Flower Antlers

These antlers with flowers are all photographed by Kari Herer. Funny thing is, despite being a strict pescetarian, I've been long collecting antlers and skulls ever since I was little (you can see a tiny glimpse of it in my SF apt) and I even have a huge love for taxidermy (those in SF, you must visit Paxton Gate!) 

I'm happy I found these beautiful photographs as I can try something like this on some of my antlers (I already tried it on my steer head.)

Btw, did you know while horns are kept for life, antlers fall off each year and regrow bigger? So don't fret when you see a pair of antlers!

BESTeam feature October54Gallery on Etsy

 Winter Trees

Beautiful, isn't it?  This is an example of the stunning photos you can see at October54Gallery on Etsy, this week's BESTeam featured shop.  Anne from Whispering Pines, NC (I bet that's a lovely place!) is responsible for these works of art, and it's no surprise to learn that her work is on display at many local venues too.

I've chosen just three of my favourites from this shop, so as to have them shown to best advantage.  Regular blog readers will be able to see the themes of nature in the ones I've picked.  Click on any of the photos or captions to go directly to the shop and see more.

 Live Oak

Anne says that art has always been a part of her life, and living all over the USA as well as time in Costa Rica, has also influenced her artist's eye.  Anne also makes block prints and writes. 


Anne's work has a strong positivity for me, so it was a pleasure to find this quote from Walt Whitman in one of her listings:

Happiness not in another place, but this place...

not for another hour, but this hour.

 The Beach, South Carolina

I love this quote too from Anne's blog:

"The afterthought is good, but forethought is better."

(Norwegian saying)

You can visit Anne's blog here:
http://october54gallery.blogspot.com/

BESTeam feature October54Gallery on Etsy

 Winter Trees

Beautiful, isn't it?  This is an example of the stunning photos you can see at October54Gallery on Etsy, this week's BESTeam featured shop.  Anne from Whispering Pines, NC (I bet that's a lovely place!) is responsible for these works of art, and it's no surprise to learn that her work is on display at many local venues too.

I've chosen just three of my favourites from this shop, so as to have them shown to best advantage.  Regular blog readers will be able to see the themes of nature in the ones I've picked.  Click on any of the photos or captions to go directly to the shop and see more.

 Live Oak

Anne says that art has always been a part of her life, and living all over the USA as well as time in Costa Rica, has also influenced her artist's eye.  Anne also makes block prints and writes. 


Anne's work has a strong positivity for me, so it was a pleasure to find this quote from Walt Whitman in one of her listings:

Happiness not in another place, but this place...

not for another hour, but this hour.

 The Beach, South Carolina

I love this quote too from Anne's blog:

"The afterthought is good, but forethought is better."

(Norwegian saying)

You can visit Anne's blog here:
http://october54gallery.blogspot.com/

BESTeam weekly feature: RaeoLight on Etsy

Raeolight from Joplin, MO, is a shop dedicated to fine photography, converted into prints, cards and magnets, calendars and jigsaws and other great gift ideas.  There are some great photos, all taken by Rachel, who despite having no formal training, uses the power of photography to really offer some really stunning images.

I'm going for a spring, summer, autumn and winter collection to show how all the seasons of the year are captured by this talented young photographer.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.

Spring and Summer





Fall and Winter







There are some seasonal items too, and a special section of gifts under $20 - perfect for this time of year.

You can catch up with Rachel and see more of her work here:
www.facebook.com/raeoflightphotos
or
www.raeoflightphotos.blogspot.com

BESTeam weekly feature: RaeoLight on Etsy

Raeolight from Joplin, MO, is a shop dedicated to fine photography, converted into prints, cards and magnets, calendars and jigsaws and other great gift ideas.  There are some great photos, all taken by Rachel, who despite having no formal training, uses the power of photography to really offer some really stunning images.

I'm going for a spring, summer, autumn and winter collection to show how all the seasons of the year are captured by this talented young photographer.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.

Spring and Summer





Fall and Winter







There are some seasonal items too, and a special section of gifts under $20 - perfect for this time of year.

You can catch up with Rachel and see more of her work here:
www.facebook.com/raeoflightphotos
or
www.raeoflightphotos.blogspot.com

New Camera...Nikon D3000 DSLR

Nikon D3000 DSLR

And let me tell you how excited I am to have a decent DSLR.  I had a Nikon SLR film camera for years.  Absolutely loved the thing.  But, I had to sell it to get a digital camera as film just is not the way to go anymore.  So, hubby bought a Kodak D6490 DSLR...without my input, obviously - after all, I am a Nikon girl.  Trying to save money, I guess.  I suffered with that crappy camera for 5 years.  The worst part?  He bought it used.

So, I took it out on Monday to do some product shots and to my glee...I mean, to my dismay, when I tried to turn the camera on, I got an E45 error message.  So, I looked on line to see that the lens was stuck, probably dirt.  Not only that, but a common problem with this camera.  Repairs?  Begins at $80.  I was both upset that photos had to wait, but totally excited because now I can get rid of this hunk of junk and get a real camera!

The thing I love most about this camera?  It is an SLR, which I prefer, but there are so many compensation electronics in it, you don't have to worry about compensation for all those tweaks you need before shooting the actual shot, unless you are in the mood for the ritual of it.  It also has the typical fabulous Nikon metering system, where as the Kodak had a super crappy one.  Minimal at best.

Now, here is a shot I took this morning...this image is before even touching it up:

It looks exactly as it did in the sky.  In order to get it that good with the Kodak, I would have to adjust levels, vibrancy, white balance...the whole 9 yards.  Big difference.

The Nikon even has photo editing software built in to the camera for picture fixing before you even upload; as well as  filters, so the only filters I have to invest in is the protective UV filter, a polarizer and maybe a star burst.

The Nikon is obviously a little heavier and pricier than the Kodak, but well worth the sacrifice.  The only real complaint is that the view finder doesn't jut out far enough and I always have a nose print on the display in the back of the camera. 

I just may get back into photography again.  I haven't done any real photography since 6 months after getting that hunk of crap in 2005.  I gave it up with the Kodak as the pics were just too grainy, too high maintenance and too small.  That Kodak took the fun out of photography.  I still have to spend some time over the weekend playing with the Nikon, but this one will certainly not be returned!

Oh, and this is not a paid post, I just love this camera and wanted to share it with you :)

Size matters revisited

Rose quartz earrrings

Do you remember this blog post?
 
It caused a lot of interest, and there were a lot of great comments, 26, made at the time. The issue of size in photographing jewellery is a big one for sellers I know, and I've seen it discussed in lots of the handmade forums. A friend of mine in the Lonely Jewelers Etsy team recently did a great blog post on a similar subject, how to make sure you bought the beads and findings that you wanted in the right size. 

Tree of life earrings

Green glass bead necklace

A lot of people commented on using the golf ball as a comparison, but not many thought it enhanced the jewellery!
 

The suggestion I liked most, and the one I'm trying out with all my new listings now, was from The Crafty Bride. The idea of using 1 cm squared paper, which is not intrusive, and enables you to take another shot that shows the intricacies of the piece in question, I thought was really inspired. 

Turquoise and white agate earrings

Here are some examples from recent listings. What do you think? It would be great to hear your views. And The Crafty Bride should win a prize for having such a great idea, and sharing it. What prize do you think I could award?

Size matters revisited

Rose quartz earrrings

Do you remember this blog post?
 
It caused a lot of interest, and there were a lot of great comments, 26, made at the time. The issue of size in photographing jewellery is a big one for sellers I know, and I've seen it discussed in lots of the handmade forums. A friend of mine in the Lonely Jewelers Etsy team recently did a great blog post on a similar subject, how to make sure you bought the beads and findings that you wanted in the right size. 

Tree of life earrings

Green glass bead necklace

A lot of people commented on using the golf ball as a comparison, but not many thought it enhanced the jewellery!
 

The suggestion I liked most, and the one I'm trying out with all my new listings now, was from The Crafty Bride. The idea of using 1 cm squared paper, which is not intrusive, and enables you to take another shot that shows the intricacies of the piece in question, I thought was really inspired. 

Turquoise and white agate earrings

Here are some examples from recent listings. What do you think? It would be great to hear your views. And The Crafty Bride should win a prize for having such a great idea, and sharing it. What prize do you think I could award?

Folksy Friday: Windy Day

It's a windy day.  My Folksy Friday reflects this.  Enough said!







1. Birds 'like leaves in the wind' by Falcon
2. Foxy under a tree by Blackoutwell
3. Paper lanterns by the talented Tim Irving
4. The bracing British seaside by Emma in Wonderland (the same famous winner of Dreamaid's most recent ten of the best competition)
5. Delicate origami crane mobile by Longarms
6. Beautiful quilted cushion with windmill motif by Mammaquilt

Folksy Friday: Windy Day

It's a windy day.  My Folksy Friday reflects this.  Enough said!







1. Birds 'like leaves in the wind' by Falcon
2. Foxy under a tree by Blackoutwell
3. Paper lanterns by the talented Tim Irving
4. The bracing British seaside by Emma in Wonderland (the same famous winner of Dreamaid's most recent ten of the best competition)
5. Delicate origami crane mobile by Longarms
6. Beautiful quilted cushion with windmill motif by Mammaquilt

The power of chance or how to improve your earring shots by serendipity

 


The whole household, even the dog, slept late on Sunday morning. We are all still pretty exhausted from the holiday! So that is how I discovered, by chance, that the lunch time light is just as good for taking photos as the early morning. But the bigger revelation was yet to come... 

Earrings have always been a bit of a nightmare to photograph. They just don't hang as they would from your ear when placed on a flat surface, and even on an earring tree, it's just not the same as being in someones ear, and the light is blocked behind the hanging beads. 




 


The sun had warped the piece of silver card I normally use for flat shots. Just to see what would happen, I rested a pair of drop earrings from the edge of the warped card and put my camera in close. 






 



It wasn't quite the angle I needed, but still it was a promising shot. I reached for the nearest book to wedge them a bit higher ("Beginners Italian" free with one of the papers a while ago!) And that was it. 




 


The angle seemed to be nearly perfect, with the light beautifully enhancing the semi precious stones instead of darkening them. Whether that will always be the case, who knows, but I'm pleased enough with the results for one day. 

So my top photography tip is have a good lie in on a Sunday, and let nature and the power of the sun help you out! The downside is I now have loads of photographs to retake but never mind, that's quite a nice problem to have. 

I hope you like the new pictures. Let me know what you think.

The power of chance or how to improve your earring shots by serendipity

 


The whole household, even the dog, slept late on Sunday morning. We are all still pretty exhausted from the holiday! So that is how I discovered, by chance, that the lunch time light is just as good for taking photos as the early morning. But the bigger revelation was yet to come... 

Earrings have always been a bit of a nightmare to photograph. They just don't hang as they would from your ear when placed on a flat surface, and even on an earring tree, it's just not the same as being in someones ear, and the light is blocked behind the hanging beads. 




 


The sun had warped the piece of silver card I normally use for flat shots. Just to see what would happen, I rested a pair of drop earrings from the edge of the warped card and put my camera in close. 






 



It wasn't quite the angle I needed, but still it was a promising shot. I reached for the nearest book to wedge them a bit higher ("Beginners Italian" free with one of the papers a while ago!) And that was it. 




 


The angle seemed to be nearly perfect, with the light beautifully enhancing the semi precious stones instead of darkening them. Whether that will always be the case, who knows, but I'm pleased enough with the results for one day. 

So my top photography tip is have a good lie in on a Sunday, and let nature and the power of the sun help you out! The downside is I now have loads of photographs to retake but never mind, that's quite a nice problem to have. 

I hope you like the new pictures. Let me know what you think.