patience made | a photo progression

i thought it might be interesting today to share my isavirtue photo journey.

the surface |
when i first started crafting i think i had "wide black surface" syndrome. i always felt this urge to photograph my products on dark surfaces - the coffee table, the couch, my bed - anything would suffice! maybe i thought it would contrast nicely, or maybe i like the colour black just a little too much. i want you to know that i am incredibly embarrassed to share these photos. and please keep in mind this is just about the photos and the set-up - maybe i'll talk about my product progression another day ;)

fake light |

i've always been a fan of lamplight vs. natural or fluorescent. i think it's romantic and moody and is generally easier on the eyes. so i guess i thought that soft unnatural light would be the best thing to illuminate my masterpieces. wrong!

photoshop |

and by photoshop...i think i actually mean 'paint' or 'preview' or 'iphoto.' the use of lamp lights etc. meant that there was a yellow cast over my photos. so i combatted this by using the tools provided by the aforementioned programs. lowering the sepia, cooling the temperature and adjusting the saturation until the image was truly black and white. they look so digital here it's practically cartoonish!

natural light |

so about a year after i opened my etsy shop, i decided to switch it up. i had spent some time looking at what worked for others. and though it was cliche and common, i decided that white backgrounds and natural light really do provide the best results. but i hadn't yet learnt about white balance...

adjustments |

i learned how to play with the various settings on my camera. but since i'm no expert (they say a true photographer can make a perfect photo right in the camera), i still use adjustments in iphoto and photoshop. sometimes things need more brightening than the weather allowed. and often i still get that slight blue cast (which i hate! hate!). so i fiddle a bit with the saturation...but you have to be careful not to go to far! regardless, i'm very proud of where my photos are at today (though of course there are still improvements to make!). it's hard to believe it took two years to get to this point:

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