Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Those are just plain....UGLY!

What a day this day has been at Sandypetals' studio. I have tried twice to photograph my jewelry so that I can list it here and in my etsy shop and on some other market places. Notice I said twice! I don't know what is wrong with me, but I have discovered that the pics I have taken of my jewelry stink. They aren't well lit, or there is some blurring,( blurred, an autofocus camera on a tripod?) so I deleted all of the first takes and tried again., Worst of all, I found that some of the earrings I have made are just UGLY. It was quite an eyeopener today when I went through my little box of treasures anxiously visualizing all the pretty little pieces proudly showing off in my shops, excitedly waiting for new homes.
I have heard it said that "blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused" and I have to admit that I have been quite amused with myself today.What was I thinking?, how could I have put those combinations together? The really funny part is that I can picture my husband and child, playing the Abe Lincoln "hey does my butt look big in this dress?" scenario through their minds when I showed off my prizes and asked their opinions.
I thought that the little creative spurts I have been having at 1 or 2 AM lately were a good thing. Boy did I "thought" wrong! Those wee hours of the morning should definitely be spent dreaming! Now that I have confessed my design flaws, I have some questions for you.
What is the "ugliest" combination you have put together? ( come on, I can't possibly be the only one). I know that some others may like and be drawn to what seems unattractive to me, but if I wouldn't wear a piece of jewelry myself, should I try to sell it for someone else to wear?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Life is often not so easy for the self-taught jewellery-designer! I say this as a sister-jewellery-maker! Your words are so familiar!
When I first got interested in beading, I strung lots and lots of necklaces, trying every kind of shape and colour combination! I put these jewels in a box for save-keeping and did not look at them for months. When I looked at them again I started sorted them into different categories for re-stringing! They were so ugly!

So you are not the only one to see your treaures turn into trash! But don't be sad! You have learned something! Your next batch of handmade pieces will be so much better!
Best wishes,
Anna

Theresa said...

I'm no photo expert but I have one major piece of advice....use your timer on your camera! Ever since I started to use mine my photos are always crisp, no blur. Also, I use a lightbox with no lights in a bedroom that doesn't get a lot of natural light but enough. I set the camera to daylight and adjust the ISO and exposure. I take at least a couple of shots in the same spot with different settings. Don't forget to check out Moonangelnay's blog, she's on Entrecard. She has some excellent tutorials which I just blogged about recently. Good luck! I once spent a LOT of time on a beadwoven pendant with a lot of seed beads and crystals and ended up tearing it apart as it just was horrible. Ruby and Olivine crystals that ended up all wonky.

Deborah Lambson said...

Theresa has some really excellent advice..I would also add, find the white balance on your camera and use it always..it will change your photos big time...

and ugly is in the eye of the beholder. I love all of my babies..:-)

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