No Smiling for the Camera

Update.

I have managed to pack next to nothing for my upcoming move (hurrah for avoidance!), but I have gotten some serious work done on the collection. In fact, the design work is finished and all production will be complete as soon as the box of chain (that I’ve been waiting forever for) arrives. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that arrival happens today. As pleased as I am with progress thus far, I cringe at what comes next. In fact, what’s next is my least favourite part of this entire process: the photography. Generally, I love to dabble in photography but trying to take clean, focused, representational pictures of jewelry is like trying to herd cats. Old, feral, bitchy cats. It is by far the most tedious and frustrating part of my job. Don’t get me wrong, in the end I’m always really proud of the photos we use on the website and in the blog but, believe me when I tell you that for every picture on the website we took forty blurry, skewed ones just like it.

So, what makes photographing jewelry such a bleeping downer? 1. Our camera. It too is old, feral and bitchy.  2. Unless you have tons of space; you have to improvise, set up, take down and put away some kind of ad hoc photo studio every time you want to take a picture. I usually fail at ‘put away’. 3. You have to light jewelry with the blaze of a thousand suns to get quality detail. Or most detail 4. Jewelry, much like hair, will rarely ever ‘sit’ the way you want it to, when you need it to. This can be rage inducing. 5. Fingerprints, shadows and glare. These are all like glitter; you’re not sure where they come from and you just can’t seem to get rid of them.       

On the bright side, I am married to man who wins at cameras so, I can usually trade a steak dinner (PG version) for photography skills and voila! I get to glaze over the whole miserable situation like my eyes in 4^th period math. Alas, hubby’s work schedule doesn’t always allow him the freedom to take my pictures and so, I have to take them my disgruntled self. This is one of those times. After two days of grappling with items 1 – 5, demonstrated here;

 I no longer feel compelled to take beautiful photographs of jewelry. I now feel like doing this:

It’s probably unusual for a peaceful vegetarian to draw themselves wielding a flamethrower but, whatever, it was therapeutic as hell! Anyway, despite any setback, I am REALLY excited to get this collection live on the website and in a jewelry cabinet near you so, until next time, it's back to work!