Quick Tip Tuesday - Photographing Your Project

Hi everyone and welcome to another Quick Tip Tuesday! You've created a beautiful project, now you want to proudly show it off. My tips today are about photographing your cards and layouts!

When I first started blogging, I had a nice camera but my pictures were not very good. I started researching the best way to photograph my projects. Most of the articles stressed the importance of natural lighting. One tip suggested taking the picture in front of a sliding glass door. You arrange the project on the floor and stand directly over it so you can snap the picture head-on. I use this method quite a bit.

You can also use a floral "frog" to support the project while you take the picture. You can find these in the floral section of most craft stores.

What if it is overcast or you need to take the picture at night or your craft room is in the basement and there is no natural lighting? My good friend Faith of Faithfule Creations has put together a tutorial on creating your own lightbox for about $2.00!!

Check out her instructions HERE! I love this idea and have purchased the materials to create my own lightbox!

Once you have taken the picture, it's time to edit. It's been so long ago, I can't remember where I read this tip to give credit, but I have used it ever since and I love the results. Using Photoshop Elements, after cropping the photo, you auto adjust the contrast, color correction and sharpness.

Sometimes the photo looks better before the auto contrast or auto color correction. There are also ways to fine tweak the photos, but these three options usually work pretty well. Here is a picture I took before any editing:

And this is after:

You can see the colors are much brighter and the picture is sharper just by using the three auto correct options.

I hope these tips help you take great pictures! I'd love to hear your tips on photographing your projects as well! And don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Wednesday's Winners!!