photo was taken in DIRECT light, right next to the window. Do you see how the photograph looks blown out and the colors seem really washed and faded...

Now look at this second image, it was taken in INDIRECT light, there is rich color and the detailed spots of the photo are crisp. I focused on the fabric fringe at the top of the layout in this photo so you could see the difference...

2. If you can avoid it, DON'T take photos of your layouts flat...

prop them up, ALL layouts look SO MUCH better propped up so we can see them...

And while your at it, try and put things in the photo that play off the colors in your layouts, if you aren't going to prop right around the edges. It just gives the layout more interest and makes them pop.

3.Don't get too close! We all get carried away sometimes, we wanna get the details shots just perfect, but sometimes getting closer is not better. If you have a DSLR camera, know your focus distances for your lenses. If you have a point and shoot, it is the same for you too, you can get too close as well. If you have Photo Shop, trust me it's WAY easier to take a sharp crisp shot farther away and crop it than it is to go back and re-shoot all the photos that you just took. Look at these two photos...

The first is way too close and as a result, BLURRRRRRRRR.......YUCK!!

The second photo, I eased back and let the camera lens do the work. I got a much more crisp detailed shot.

I will also tell you that I have a macro lens and I choose not to use it for photographing my layouts, it's just too detailed and can leave the viewer wondering what exactly they are looking at.

4. Lastly, know how to adjust your WHITE BALANCE. Most camera now have a way to adjust the white balance even the simpler point-n-shoots. When you look at these two photos compare the color. The first has the WRONG white balance, it's too blue and not very appealing.

But, the second has the correct white balance and the result is an eye pleasing color combination. The reds are RED, pinks are PINK and so on...

The most important thing I could ever say about photographing ANYTHING is just practice! Take photos of everything in your house at different times of the day and from different angles, you'll really get to know your camera and you'll be a pro at photographing any layout or project.

xo
sar

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Wonderful advice, did not know there was a white balance on my camera.
Also, I take mine flat from above, but found out to TURN OFF the ceiling fan, as it makes shadows on the glossy parts.
I put them on a large black mat board (tried white but no definition) from craft store, near the back window in the early afternoon, ie, indirect light but best in the house.

Posted by: Juliaom | August 05, 2008 at 07:36 AM