The Art of Photography-Troubleshooting

Hey friends! It sure seems like it’s been longer than a month since my last posting on The Art of Photography and I’m uncertain why it feels this way. Perhaps it’s because I have been so incredibly busy checking off so many other boxes these days. Wish I could say I was doing art but unfortunately, no. Still I’m happy doing what I am doing. With an impending summer wedding, a bridal shower and a gazillion birthdays happening along with my busy work cycle, I don’t look up often. What about you? No matter how the time has passed, I’m happy to be back sharing something I love to do, which is photography. If you are new here and just tuning in, welcome! I’m Debi Adams, (bio), and I’m honored to be a part of Seth Apter’s Creative Team. I’m already on post SEVEN for the topic of creating good photos using your iPhone. Can you believe it? If you want to catch up on where I began this series, go here, to the StencilGirl Talk blog where I give an overview on photography. (I will move that content to my own site shortly.). After that, each post is located under the title of The Art of Photography on my own site, generally near the first of each month beginning in October. I have discussed the two most important aspects of photography nearly every time and they are focus and lighting. Everything else follows behind those two. Memorize them. Use them. Never forget them, like ever. They are your best friends.

Today I thought it was time to talk about troubleshooting. What are some of the problems people are encountering when taking photos? I opened up the topic on Seth Apter’s Creative Community on Facebook and had quite a few responses with some overlapping issues. So without further delay, let’s jump in. This first question was definitely asked the most.

How do you shoot pearly, metallic and shiny objects?

This was the most commonly asked question by far! Truth is, these are tricky! If an object is too shiny, the light bounces back, the shape can be lost and/or the object becomes too much of the focus. When I first went back to work after my girls were in school, my employer had an onsite, professional photographer. He was amazing. (I lived and loved my DREAM job as a full-time crafter for a big manufacturer back then, for real!). I remember him reminding me not to create too many metallic projects because they were too hard to shoot them so I kept that in mind and only used metallics if necessary…for years. He shot most of the projects into a white light box. It was easier to adhere to that request back then because I created mostly crafty projects created from paper but here I am now in the midst of mixed media art and disqualifying metallics, shiny objects or pearly paint is not an option, right? So here is what I learned. Use your light effectively and shoot at an angle. Direct light on metallic paint will often times come back bright, and a lot of times, too bright. Shooting directly on top can sometimes remove the brilliancy you are hoping to show as well. Try shooting at an angle where the light floats across the piece. It can be a bit of an experiment too but don’t give up! There is a fine line between having a metallic glare and seeing it’s true colors. I have examples below to show different ways of capturing what you want. I first want to thank Mary Beth Shaw, artist and owner of StencilGirl® Products for allowing me to use her art as my first example. Her project was part of Seth Apter’s Traveling Books Collaboration that I was so fortunate to be a part of. Mary Beth’s art now resides in my home. Lucky me!

Here is a flat lay with not much sheen.

A flat lay without a lot of overhead lighting can result in a dullness of the actual color, as seen in the gold paint above especially at the bottom of the page. It actually looks like a non-metallic, golden yellow. It’s still an awesome picture and one I would definitely use, but if you are trying to sell the gold, this one might not be the right fit. Side note: Isn’t Mary Beth’s work AMAZING? So happy to have it here.

Simply by changing up the angle and allowing the light to cast a sheen across the work is much more accurate. Also note in this photo I used a dark background. It really helped to make a great contrast.

Sometimes propping a project to stand doesn’t allow the light to hit it correctly. Again, nice enough photo and not a bad shot at all. It’s in focus and it is well lit. However, If you are wanting to avoid a strong glare, this might be the right light for you.

Sometimes adding lighting to the front can make it too bright… wow. Yea, no!

Again I like to suggest taking a shot at an angle. It gives a sheen without a glare!

Also an option is investing in some photography lighting. I am hesitant to recommend this because I have been trying to make this entire series about working with what you have. I do have two photo lights in my room and the lights with the kit were under $200.00. I took this flat lay shot with both of the lights on because I wanted you to see it can work.

As I said in one of my other posts, it’s homework time! Play and experiment. Might even try taking a shot outside on a dark background in the shade. There’s your challenge!

So now what about Seth’s pearls?

Well it’s the same strategy. Overhead results in this… wet, blue paint. Pretty.

Changing the angle gives you this… Ah, a pearly sheen!

Why are photos clearer on the iPhone than on Facebook?

Did you know that Facebook resizes and formats all your photos for you? Yep! They do this to save webpage loading time and to allow them to display properly on fb. There are lots of variations on sizes depending on how the photo is being used, ie. as a profile pic, a Facebook cover photo, multi-groupings, ads, Facebook links, etc. Lots of information on the web for obtaining those standard sizes if you are interested. It’s definitely more work on your end. Just “google it” as my daughter tells me and you will find the information. I will tell you that Facebook can only store a photo of 2048 pixels or less with nothing smaller than 168 pixels. Those are the basic guidelines. When you load one photo onto a fb post, which most of us do, the biggest width you will receive is 492 pixels and it’s done automatically. Most of us do not have the time to spend researching the requirements for how each photo is being used and adjusting to fit that need. We simply trust fb to handle it unless we choose to manually do the work, and, one can do that. Certainly Facebook has come a long way in presenting more accurate photos than those from their early beginnings.

And Facebook is not the only thing to look at when it comes to creating clear photos. A blurry photo might have to do with the phone. Older phones don’t have the capabilities or the lenses that are available on the newer models today. I had one gal that I worked with on a team that kept posting very blurry photos and we kept telling her how to shoot them, lighting, what sizes to make them, etc., and they still came out unclear. We finally discovered she had a very dated phone and it was unable to provide anything more than what came with the phone at the time of purchase.

I’ve also noticed that although a picture looks great on your iPhone, it is only a small window of a bigger project. In other words, if you take the time to zoom in and see a closer view of your project, you might notice that it really isn’t as clear as you thought it was. Make sure to tap on the screen of your phone before shooting as that focuses the area in the square. I have taken what I thought was a beautiful picture of a flower arrangement (many times) on my phone. When I loaded it into my computer I could see that it was blurry. From a small window it looked fine to me but not on a larger scale. I recommend zooming in on the details after the photo is taken to insure that the photo is actually clear! You can do this on your phone or computer. The lines don’t lie.

How do you decide when to take a close up shot or an overall shot?

Really the first question all comes back to my post on “the story”. What is your story? What do you want people to know? For a design team post, I would think you would want both an upclose shot and an overall shot. People like to see all the details from that tight shot. All the nooks, crannies and mechanics are there. Such great eye candy! Seeing the entire completed project is nice too because one can see how everything came together. Just like art, I do at least three pictures, an overall view, an up close shot and then maybe a feature shot where something unique is shown. I had a professional co-worker who suggested another shot of the completed project at the very end of the post, kind of like a summary and a memory. I do that now too! Remember, if you are doing a team post, chances are the photos will be used on Pinterest and the more varied the photos means the more your work gets put out on Pinterest. Pinterest likes fresh, new content.

If you are trying to show how a particular product works or if you are trying to show all the items it took to make a particular project, like a supply list of sorts, an overall shot might be best. Trying to sell the products? Make your photo centered around the products with a bit of the project you created in there. If you want to show a unique application, take a tight shot, maybe in portrait mode. It’s most important to determine your story and then make your plan.

If you have no guidelines for photoing your art, always do YOU. Nothing shows off your individuality, style and passion better than being yourself. If you’re a messy artist, like me, showcase your work in your favorite work space. Of course, make sure the pictures are well lit, in focus and your mess doesn’t overtake your photo. 🙂

Should the picture be in portrait form (blurred background) or not?

Deciding when to use portrait mode is about “the story” again. I love this shot if you are trying to highlight something. It’s definitely a beauty shot. There’s something warm about this mode that draws me in. It’s almost as if I am entering a place that evokes emotion. So, decide where and how you want to use this kind of photo. This could be that perfect summary “ending” shot for a post where everything has been seen and told and now you want to leave the viewer with a memory. I like to think of this mode as “dessert”. Just me, being me. Lol.

How to Use Color Correction.

Color correcting can be a bit lengthy so I will try and keep it short. Check back to this post for using the tools on your camera. These are very helpful tools. Practice with them. If you haven’t succeeded with those tools, I use the edits on the photo edit portion of my MacBook. Since both of my devices are Apple products they have similar features but viewing them on the computer gives a large scale visual. 99% of the time I double check my photos on my computer before putting them out anywhere. I have discovered pieces of fuzz, strands of my hair (yuck), random sequins, etc. that were so small on my iPhone compared to my computer so if you have the time, do the work. Anyway, back to color correcting, as for working with colors, I suggest using hue, saturation, or luminesce controls on the Mac. I am really liking saturation as a way to control how bright my artwork appears. Obviously, taking a good picture first is the best option but there are times I have used those controls to my advantage. Sometimes my “northern” light makes me art appear brighter than it really is so I will adjust it down in my photo edits in “saturation”.

If your concern is that your photo is appearing too blue, try moving the “White Balance” gauge (at the top of box above) to the right so that it offers more warmth (or left to make it whiter) and then move a bit of the brightness or exposure buttons to the right as well. (These are located above the White Balance control). Truthfully, some of the things I have learned to correct my photos with came from playing with the features on my iPhone or computer. This is one of them.

How to Remove Shadows

The easiest way to remove shadows is to identify them before you shoot. There’s nothing as annoying and distracting as a heavy gray shadow. If you’re standing above your project and you see yourself, obviously you’ll want to move. Sometimes standing way above the object will eliminate the shadow, making it necessary to take a closer shot of your project by drawing it in with your camera or by cropping it later. Make sure your picture is really focused if you decide to crop it. Also, try changing the angle of your photo or where you are standing. Move around the photo and see if that works. Sometimes just angling the photo differently lets the shadow have it’s place without disturbing the entire scene. Worth a try!

Another tip for removing a shadow is by going to a place that has lightness but no light filtering in from any particular area. For example, one of my rooms is well lit but light doesn’t come in from any one place so it eliminates the shadow altogether. I also have a hallway that during the early afternoon appears to be dark but the light that floats around it gives the perfect lighting. One of my favorite tips is to place your project on a very dark surface like black. Hard to see a shadow on black. I use that one a lot. Check out all the “black” shots on my instagram. There are A LOT! Perfect if you’re in a place that you can’t be moving around to find the “right light”. Pull out black paper, a black board, etc.

Lastly, I recommend using the shadow button on the photo “edit” section of your iPhone or Mac. It’s a pretty decent fix for your shadow problems. Problem solving ahead of time is the best but this is helpful and can soften or diminish the shadows. Happy to have it available.

How to create light when there is very little available AND not wanting to use a flash

Obviously, it’s always good to look for the best light and shoot from that spot but sometimes you’re caught in a place with no time to find a place or time to wait it out. I recommend that after you focus on the object with your iPhone camera and before shooting, touch the screen and move the light button up or down. That generally helps bring light to the object. (See photo 2 below.) Additionally, with a lot of the new iPhones, when shooting in a dark area without a flash, an automatic opening of the camera lens occurs, extending the time for light to enter and thus providing a lit background. (This is an adjustable function btw.) When this function is used, it is important to shoot without moving, otherwise the object will be blurry. (Photo 3).

Dark room, no flash.

Using the box on the camera screen of my phone (the sun icon) to move up the light…

Allowing the camera to go to auto mode without flash on…Holding very still…

Side note: When shooting art work it is best not to use a flash for lighting. (News to me though I don’t use flash very often). It tends to flatten the image and make it more 2-D rather than 3-D. It’s fine for flat work but anything with depth and texture will look more compressed and not represent the piece well.

How to shoot square photos.

Well I’m not sure I’m correct about the question from the person who wrote it but I will do my best to answer it. There are several ways to get a nice symmetrical shot. On the iPhone 11, when you go to the photo button, you can scroll up where you there are several selections for the frame. There you will see the numbers 4:3. Click on that and you will be taken to a few more options where square is listed. If you want a perfect square hit that button and the screen will automatically go to a square then it’s a matter of centering the project and shooting it.

If you are having problems actually centering your photo, just take a bit of extra time to check the edges on the screen of your photo. Standing directly above the piece will give you a nice square. If you are like me and have a hard time getting things perfectly centered, then go for the angled shot! It always creates interest and eliminates the perfectionism required.

Whew! Lots of good questions. Made me do some digging on my end but education is always the best! Hope I have helped you out today in some small way. If I missed something or you need further information, please send me an e-mail and I will do my best to help you out. As always, thanks for spending some time here. Happy to be in this community.

XO,

Debi Adams

Instagram: debi_adams

E-mail: debisdoodle@sbcglobal.net

Coming soon….More paper packets!