Chasing the light!

Photography is always a challenge for on-line sales! It requires lots of photos, and they have to be well lit and show the product well. That would be so easy if one could hire professional photographers, but alas, that is not financially feasible for one-of-a-kind products. So that means it is a DIY project!

I am fortunate to have photo direction experience, but what that really means is that I have lots of experience telling experts what to do with all their professional equipment in their studios... not doing it myself. So Sasha, my mannequin and I have a good time struggling with where and when to shoot. Natural lighting is by far the best for shooting, but my house doesn't rotate with the sun.

That means that at one time of year, the loft area is perfect, but as the sun gets higher, Sasha, my tripod and I move to take over the bedroom. In the fall, the sun lowers, and all of the wonderfully indirect light there becomes flood lighting.

Last week, we decided to look for a new spot. At one point we found our desperate selves nestled in the bathroom!!! The lighting was great - we have solar tubes in there that create perfectly diffused light (maybe a bit too straight down though). After a shot or two, neither Sasha or I could take the humiliation anymore. It is one thing to have the pile of bills and printer just out of the shot (loft) or even the laundry basket or bed just behind the tripod (bedroom). Fighting the wind is also not too bad when we decide to shoot outside. But, neither of us thought the bathroom was dignified enough for jill2day photos, so we headed back to the bedroom armed with huge mirrors and smaller time frames...but I did take this shot to commemorate the try!