Experiments in photography~ Take 2

OK. I used a link from a fellow blogger's entry to learn to make a homemade light box. Mine turned out pretty crude but it does seem to function the way described.
How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio.

So, after completing this box, I immediately wanted to try it out.  I have an old goose neck lamp on my bookshelf.  I placed it on one side of the light box and took some photos of a few new pendants.  Upon taking these photos, I noticed that one side was lit up fairly nicely.  However, the photos still have a slightly grainy texture and some shadows.  This leads me to believe that I need another light source on the other side of the box. 
I am also very curious what natural sunlight would look like utilizing this box.  I plan to take the light box outside this afternoon and see what that does.  Below is a photo I took last night with my crude light box.  I need to do some tweaking methinks.


A valentine inspired piece I've been waiting to photograph and list.



Photographing my pieces

OK.... I am not a professional photographer and while I have several friends who are, I often find I just can not capture my pieces with my camera.

That being said.... I have been trying repeatedly to find and try new ways of photographing my jewelry pieces.  Recently I took a few pieces and tried using some different backgrounds and props.  See the example below:



This photo is taken in daylight out in my front yard on a bench under a tree.  I like natural light and at first found this gave me the best photo results.




This one was taken on the same bench in the same location and using natural sunlight as well.

 


This is utilizing the same natural sunlight in my front yard only using a few pieces of colored cardstock and a lovely rock I found in my yard. 

Another picture taken using a colored cardstock background and natural sunlight.

Now, I'm not certain which I personally like better. Each has their good points. So I ask you readers... which photo makes you want to purchase the necklace more? And why...?



I intend to try some new things in the future in regards to photographing my jewelry pieces. I shall kep you all informed as this project evolves.

Shields Photography

I haven't had a lot of time lately but now I am back.
Today I would like to get back on the featured artist train.  I am featuring a wonderful photographer named Melissa Shields of Shield's Photography on Artfire.

Melissa is a NASCAR fan and says her husband is very much an outdoor kind of guy.  They started Shield's Photography as a hobby they could enjoy together.

I asked Melissa some questions about herself and her art.  Below are her answers.
How did you first get interested in your craft?
We've both have had a love of photography for years.  I was active in my 4-H program and that is where my love came from.  He always knew he would become addicted if he ever got a hold of a camera he could develop his own photos.  About 18 months ago he hung up the point and shoot and dove into the DSLR world I followed a few months later.  We both have our own cameras.  Digital SLR cameras allow us to develop our photos with computer software instead of a dedicated room and lots of chemicals.  Together in the last year and a half we have taken over thirty thousand photos.  That's an average of 56 photos a day!
Is there another artist or person in your life that inspires you?
I do not think either one of us get inspired by any artist in particular.  We are always looking at other photographers photos to look for things we like and don't like.  When we are doing our art photography we are truly inspired by the surroundings we are in.  We try to capture the surrounds from a point of view others may or may not ever see.  When we are working with portrait clients we are inspired by them and their personalities.

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What are your favorite materials to work with and why?
We both shoot with Canon DSLR cameras for our art photography.  We have all our photos printed by our local printer.  We know that there may be cheaper options available online but we really enjoy working with the folks in that store.  With the locally owned downtown store going by the wayside we like to think we are helping keep a piece of that alive.  We are willing to pay a little bit more to help the local economy and keep a full service camera store in our area.  We just hope our customers understand then same thing.
Is there anything that you think that you do that makes your work stand apart from your competitors?
I think several things make our photographs stand out.  Our photographs are meant to brighten someone's home.  We hope that they draw an emotion each time they are looked at.  Also we use a local photo lab to have our prints made.  In the world of internet labs we have chosen to spend the extra time and money to offer our customers that others don't and that's hometown production.  We support the local economy!  The store is an amazing blast from the past.  It's been in business for 85 years and owned by the people in the store.  The floors are hard wood that probably haven't been resurfaced in the 85 years they've been there.  It's super friendly and by us using their printing services we hope it helps keep them their for another 85 years.
Anything else you'd like my readers to know about?
All of our prints are available in a variety of sizes and other products can be made from them like greeting cards and calendars.  If someone would like something we don't have in our studio we'd love to hear from them!  We'll try to work with them to get what it is that they really want.  We also do local portrait photography. Since we aren't a pro shop we can't offer a coupon code but if the customer sends us a note that they saw it on your blog then we'll refund shipping costs!
You can see Melissa and her husband's wonderful photography on Artfire at?
http://www.artfire.com/users/melphoto