Photography Sells on eBay copyright 2010 by Peter Lerman
Simplify...(continued)
Want to get a little fancy? Are you shooting something very special that you want to 'dress up'? It's time to start experimenting with other surfaces and other materials.
Here's something I did for a jewelry designer who sells her beautiful jewelry on Etsy. The surface? The bottom of an old wooden milk crate I had lying around my basement. Cost? Zero. The reason it works is that it enhances the jewelry without competing with it. There is wood grain and texture but no pattern to distract the eye. The pouch is sold with the necklace so it is included in the shot.
The wooden milk crate surface fills the frame even though it is no bigger than about 16" x 24". This is due to the angle I picked to shoot from (fairly high up). Remember: it works because it does not distract from the item nor compete with it for your visual attention.
Here's another:
The surface is a sheet of that black "Fun Foam" they sell at the crafts store for a dollar. The texture is simple and subtle and does not intrude.
Be creative and use your imagination. Experiment. Be playful. Try different things that have different visual qualitites and you'll see that some of them work and some of them don't. Here's one square foot of black satin from the fabric store. It also costs about a dollar.
And here's a rough-sawn plank of oak from the hardwood guy down the road:
Next, we are going to tackle lighting. I will de-mystify it for you and show you how to do it simply, effectively and easily. Cheaply, too.
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