Kanzashi pics!

[telophase]

Reeeeally nice pics, this time! I found a tutorial online on how to make a cheeeap light tent to photograph small items, and although I didn't have a desk lamp quite strong enough for the best results, Photoshop filled in the rest. :)



The green and orange one, which I think is hideous. XD However, one of my DA watchers claims first crack at it if it goes up for sale, so at least someone likes it!



The two cotton ones using the folding method that produces plum blossom petals.




And the two other cotton ones.



And finally, the three small ones made from one scrap of vintage kimono fabric.

Comments

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, shiny!

(And link pls. to the light tent tutorial? This might be just what I need to help make my jewelry photos a little less asstastic...)

[affreca.livejournal.com]

Second. My jewelry needs pictures, so that I might get rid of it.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Just posted a reply to her. :D

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

The tutorial is here (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html). And once you've made yourself a cheap-ass light tent, you can poke atound here (http://www.tabletopstudio.com/) for tips on macro photography using a light tent.

I need to get a brighter desk lamp, perhaps two so I can light it from both sides.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Ooooooh, THANK YOU!

[affreca.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Your kanzashi are so pretty, and look so professional in the light tent.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

I have the urge to run around photographing all sorts of small objects, now that I know The Secret. :D

[chomiji]

Wow, that's so cool!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Isn't it! Just goes to show that you don't *need* an expensive setup to get good results. :D

[kungfufighting.livejournal.com]

I thank you a kabillion times over. I have been struggling so flipping hard to get decent pictures of my things I want up at my Etsy store, but living in Washington with a consistently gray overcast outdoors and a dimly lit indoors was making it super hard.

The kanzashi are adorable! I will buy one in a heartbeat. :)

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I hadn't been able to get my act together after I came home from work to get out on the balcony and get some shots before the light went, so I want happy to find the tent tutorial. XD I'm using translucent marker paper instead of tissue paper or tracing paper, and it's a little thicker than tissue/tracing paper, so I might need to get some. :)

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

I like the green and orange one!
(Probably because I have both green and orange shirts in my closet!)

Great job on the photography!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! XD

[ninja-tech.livejournal.com]

WHOA!! :O Those are amazing photos! (Not to mention how much more of the pretty kanzashi we get to see now!!) *still amazed*

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Really cool link. That made a huge difference with the photography!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I know! I'm all excited that I know how to do this now! XD

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Did you use tissue paper, or tracing paper like the guy who wrote the tutorial? What I find funny is I honestly have none of those things in my house! I am going to try and get the stuff to make one possibly this weekend. Did you have to fiddle with it at all in photoshop?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Copic marker paper, actually. XD It's a bit thicker than tracing paper, which contributes to me not having quite enough light. I thought I had a book of tracing paper, but apparently not, and the tissue paper I have is beige, which would tint the light unacceptably. I'm going to get some tracing or tissue paper later on and use that instead, as well as getting another desk lamp to provide more light.

I didn't have enough light to use any of the photos without Photoshop work. I had to adjust the Levels and Curves, and then use the Dodge tool to get rid of the rest of the grey in the background. And occasionally bring out a little of the pattern on the black petals.

I took several pictures of each, using the exposure adjustment thingy to make sure I got several different light levels for each. My camera is also not too great at focusing on the macro level, so I had to fake a little bit of focus in some of them by using the Sharpness tool judiciously. :D

I should post a before-and-after pic of each. You'd be amazed. :)

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Yes please? As well as what you actually did. I am actually very behind at using photoshop to edit photos. I know how to autocolor, adjust, etc and that is about it.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I shall endeavor to remember to do so, then. :D

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Also what is your camera like? I have a little 5.1 MP I got for my birthday several years ago. I am thinking of upgrading, but I don't know. It would depend on what I see and how cheap I can get it.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

My current point-n-shoot, which is what I'm using for the pics above, is a Canon PowerShot SD750 Digital Elph. I don't have image stabilization because I've been taking photos long enough that I know tricks for taking care of that, plus I have a much nicer camera for when I want to take Nice Shots. If it's going to be your only camera, I'd upgrade to the version that has image stabilization, as it'll cut down blurriness due to hand shake.

And as you can see above: if you work at it and know how to set the camera, you can get some nice pro-looking results from a point-n-shoot. :)

ETA: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ - often much cheaper than other places. I love 'em and have bought my last two cameras from them. Very reputable, also.

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Yeah I just have a little point and shoot that usually resides in the bottom of my purse in case the opportunity for a cool picture ever comes up.

[fuchsoid.livejournal.com]

These look fantastic - the light tent makes them look really professional, but then you've got really good at making them. I'm strongly tempted to try making a few of these for Christmas presents. I have the same book you got the instructions from, I think, but I have never made anything from it *shame*.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm finding the secret is the rice starch paste, so that you have lots of time to fuss with the placement, as well as letting the paste dry for a while and get tacky before doing anything with it. And when trimming the petals, to get them all the same size, which I'm still working on (note how I skilfully hid the uneven petals). XD

For me, what also made them professional-looking was making the bases out of circles of cardboard covered with the same fabric the petals are made of. *So* much better-looking than my felt circles!

[sho-sunaga.livejournal.com]

Amazing pics! They even show the textures of the fabrics! Thanks for the link to the tip, too. I love the blue, white and orange ones.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I think those are my favorites, too. XD

[estara.livejournal.com]

It's obvious you're an artist not just with regular art, you've got a real hand for lighting them beautifully and making them look their best. Would work brilliantly on Etsy.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm hoping the pictures help them out - I went through a lot of other shops on Etsy looking at kanzashi and didn't want to post ones that looked *worse* then most of them. XD

[kintail.livejournal.com]

Oh, beautiful photography that really shows them off!

I've snagged and bookmarked the links to the light tent tutorial and photography tips -- I've been needing to do this for my hats but didn't know what to search on to find out what to do. Thank you!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you!