Blog prompt: Refresh your skills at creating attention-grabbing pictures.
I’m not sure I ever had any skills at creating attention-grabbing pictures in the first place, much less any skills to refresh. But the prompt included ideas such as using props and scenery. Looking around my craft room, I have plenty of things that might make suitable props. The challenge lies in creating a fresh environment — you should read that as “clear out the frakkin’ clutter” — in which to take an attention-grabbing picture.
So what I did was shoot a few of my props. Tell me what you think.
I’ve used these styrofoam heads before.
Admittedly, they were posed on an ironing board, so the aesthetics weren’t ideal. However, I’m sure I can find a better place to shoot them. Maybe out on the deck? The photo of the Moorish Mosaic Afghan looked fabulous, in large part (I think) because of the outdoor location. And the curious dog.
I also have all sorts of little knickknacks floating about that could probably be incorporated in project pictures. One of them is up there with the styrofoam heads. Here’s another of the same family.
These are Zingle Berries. My husband bought them for me years and years ago because the little female figure reminded him of me. I have several of these little statuettes, and they’re each more adorable than the next. Sadly, the line is discontinued, but you can still find a few on eBay. Anyway, I can see using one of these figurines in a photo with, say, a small item like a scarf or pair of mitts.
The challenge I face, really, when it comes to interesting finished object photos, is the items I usually make tend to be large scale: cardigans and blankets for the most part, with the occasional shawl tossed in for good measure. I’m open to suggestions on how to stage photo shoots for these projects.
I do like shooting yarn porn. In fact, I’ve decided from now on, I’m going to start all projects with a yarn and buttons combo shot. Like this:
Yeah. Yarn porn. That’s what I’m good at.
Avanta Knits 
Ooh, I love the mushroomy coloured yarn and its buttons.
For some visual inspiration on how to photograph large projects try Jared Flood’s blog, Brooklyn Tweed. He’s actually a pro photographer as well as a knitwear designer. He makes blankets look mouthwatering! Folding and draping seem to be the preferred methods of display. Cardigans, I agree, can be difficult. I’m too lumpy and bumpy to want to photograph my FOs as a selfie and my cardies would drown any of my friends. I may invest in a Shetland-style blocking frame for sweaters. In the meantime, how about suspending FOs on broom handle threaded through the sleeves?
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Aren’t those gray and white buttons wonderful? That yarn is destined for a swingy cropped cardigan of some sort. I have an idea in my head of what I want it to look like; and have to scour Ravelry for the right pattern. Or maybe design it myself.
Thanks for the Jared Flood referral. I love his patterns but don’t read his blog. I’ll take a look at it soon.
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YAAAAAAAAAAARN!
Those yarn/button pics are a great idea, except I’d have to actually find buttons before starting rather than leaving it until the very last second. Hmm.
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I often buy buttons the same way I buy skeins of yarn: because they’re beautiful or quirky or both, without the faintest idea what I’ll use them for. As a consequence, the button stash rivals the yarn stash; I usually try to match stash buttons to stash yarn, and then find a suitable pattern.
Which is totally backwards, but it seems to work!
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I recognize both the vintage button lady’s buttons and the resin button lady’s buttons! I have so much of both from the past couple of years – I’ve got to DO something with them.
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I keep meaning to pick up their business cards when I visit their booths at Stitches so I can shop their websites in between live shows, but I get so excited by the buttons that I forget.
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You can put one of the Zingle Berries on a big project, then zoom in to shoot the ZB and show stitch detail at the same time. I’ve about decided that stitch detail photos should be the largest in the batch when I’m photographing something large (afghans, scarves), with the “full piece” photos being less important. For sweaters, you can zoom to show fancy detail (with or without a ZB)–maybe zoom to photograph a piece of nice jewelry near the detail, even if the jewelry wouldn’t be worn there in normal use.
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Sometimes I remember to take stitch detail photos. I guess I never thought of those as particularly creative, but throwing a piece of jewelry in the mix, or an interesting rock or maybe even foliage, would help liven things up.
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