Hey friends! I hope you are all having a fabulous summer even though it is half over! I’m trying to savor every minute, hour, day and week we have left of no-backpacks, uniforms, yucky snack bags and homework. I may be sleeping until 9:00 too. Anywho… I have found yet another fabulous (yes I used the word fabulous again) Craftsy video to share with you! This one is less embroidery related, but sort of embroidery related in that it’s on PHOTOGRAPHY. More specifically, PRODUCT photography. This is something I struggle with so I couldn’t wait to watch this one. It took me a couple of days to watch all the lessons and soak it all in, but it was well worth it! There are a couple of lessons I need to re-watch as well.

Here are some of the highlights:

*Learn how to use natural light (window light for example)

*Good product photography = selling more in your online shop (our #1 goal, right?)

*Learn exactly what Aperture, White Balance, Shutter Speed and those other camera settings mean and how to use them to your benefit when taking product photos (this is the part that always confuses me!)

*A tripod is your friend (I need to get ours out and knock the dust off)

*The best time to take indoor photos using natural light

*How to tell the story of your product (adding props to really have your product tell it’s story)

*Different types of lighting, shadows and how to take outdoor photos

*Photo editing how-to (she used Photoshop, but I think some of the same features she used can be found in Photoshop Elements or other photo editing software out there)

This class is 1/2 off through next Wednesday, July 15th for my Applique Cafe Blog readers when you click on the link/photo below! As a reminder, when you purchase a video class from Craftsy, it is yours to keep. You can watch it over the course of 2 days if you want to (like I did). You can watch it 8 times if you want to (I will be watching the part about your camera 4 more times probably). You can pause to take notes, answer the phone, let the dog out or make a run to Starbucks if you want to. You can also ask questions if you need to!

Jessica is very calm and easy to understand and shows great examples of how to “style” your product for photos. She uses examples such as soap, jewelry and clothing, but I think her tips would be helpful with any product. With online sales, your photo is ALL YOU HAVE to sell your product! Make it look good! Click on the photo for the discounted class!