Date Time

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

"Photo Tips"


Are your photos to dark, to light, to blurry or washed out? Here i can give you a few tips on how to take some really nice looking pictures with an average inexpensive camera. The best camera will probably be from your smart phone which i used for taking these pictures. One draw back with my camera is that it is sensitive to light so you will notice the lights from my village pieces are a bit washed out and i cant turn off my flash, but we wont be using a flash so turn yours off if you have that option. We will be using only natural light and or back lighting from a house lamp.

I find that using natural light coming in from your windows is the best lighting. To get the best effect wait until dusk to take your pictures. If it gets to dark and your flash starts working, turn it off or add some back lighting from a table lamp or ceiling light to keep it from going off.

When not using a flash at lower light your shutter will stay open longer to let in the light so you will need to keep your camera as still as possible to avoid a blurry picture. You can use a steady hand or you can get a smart phone portable tripod for about five dollars.

To get a spooky effect for my vignette i bought about six yards of Halloween material at JoAnn Fabrics. The fabric helps tone down any harsh light that might seep in. If your display is in a room that only relies on fluorescent lighting you may want to undo a few bulbs to lower the light.

The next three pictures were taken at dusk, but i did use a lot of back lighting from table lamps, just enough to keep my flash from activating. You don't want to use a flash because it washes your picture out to much and you won't get that nice rich tone.




Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Photo Shoot/Review


One of my favorite in the series of "Rest In Peace" crypts. This years crypt for 2016 is really nice with a Gothic look and a lighted torch at the entrance.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Re-Painting Props 3


Another interesting find at Micheal's. This one is a pedestal clipboard. I like this one for the deep wood grain of the sign and the clipboard.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Re-Painting Props 2



I went and got another frame to try out some other painting techniques. I decided to leave the chalkboard in thinking i would want to write something on it, but my handwriting is not a thing of beauty. Thank goodness for computer art programs.