Imaginative Intentions: Photography

Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts

Backgrounds, Backgrounds, Backgrounds!

Well up in here in good ole Saskatchewan, Canada in the winter, the temperature can drop below minus 40 C, which basically means there is no well in hell, I'm going outside to take pictures. So a good indoor light setup is essential! I've been playing around with my lightbox now that it's setup properly and I got to thinking about how much I hate white backgrounds (mostly because I don't do them particularly well)!

So I've been wandering around for the last month or so, collecting backgrounds for my photographs. Here are some of the items I came up with:

First and foremost, the basic staple of jewelry photography, a jewelry display bust. If you don't have a *guinea pig* to help you photograph what your jewelry will look like on a real person, these are the next best thing. They're aren't that expensive either, I bought mine for around $20.

Scrapbook Paper! This was a total fluke because I don't scrapbook at all! I just happen to wander down that particular aisle at Michaels and EPIPHANY! It comes in a huge variety of designs and colors.

- Advice: Choose a couple of papers that best reflect your work, and stick with them, it will make your work more recognizable!.

My dad found this rock while he was camping a couple of years ago, it has a gorgeous orange and black coloring to it. I found it in their garden the other day (and sort of swiped it), so that I could see how it did as a background.

I found this piece of wood in my parent's back yard in their tree line. I didn't really think much about it but when I used as a background, it adds a real nice, rustic texture to the photo.

I picked up the piece below at a dollar store for $1.25. It doesn't really look like much when I first picked it up BUT the way it's shaped, it's profile is a perfect, inexpensive mimic of a person's bust. Which will save you $25+ on buying a true jewelry display bust!

Other backgrounds ideas:

Ceramic tiles (not the shiny ones, they'll leave a glare in the photo
Small sheet of brushed steel
Rusty iron (think farm implements)
Small pile of mulch (could be messy)
A roof shingle
etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.....

There are literally thousands upon thousands of different background display ideas. You just need to keep your eyes open for anything that seems unique or different. Even if it doesn't look good at the time, it doesn't hurt to bring it home and try it!

New pictures with the new light box!

So, after some tinkering with the new light box setup, I thought I would post some of my new pictures. I finally bought a mannequin bust to take pictures, it seems to really help with visualization. It really helps you to see the size and how it should hang on a real person.

There is still room for improvement but its definitely a start! Fortunately, they are way better than the first photos I ever took!

Any tips or suggestions would be really appreciated!

Public Domain & Photography

What does Public Domain mean?

“Intellectual property rights which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose”
- Wikipedia

Where can I find Public Domain Photography Websites?

Public Domain Pictures.net
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

The pictures are free for you to use, however, if your planning for commercial use, please be aware that no model release was obtained and pictures featuring products or property should be used with care.

Public-Domain-Photos.com
http://www.public-domain-photos.com/

All photos on this web site are public domain. You may use these images for any purpose, including commercial.

Burning Well.org
http://www.burningwell.org/

The images in the BurningWell repository are in the public domain. Basically, this means that you are allowed to use the images freely for any purpose, commercial or private. You do not have to pay to use them, or even acknowledge or give credit to the BurningWell repository or original photographer.

Flickr – Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

The photos listed under the Attribution section allows you to copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if they give you credit
The photos listed under the Share Alike section allows others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

PDPhoto.org
http://pdphoto.org/index.php

Photographs may be freely used by everyone. Unless something is clearly marked as being something other than public domain, you can assume it is free to use.

These websites and blubs I’ve added under each one are taken directly from their website. As I find more, I’ll be added more.

Note: The information is accurate at time of posting, please check with the website, to ensure that the requirements of usage have not changed.

Note: The public domain photograph shown is called, "Sunset In Serengeti", shot by Richard Spencer