I swear, I don’t know how the time slips by so quickly. The second Caulfield sample is done; the pattern is off to the tech editor, some tremendously fun swatches are being worked into submissions, and my plans for the fall continue at full steam. (Wait. Maybe that’s how the time slips by so quickly?)
Since I’m in a lull, knitting-photo-wise, this seems like a fantastic opportunity to tell you about one of the most exciting things ever–my wonderful photographer Caro has released an online course on product photography with the extra-awesome platform Craftsy.
Of course I signed up right away–while I’m lucky enough to have Caro take my FO shots, who doesn’t want a lovelier blog? Photos are such an important part of how we share our craft online that I jumped at the chance to make mine better. I thought you all might be interested in my thoughts about the course; if you like what you read and want to learn great tips from Caro, too, use this discount code to get $10 off of the class price:
Cick here for the discount!
(Discount code reduces price from $39.99 to $29.99.)
So what’s the class about? I feel like I should start out by saying that what the class isn’t–in particular, this isn’t Photography 101 at your local college, aimed at folks who want to be art majors or professionals. There’s some overlap in terms of basic facts with something like a Photo 101, but the point of Caro’s course is to learn how to shoot your craft product/project. She encourages you to read your camera’s manual, but doesn’t read the manual for you, if that makes sense.
Instead, she offers completely invaluable tips about how to ensure the photos of your product or project have the maximum impact possible, and fit in with your own aesthetic as a crafter. I think the importance of this cannot be overstated. Let’s face it–most of us don’t want to know how to calculate the proper F-stop based on available light, shutter speed, and film sensitivity. We just want nice pictures on our blogs, etsy, craftsy, or ravelry pages. This class will help you take nice pictures. With whatever camera you have, be it SLR or iPhone.
There are 10 lessons in the class, covering topics from discovering your own personal photographic style through color theory, composition, and preparing for/executing a shoot. Editing is covered briefly, as are camera settings. To go along with the class, you get helpful download materials like a shoot prep / shot checklist, online resources, and such. My favorite was the class on color theory–it really helped me identify both the color style I like, and how I might be able to achieve some specific looks I’ve been thinking about for future sweaters. My favorite? Complimentary color schemes. They’re so energetic!
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how fantastic the Craftsy platform is. Some of my favorite things: You buy a class once, you have it to watch and re-watch as often as you want. As you’re watching the videos, you can pause at any point and ask a question in a helpful little box next to the main video. Your question gets annotated with the time in the video you ask it, to facilitate communication with the instructor. You can also see questions others have asked, and any ensuing discussion. If you don’t want to ask a question, but just want to take notes, there’s an online video notes section you can use too.
Further, when you add a project to Craftsy you can link it with the class, and then it becomes part of the class project page, too. (Lots of great stuff there now!) I’m overall just incredibly impressed with the class-taking experience–both in general, and in the particular. Shoot It! will totally take your craft photos to the next level.
Amy Herzog Designs