Learning Product Photography In An Afternoon

Sometimes my own can-do spirit is enough to get a project done... and sometimes I need to call in my reinforcements!  Such is the case with photographing my projects and products.  Despite having received four whole years of visual arts training in college, I somehow dodged basic photography!  Unbelievable.  This is when my friend and crafting colleague Christina over at Meadowlarking came to my rescue with an afternoon-long photography lesson! 

I just happened to have a bright and beautiful new apron sample on hand for the lesson, with which I learned that bright green summer leaves can sometimes make the best backdrop for vibrantly colored cottons... who knew?

This is my standard Flat Front Apron pattern, due for re-release by mid-July of this year.  I've been busy sewing up trunk show samples; this one features a bright Moda polka dot and the periwinkle Paradise Garden print from Amy Butler's Love Collection.  Summery, isn't it?  I can't wait to sew up and photograph the rest of my sample aprons - they are a motley group of colorful and witty cotton things.  There are no holds barred when choosing fun and bright fabrics for aprons... the brighter and more outlandish, the better.

As cute (and addictive to make) as these aprons are, they're notoriously difficult to photograph, making them the perfect photography student challenge.  We folded, we draped, we hung this apron on a hanger.  Christina suggested folding the apron in half and swept the ties to the side and - voila! - instantly more photo-friendly.

Of course, just getting the apron folded wasn't the only challenge... In learning how to best photograph the fabric, I also learned how to block and direct excess light using a piece of foam board... here you can see me acting as the gleeful photographer's assistant, blocking out all the dappled sunlight from our cheerfully-colored apron model.

While I am ultimately better trained to sew these projects than to photograph them, I came away from my lesson knowing my camera a bit better, and a I had more confidence about photographing lots of my upcoming projects.  I also have more enthusiasm, which only bolsters my can-do spirit!  Lights, camera, action!...  Awesome product photos, here I come!