Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Back to the Light Box



It's raining today - a mixed blessing. It has been so dry and hot here, the rain is most welcome. Being a true Oregonian, I rather prefer it cool and moist (hence my nickname "Mushroom"). But there is one reason that I will be sad to see the sun go away. I take my photos on the back porch where the fiberglass roof diffuses the sun just so. I prefer to have a certain amount of color in my Etsy photos. And since my favorite color is green, I usually have a picture or two of each item photographed against a green leaf from the sorbaria bush outside of my porch. I also often include a carved wand I bought for my husband in Glastonbury, England. A little green, a little magic....


But with the disappearance of the sun, I can no longer take my photos on the back porch and have to use a light box instead. Up until the first frosts, I can still include the requisite sorbaria leaf, but after the New Year, it's all rather....white. I'm not a fan of white, although it does show off the piece with no distractions.

So what do you think? Do you prefer the stark and uncluttered image from the light box or the colorful image from the back porch?

6 comments:

  1. i like your little bit of green magic better.. you can always put a sheet of cardstock in the light box during the winter so it's not so snowy white.

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  2. i think the light box is better to showcase the item by itself... i love the backdrop with natural elements too... maybe you can try putting some lacy fabric or any sheer fabric on top of the light box to show less contrast and soften the starkness of the light box, what do you think? i hope that helps :)

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  3. I don't dislike the white Cenya although as you say it can look a little stark at times. I don't know a great deal about light boxes but is it perhaps possible to drape a light coloured scarf or something over it which reflects the light but perhaps softens the glare a little? You could have fun with all kinds of patterns and colours that way!

    Kate

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  4. Both images are beautiful in their own ways. I am a stark white kinda gal, but I see the beauty in the leaves as well. I think we all just need to represent ourselves in the way the pleases us best.

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  5. you can certainly add things to your light box to make it not white- some fabric or cardstock are the easiest. For me, I used the same table top that I take my photos on outside in the sun... it unscrews from its legs and fits perfectly in my light box. The trickiest part was balancing the lights so that they were not too harsh and looked as much like sunlight as possible.

    If you look in my shop, one of my bracelets pics were taken in the light box, the rest were from outside... I think its hard to tell the difference!
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyOrcaDreams

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  6. No doubt -- back porch. It brings more life into your pieces. :)

    -- Birgit

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