Update: Photo professionalism

Well, I've got the tote, the poster board, but can't find clip lights anywhere. That's what I get for living in a small town. It is a sunny day, so we'll try some natural light. Here goes.

At first, it seems like an odd set up. Press the poster board into the tote, so it covers most of the inside. No folds or corners, just a nice curved white background. Face the inside toward the sun, and viola! A nice little well-lit back drop. Well, it would be more well-lit if I only had some clip lights!

Now for the first piece of jewelry. It is a little difficult setting it just right, since the poster board is curved. It wants to slide a bit. A few adjustments, and it's working like a dream. Now for the photo. I don't have a tripod (I know, I know, I need one!), so I just use a small box I have lying around. As long as I can keep my hands from shaking, it holds the camera pretty steady. I take a few snapshots, so I have some choices.

Ok, moment of truth...

Not bad. I think after a few sessions, I just may get the hang of this. More light would help. The bigger trick than focusing the camera seems to be figuring out the best angle for the shot. I do wish my camera had the option to take a close up photo where everything is in focus, not just part of the scene. Then again, maybe the blurred half of the necklace in the background makes it more interesting. Maybe I need some insight from someone other than myself. Facebook it is!

Also, I found this awesome site that takes your ho-hum photos and tweaks them a bit to make them look sharper, brighter, and more professional. It's called Fotofuze. Here is the same pic after using this...

Big improvement, right? This is definitely the way to go if you don't have a professional photo studio. I think I'm going to go take another fifty photos now.