Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Getting it Right

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I’ve been spending the past few days doing something I should have done a long time ago-getting serious about my Etsy shop photos.  For the Love of Pete has been in existence for almost four years now, and up until this point I haven’t put that much work into my pictures.  In my own defense, it hasn’t been for lack of wanting to, but I was just so intimidated by the whole idea.

And then last week, I got the shoes.  I knew they would make an excellent photo prop, but there was a catch.  I was the only one able to wear them-they are too big for Amy, plus she has a pretty hard class schedule this year. With lots of homework every night,  she simply doesn’t have the time to help me.  I had one alternative.  Learn to use the automatic timer on my camera and take pictures of myself, and while I was at it, learn to master some lighting techniques too.  As you can tell in the above photo-I found out that I have to hold perfectly still in order to get a clear image.  After setting the timer and getting into place many, many times, my legs got tired from wearing the shoes, but I kept at it, and I now have several good photos in my shop.

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I also decided to experiment with different backgrounds for some of my other pictures, opting for colorful and bold instead of white.  (First I even tried a piece of plywood for my background, but that didn’t look so good!) 

So what’s my point in all of this?  Too many times I think we all tend to believe that we can’t learn to do something new.  We sell ourselves short and give up before we even begin.  But we can!  I like to think my pictures prove that.

Is there something new you’ve found the courage to try?  Something that seemed overwhelming, but you gave it a shot anyway?  I’d like to hear about it.

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P.S.  I’m proud to be using my dad’s old footlocker from his Navy days, too!

16 comments:

  1. Oh, those shoes!

    They're divine! And the pictures are adorable! Good for you!

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  2. As a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of a new literary venture. It's all very new to me, and there's lots to learn ... I'll be sharing more on the blog in the near future :)

    P.S. Great photos, and those are some snazzy shoes! Hope they lead to many sales!

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  3. Those shoes rock! Great job!

    I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong on triberr (a thing that uses twitter) that other day. I finally got it right. It took some research though!

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  4. Love the shoes & the self portrait!!!

    Photos are the trickiest thing with Etsy .. I do agree. And so important. Marvelous job!!!

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  5. Hey, nice gams.

    The photos are fantastic. Love the vibrant colors.

    I finally bought a decent camera and hope to be a better photo poster. My past ones have been pretty sad.

    I happened to stumble into a small town store the other day that personalized handmade bags and fabric accessories. *It made me think of you.* It was just one lady with a sewing machine and a dream--and doing pretty well in a small town market. I bought a simple towel wrap (a cross between a robe and a towel) and had her put a stitched heart on it--you know, to remind my Hubs how lovable I am.

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  6. Oh man, those shoes are amazing! And absolutely perfect for your pictures. :-)
    I think your photos look awesome. I'm trying to improve mine, and they do look much better than ones taken 2 years ago, but lighting is still a major issue with me.

    Kimberly

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  7. Cam-thank you! I appreciate that!

    Thanks Joanne-and I'm excited to hear about your new venture! It sounds exciting:)

    Lisa-thanks!-I've never heard of that-but I'm glad you figured it out! I love figuring something out when I put my mind to it:)

    Thank you Lisa! Photos have been my weakest point for so long. Yours are gorgeous by the way!!

    Tina-sounds like a really neat little shop you found. I love places like that-nothing mass produced, but just a one person operation. The heart was a very cute touch, too:) Thanks for your comment!

    Kimberly-thanks so much! Lighting is the hardest concept for me. I've tried indoor, outdoor, artificial and now natural. I finally learned how to use my camera in the manual setting and use the white balance feature. It makes my head spin...but hopefully practice makes perfect.

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  8. Stunning photos, Valerie!! And the shoes are amazing!

    Something new I found courage to try was knitting. I hate trying things and failing, it's an icky feeling. Lol. But knitting was something that always appealed to me, and thanks to the internet, I taught myself!

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  9. Thank you so much Courtney! :)

    I am so impressed that you taught yourself to knit! That is an accomplishment to be very proud of because learning to knit isn't easy. (I tried to teach myself failed.) I am proud of you!! :)

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  10. Thank you! That means a lot to me :)

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  11. OMG! those shoes are fantastic. Your photos are really nice, just scrumptious.

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  12. Amy-thank you! That is the nicest comment! And you get double points from me because my daughter's name is Amy too:)

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  13. I WANT THOSE SHOES. Adorable!!!!!!!!!

    Ok, enough gushing. I think I tend to not do new things because I'm scared, too, or think I don't have enough time, blah, blah, blah. But look at the results when you DO take the plunge. Love the photos!

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  14. WOW to those shoes!!!!! I love them and your legs look great in them! The photos are awesome - they really grab you. You have an eye for wonderful colour/pattern combinations!

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  15. Thanks Kim! That is the nicest thing anyone could say to me! Hugs:)

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  16. Thanks Melissa! I tend to not take the plunge either-I plan to, but put it off. When I saw the shoes though, I thought I'd better come up with a good reason to buy them, because it was covert at first sight!:)

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