Just because . . .

"Loveliest of lovely things are they 

On earth that soonest pass away. 

The rose that lives its little hour 

Is prized beyond the sculptured flower. "

William Cullen Bryant
 

This was a happy accident. I snapped the photo in passing thinking that the light was not right, but it turned out to be pretty with light shinning through the leaves. Even if it's not perfectly composed, the color of that tiny rose is glorious.

Featured Artist: Laura Evans of levansphotography

laura

love. laugh. believe

laura evans/photography - capturing life

That line is the first thing you'll see when you visit the Etsy shop of Laura Evans and it is fitting. I've so enjoyed watching Laura's shop truly blossom over the past months. Browse for a few moments and you'll soon feel like you are walking through a gallery and appreciating the world through Laura's eyes.

vintage shutters

Laura currently lives in Germany and travels around taking photos of some amazing places. She manages to capture those allusive atmospheric qualities of each place.

a moody view of the Eiffel Tower

She also playfully captures the charms of every day items like clotheslines, road signs or a blade of grass. Take a deep breath. You can almost smell the oranges, the sea air and the snow.

blade of grass

all the fun of the fair

winter's dew

Laura's Etsy Shop

Laura's Blog
Laura's Facebook
Laura's Twitter

Jewelry Photos: Before & After

When I started making jewelry, friends and family wanted to see it. So I took some photos with my cheap little point and shoot camera. It didn't take me long to realize that there is a real art to photographing small shiny objects close up. One of these days I may know enough about it to write a tutorial, but for now I thought I'd show how I've improved over the last two years and share a few things I've learned. NOTE: I'm still using the exact same camera. Thanks to Gary for the photography tips!

BEFORE

This is actually a lovely set with a carved carnelian dragon pendant and green lace agate and carnelian beads. It's very hard to tell from this photo! I heard that natural light was best so I took this on my balcony when we lived in South Korea and yet it's still dark and fuzzy, the angle doesn't let you appreciate the piece and the composition is static.

AFTER

This is a new set that uses the same type of carnelian dragon bead in the pendant. I've learned to adjust the camera for better light and crispness, to photograph from a low angle, get really close-up and then crop the shot afterwards, to use an intriguing background and props to style the shots, and that I don't need to show the entire set in the first product shot on my website.

BEFORE

Believe it or not, this was a beautiful set using a black lip shell pendant that had Japanese wildflowers decoupaged on it's surface and garnet beads with black pearls. This was my attempt at a detail photo.

AFTER

My new attempt at a detail photo of a different set with a beautiful red jasper pendant--much better results!

BEFORE

This was a beautiful set. It even looks pretty good in this dreary photo. I wish I had gotten a better shot of it.

AFTER

This shot has none of the darkness and cast shadows of the previous shot, you can see every detail so that it looks like you can reach right out an touch it--a necessity when selling on-line where people cannot touch or try things on. Styling the shot outdoors in a natural setting with a touch of greenery makes it more appealing.

I'm searching for a new camera and hope my shots continue to improve.