Jewelry Photography

I just couldn't take it anymore. You know, those jewelry pictures that leave you wondering how the heck did they get that shot? You know the ones...perfectly composed, clear shot, and with bokeh to die for? Well, I tried EVERYTHING and couldn't get those results. I even shoot with a Canon Rebel and sometimes with my son's Canon 7D. It drove me crazy! Even with those great camera bodies and after editing in Photoshop, I couldn't come up with the results I wanted. Jewelry photography can be a real pain is the butt sometimes.

Recently, I did some serious research into what lens would give me the results I wanted. I found it! It's the Canon 100mm 2.8L macro lens. This lens will definitely set you back a pretty penny, but it opens up a truly amazing new world. The below photos are of some pretty purple flowers that caught my eye. I was busy so I let my little cousins take the pictures and they took these shots. I have done a little after editing in photoshop to make the colors pop and increased the clarity, but that was all. AMAZING RIGHT? My photography is going to go from ehh, to BOOM! 

This photo looks like a beautiful fairy land to me.

The contrasting greens and purples are so pretty!

The background bokeh is nice and dreamy.

Taking photos of my jewelry is now enjoyable. I've also figured out how to tether the camera to my computer so all my shots automatically upload to my computer. Sooo much easier now.

Here are a few shots of my jewelry.

I shoot in a lightbox with reflective material and then do a little bit of after editing in photoshop. What a difference the right lens makes! I'm so much happier with my jewelry photography now. 

The lens is also wonderful for portraiture photography as well. If you are looking for a new lens I would definitely consider this one. Try it out if you can in the store before you buy. You will be amazed at the quality.

Happy shooting!

Cedar wall for booth display & New designs

UPDATE: I recently did a tutorial on Love My Art Jewelry on how to make this wall here: TUTORIAL

I wanted to share our new cedar wall for craft fairs and also new jewelry designs. When doing craft fairs I had two tables opposite each other in my 10' tent and I noticed it was very crowded and people would just walk by my tent and not enter. I wanted to make my tent more inviting, cozy and have more room to display jewelry.

The cedar wall is in three pieces and because cedar is so light they are easy to move around. I want to do a tutorial on how we did it BUT I am still sketchy about it's construction. My hubby reassures me that it's not going anywhere and he is probably right but it still freaks me out when the wind blows and my whole booth rocks back and forth. We are scheduled in December for another craft fair so I will see how that goes. If it still stands and doesn't knock over other booths or worse, crush a customer (haha) I will post a tutorial.

I sure do love this wall though! The mirror with the shutters was a magnet for customers and I sold so many earrings I couldn't keep it full. I had maybe two or three left when the fair was over! The doors open and close and my tags have the prices on the back so customers just look behind the door for prices. The wall was a success too because customers were able to move around better and I think that helped with sales. It's still not exactly how I want it (of course), but I have learned a lot about booth design and selling at craft fairs. IT IS NOT EASY for sure! Your have to contend with flies, heat, cold, grumpy customers, grumpy vendors (me sometimes). Overall though, I really do enjoy meeting new people, making new friends, and getting good feedback on my jewelry and booth display. Here is a picture of the other side.

It is still a work in progress. I would like a large carved wooden leaf laying on the table to put jewelry in but I yet to find one that I really like. 

 Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and have a wonderful day!

Fancy new fabric for jewelry stands & Outdoor adventures

My new and improved stands are ready for use for my next venue! I will be a vendor at the American River Music Festival starting September 13th through the 15th. We had lots of fun last year and are looking forward to seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new people. 

 The new stands are covered in micro suede from Joann's. Here is the link to the actual fabric. I love the simplicity of the micro suede. It is very soft and it drapes nicely over the stands. I just hot glued the new fabric over the old. I then hot glued some narrow burlap ribbon to the edges of the stands.

Voila! New and improved jewelry stands ready for action. I kept a few of the stands the same for variety, added texture and pattern.

For the outdoor adventures we took a trip to Arizona to visit family and to also visit the Grand Canyon. I was in awe of the geology and how the Grand Canyon was formed. Fascinating! Also, while we were there Nik Wallenda, an arielist walked across the canyon on a tight rope. We drove right past the area where they were setting up on our way to Page, Arizona. You can see a short video here. I was so relieved when he made it safely to the other side! 

Grand Canyon

In Page we took a pontoon down the Colorado river and discovered these cool hieroglyphs. The water of the Colorado River is ICEY COLD! I got in once to cool off from the scorching Arizona sun and it took my breathe away!

Also my son and I learned to Kayak on the American River in Lotus, California. What an experience! The first day I felt defeated and weak because I kept turning upside down. Seriously, I wanted to quit and not do the second day but I stuck with it and learned to maneuver my kayak better through the rapids. We ended up having a blast!

Emerald Bay

We also hiked in Lake Tahoe...

Eagle Lake

Horsetail Falls

Discovered a new watering hole...

Rock Creek

And went down the river in floats..

American River

It's back to school time next week for me where I will be continuing my studies in French and I am also taking a metal smith class to learn how to use my new torch!

Please feel free to ask me any questions you have on the stands. Unfortunately I  have to moderate my comments due to spammers but I I promise to respond to you asap!

Thank you for reading!