Manic Monday anyone? Maybe we should make it Margarita Monday?

Two things on tap today:

1. Some items for sale

2. A little bit on my picture setup

I have 600 of these glass jars. I inherited them from my grandparents. They've all been washed, so they look just like the ones that I have below.
The tomato can is just for size comparison. I don't have 600 of those :)

Specs:

Approx. 5.25" tall and 3" diameter opening at the top

I have a few and this is what I use them for [among other things]:

I think the most ideal purpose for these with the large quantity that I have would be for weddings. I use one of mine for candles, and I think it looks super cute. There are obviously endless possibilities for this, but here's mine:

I'm selling the batch o' 600 for $500 plus shipping. That comes out to 83 cents per jar. You can leave a comment on this post if you're interested [or if you know someone who is, tell them to email me!], or they'll be listed in my Etsy shop later this afternoon. I am willing to break them up into smaller batches, but no smaller than 100 jars per batch. I would then adjust the price accordingly depending on how many you'd like.

Now on to the photography!

I don't have a fancy camera. I have a Sony Cyber-Shot. It has fit my needs for the past few years. But now I'm wanting to take nicer pictures for the blog, and in the last few weeks I have been making that attempt to get away from my phone's camera for nicer shots. 

Want to see my set-up?

 In my sewing room if the light is right.

On my screened-in porch.

Fancy, right? Yes, folks, that IS a roll of wrapping paper. Silver wedding wrapping paper, to be exact. When I'm inside I have to tape one end to the wall, but outside I just rest the roll on top of the sofa. It works fantastic! I don't have space for a light box. Or the inclination to build one myself, if I'm being completely honest. 

If you want to go the wrapping paper route I have a few tips:

• Use wrapping paper that isn't so cheap that you can see the design through the paper. You don't want that showing up in your pictures. I just use whatever wrapping paper I have on hand. I don't buy the rolls especially for this, although you could.
• Make sure to roll it up when you're not using it. This will help prevent wrinkles which take away from the photo [you can see wrinkles in the photos up top; I usually edit them out]
• If you're taking pictures of something that needs to stand [like my vase and can above] put something hard underneath the paper to help prevent wrinkles. This isn't as big a deal if you're taking your photos on a hard surface.
• Try to take the pictures outside if possible. A porch is ideal because it's not direct sunlight but you still get natural light!

Now let's see some unedited examples of using this method!

 Inside at approximately 1 pm. The light source is to the left in this photo.

 Outside. I don't always have this problem, but sometimes I get a blue tint to my photos. I use Photoshop, so upon editing this picture I would simply select "Remove color cast" which allows me to select an area of the photo that is supposed to be white, and it would correct the photo. This is what I did to the photo above with the bench.

 Outside. You can take photos from above...

 ...or from straight on, which is helpful for fabric stacks or things that you'd like to maintain proper perspective of the object [like the vase].

 Outside. Obviously the best thing about this is that you let whatever the subject is take the focus of the photo. There is no background to take away from the hexie.

 This photo was taken at midnight on the floor of my kitchen. It has been edited. This is really important, because I do so much of my sewing at night. No matter how good your editing software is, you still want to start out with the best raw photo possible or else it's still not going to look good. I was able to correct the photo so that the colors are accurate because the white background allowed enough light reflecting into the photo.

Now, obviously I'm not any kind of a professional photographer. This is just what works for me using the cheapest materials. But hopefully if you're in limbo with your photos, but looking to make a quick/cheap improvement then this will help you!

Let me know if you have any questions! And tell us in the comments if you use any photo tricks! :)

*Linked with SewHappyGeek