Applying Your Photography Skills to Your Art

Hey friends, it’s a New Year and over a month out since my last posting on Art and Photography as part of Seth Apter’s Creative Team.  I have so much I still want to share that I decided to continue on the topic into 2021 as well.  As I have mentioned in all my other posts, none of my tips and tricks are difficult to achieve and require very little investment except a little bit of time and practice, but the payoff is beneficial both in terms of opportunities as well as personal growth.  Today’s topic is pulling all four of my past posts together and it’s all about application. If you missed any of them, they are listed and linked below. I highly recommend reading them. Outside of props, I have only used my iPhone for photography. (Information about Seth’s fabulous products that I used in my project are listed at the bottom.)

The Art of Photography-Overview.

Focus and Lighting– By far the most important application. If you remember nothing else, carry these two with you always.

Backdrops

Props

Getting started, I decided to pull up one art project and show all the different options for shooting it.  It was so interesting to me, and perhaps a sign I have been in the business of arting/crafting for a long time, how two resounding words kept coming to me when deciding how to set up my shots and they were…MESSAGE and STORY. What is the message I want to send?  Is there a story to this piece?  Without these words, my project would float and believe me, I have seen my stuff float.  And floating is ok if you are just showing folks what you’ve been up to, etc. but if you are looking to leave an impression, you will need to start with one of those words.  They will determine the direction you will go.  So here is my project using Seth Apter‘s products on a plain white sheet of cardstock. Nothing fancy. Notice that it is in focus and well lit because if you can’t see it,  it’s likely no one else will either or for that matter, take a second look.  This is especially important if you’re applying for a spot on a design team, looking for a creative job, wanting to exhibit at an art show, etc.  It’s also nice when you have sweet photos to put on the wall of your home or in an album. 🙂 And sometimes, all that someone wants to see is your straight up art and that is good too!

I actually liked the simplicity of this photo. It was direct and emphasized the art.  Try and remember the words, “less is best”, especially if you can’t decide on how to lay your photo out. Much better to see a great photo with no interference than to see a busy background with a lost main attraction. A “Where’s Waldo” scenario here is not good. 🙂

Let’s move onto the message. Once I have chosen or know my message, I generally like to pick a background. Sometimes it involves trial and error, like the black and purple ones below. I did not feel either one. (Though the purple wasn’t bad, it looked like I was selling the color purple. Ugg. ) When I pulled out the white card stock, it felt right. Sometimes you just need to play and experiment and if you are good, lucky or both, you get it right the first time. I’m definitely an over thinker and sometimes a rule breaker, so yea, there’s that for me. So many “what ifs”.

My intention was to show off the art I created first and then the products I used to create it.  Since art tends to be more enticing visually than products, I made it my main focal point and supported it with the products.  If my point had been to show off the new paints or stamps, I undoubtedly would have changed the main focal point to the products and my project would have become secondary. Determining what your direction is, is essential to what you shoot.

So here is my first photo. Is it in focus (at least the part I wanted to highlight)? Yes. Is it well lit? Yes. The two key components are there. I can see that I used the products (stamps, die cut and spray ink), so I know I brought them all together and told the story.

As mentioned in a previous post, sometimes elements need to be highlighted, such as texture and details. Take a tight shot. Also a good way to hide some flaws you might not be so proud of. Literally, you get to call the shots. Sorry, not sorry.

And here’s some different details accentuating the paint, stamps and die-cuts. Truly the photo ends up being a piece of art itself. Nothing fancy or costly to doing this. Notice how the story continues.

Lots of ways to stylize based on the information you’re wanting to send. Again, I used the same art piece but I changed out the products for props and I had a “party” scene, New Years Eve to be exact. Seen here are candles, sequins, a balloon and a festoon. A word of warning, a lot of props go a long way. My general rule of thumb is the number “three”, “five” if I’m pushing it. If any one stands out, its gone. Keep it simple.

On a side note, when featuring a specific item, it is wise to fill in the frame with as much of that item as possible. I see fabulous art projects that are so small compared to that of the background, that even alone, they are hard to see. Bring it in closer. Check the perspective.

Just for fun I wanted to see if I could change the photo up to give it a more aged look. I took away everything I already used and added three old elements and a different background. (I was doing my homework. Took a few extra minutes and I learned something in the process.) I was super surprised that the brown background was such a great fit for the art. It really brought it into focus. Homework for you: experiment. Try a little different color than what is in your substrate but again, make sure it goes with the flow and doesn’t fight the main attraction. The brown kind of paired with the gold and it ended up working well together.

And here’s a behind the scenes look at what the props were…lol. One piece of millinery flowers (ok, I admit I have a MAD collection), a rusty metal grid (swoon-worthy), a piece of curled wood from my yard and my brown painted board. None of them seemed to overtake the art, however, if I had pulled them out further, they might have done just that.

So let’s review today’s post.

1. Use natural light if possible or make sure to have a spot that is well lit. (Part 1 of my Photography series.) Look for shadows and eliminate them.
2. Take time to capture and see what is necessary and make sure it is in focus. (For iPhones, if you touch the screen when ready to shoot a pic, it will focus in that area. Ah, more to come about your phone’s shooting capacity soon!)
3. Before choosing the background and props, determine your message or story and look for ways to bring that to light. Discover the right background.
4. Add a few props that accentuate the message or help tell the story, being careful not to overshadow the artwork.
5. Take several photos from different angles so there is plenty of story to share. Fill in the frame with your beautiful artistry!

So what’s next? Before I do February’s post, I want to encourage you to get some practicing in. I challenge you to spend 5 more minutes shooting something you already shot doing it differently. Would love to see some of your work. I will be posting more on that shortly. I see an opportunity! 🙂

All the products used in today’s “Hope” art piece are Seth Apter’s from the companies listed below. They are available on his site and I have included links.

Izink Dye Spray by Aladine for Seth Apter- Blue Moon, Lavender, Wild Rose-Such a great set to play with as watercolors! Get em all! The world cannot have too many colors, right?

Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps by Seth Apter- Lg. Planner Basics, Grunge Grid, Lg., Word Strips 1. LOTS of options with each one!

Coffee Ring Die-Cut by Seth Apter for Spellbinders-Currently unavailable but consider his 3 Ring stencil by StencilGirl® by tracing it onto paper and cutting it out.

So glad you came here today. Hope you all are well and feeling creative!

XO,