DIY Life http://www.diylife.com DIY Life http://www.diylife.com/media/feedlogo.gif DIY Life http://www.diylife.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/How to photograph jewelryhttp://www.diylife.com/2007/10/23/how-to-photograph-jewelry/http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/23/how-to-photograph-jewelry/http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/23/how-to-photograph-jewelry/#commentsFiled under: , ,

bracelet and earringsOne of my artistic addictions is making beaded jewelry. It is incredibly soothing to me to create an eye-appealing pattern and string the beads. The only thing I find frustrating about it is trying to take a good picture of my pieces.

I've tried indoor shots, outdoor shots, flash, no flash, white background, black background, different angles of lighting, manual focus, auto focus, manual aperture, auto aperture, you name it. I thought I had tried everything short of purchasing one of those crazy light box studios, a desperate measure to be sure.

Then I found it. Right there, online, for the world, including me, to see:

Have you ever thought of using your computer scanner to take pictures of your jewelry? I sure hadn't, but now I am sold.

%Gallery-8951%The lighting is perfect and the jewelry comes out true to color. There is no funny glare making the jewelry appear blurry. The details are vivid and I am nothing short of thrilled with the results.

You can even try some fancy things with your scanner, as recommended by Home Jewelry Business Success Tips, like using unique backgrounds and even putting your hand in the scanner.

For now, I love my results with just the simple light of the scanner and my jewelry only. And after struggling with my digital camera to monumental frustration levels, the ease of the scanner is like a serene sail on a clear blue lake.

Have you found a good trick for photographing your jewelry?

 

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]]>aperaturebeadingfeaturedfocusjewelrylightingphotographyscannerDebra McDuffee2007-10-23T16:00:00+00:00Read green by using online libraries at home.http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/04/read-green-by-using-online-libraries-at-home/http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/04/read-green-by-using-online-libraries-at-home/http://www.diylife.com/2007/10/04/read-green-by-using-online-libraries-at-home/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

keyboard pictureIt wasn't so long ago that well-meaning parents, scholars, and knee jerk social engineers were pointing at the dawning of the computer age and claiming that computers were going to usher in increased illiteracy. These people had visions of video screens full of pictures which were activated by keystrokes, and they foretold the rapid demise of the written word. In bold defiance of that warped assertion, I kindly write this blog post.

These days, any person with a computer available to them has many virtual libraries right at their finger tips. These painstakingly assembled databases are growing daily and are providing hungry readers with every type of literature you could imagine. From pulp romance to legal text books and everything in between, it's now more readily available to the average reader than ever before. Let me provide you a few good examples:

ReadPrint.com has an ever-growing selection of classic literature which can be easily searched by author's name, directly from their home page. The site features no flashy advertising or unneeded graphics. Just go in, look around, and grab a book, or click on one, as the case may be.

The Online Books Page is a labor of love for John Mark Ockerbloom, and features over 25,000 online books. The subject categories are as vast as your imagination and the site has additional features to keep your curious eyes interested. You can even help with the project or request a special upload!

Bartleby.com is a very interesting online library with a focus towards more intellectual writings. The site is excellent for student research and it features categories for reference, verse, fiction and nonfiction. Bartleby seems to have the corner on the market for early American literature.

So you see, we haven't lost all our books after all and I don't think the act of reading is going away any time soon. Perhaps we'll see some decline in the actual physical publishing of books but I think it's safe to say that the written word isn't going to fade away any time soon.

That should make some bloggers I know very happy.

 

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]]>alphabetbooklearnletteringlibraryliteraturenovelonlinereadtextwordwriteGary E. Sattler2007-10-04T18:00:00+00:00Tricks and tips for fun family photoshttp://www.diylife.com/2007/09/20/tricks-and-tips-for-fun-family-photos/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/20/tricks-and-tips-for-fun-family-photos/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/20/tricks-and-tips-for-fun-family-photos/#commentsFiled under: , ,

laying aroundTaking photographs of people can be hard enough, but when you want to capture a family memory for eternity the pressure is really on.

Baby Center has gathered some tips from photographer moms that help take the mystery out of photographing your family.

I for one can speak to Tip #1, which suggests that when you have the kids say "cheese," you are asking for an unauthentic smile. When we ask Owen to smile, not only do we get to see all twenty of his pearly whites, but the rest of his face scrunches up into an uber-squint. Not a good look.


Another great tip that really works for us is to shoot many, many pictures, because the chances that you'll get a good one are better that way. And really, since most of us have gone digital these days, what have you got to lose?

Some other tips they have? Go for candids and non-smiling shots to capture the way your children really look, turn off the flash and use natural light sources whenever possible and a step-by-step on how to get more natural looking photos.

Taking great photos of your family doesn't have to be stressful. So strap on that camera, go have some fun with your kids and take some pictures while you are at it. You are bound to get some great shots.


 

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]]>Baby-CentercameracandidsdigitalfamilyflashnaturalphotographsphotosportraittipstricksDebra McDuffee2007-09-20T11:00:00+00:00DIY Snapshot: It is all about youhttp://www.diylife.com/2007/07/18/diy-snapshot-it-is-all-about-you/http://www.diylife.com/2007/07/18/diy-snapshot-it-is-all-about-you/http://www.diylife.com/2007/07/18/diy-snapshot-it-is-all-about-you/#commentsFiled under:

snapshotWe love our readers here at DIY Life. We've never met another bunch of more intelligent, thoughtful, creative, and fun people anywhere. This entire blog is a tribute to the ingenuity that exists inside our own heads, our bloggers and readers included.

DIY Snapshot is your friendly blogging team taking a step back, and putting you in the spotlight, showcasing a DIY project that you have completed. If you have a DIY project gone wrong, or gone right, we want to hear about it. Each week we'll pick a fun DIY project that a DIY Life reader has completed and showcase it here for the world to see.

What we need from you to showcase your project:
  • a basic description of the project you're doing, and why
  • what you had to do to complete the project, this can be basic or detailed steps you took
  • how long it took you and any tool or materials you needed
  • a photo/video of the finished project (optional, but strongly recommended) and your permission to use the photo/video in the post about your project should you be chosen. NOTE: We will not accept photos/videos in email. Please upload your photos or videos to Flickr, and videos to either YouTube or AOL's UnCut video, and email us the link to your media. Also, please tag your photos with diylife on Flickr, which just makes it easier for us to find your pix.

 

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]]>projectreadersnapshotRyan Carter2007-07-18T12:00:00+00:00