Get Inspired: August issue 4 August Issue 4 | Page 156

Photographing our layouts for our blogs and E-zine submissions to help them look their best is very important, but not overly difficult. I am by no means a camera wizard, I do own a Canon Rebel but really only know how to use a couple of functions so the following tips will be completely at a beginner’s level. That said you do not require a fancy camera, any digital model will do. Nor do you require any specialized photography software. To start with, wait for a good photography day, and by this I mean the sun should be out. Artificial light leaves your photos grainy and dark, it also changes the colours of the products that you are using. I often wait until I have a pile of pages and photograph them when I have lovely morning sun I know this may not work for some schedules, so fit it in when you have good natural light. Not only will you have better photos you will have less editing to do, too. Now get your camera ready, turn off the flash and make sure you are taking a large photo, as large as you can. I set my camera to the largest setting possible. Turn it to “Auto,” and turn off the flash. This makes for a nice crisp photo that helps to showcase any dimension or texture on my layout. The next step is to place your layout on the ground where the light is good, but not in direct sunlight. I typically photograph my pages in my front entrance way. I can open the door to get good light but the sun is above the house so there are no harsh shadows. I do not have the space or budget for a photo booth, so this works well for me. Stand directly over your layout and line it up in the view finder or screen of your camera so that your layout is square with 3 of the four sides of the screen. It takes a little finagling the first time or two but you will get skilled at this really quickly.