Patinas, Products and Photography Challenges
A wise woman once told me that “there is no “it”. Everything depends upon how *you* want to accomplish things. That is actually freeing, not pressure!” The “it” she was referring to was my comment that sometimes I feel like I’m never going to get “it”. “It” can be the best way to take pictures of our products to show the patinas. I’ve always loved photography, but this “it” has been a real challenge. “It” can be the best way to do Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short. “It” can also be the best way to interact with people on Facebook.
Being fairly new to social media, Facebook has been my first foray into being more engaged with people about who and what Sunriver Metal Works is. Since we don’t have a store front, you have to find other ways to get your word out. Each person must find their own voice and method. Others can’t tell you the best way to do it. You also retain things when figuring them out yourself. But I digress. This blog entry is about the difficulty in representing our products in the best light, so to speak.
Photography
These three photos, for example, show the challenge of giving a first time buyer an idea of what the patina or colors in the finished product will look like.
The first picture is one that I took in our photo booth which consists of three photo lights with whiteboard for a backdrop. Even after setting the cameras’ white balance and slowing shutters speeds, the color still is not accurate. It’s also a challenge to eliminate any gray tones that will creep in with a white background. More editing of photos ensue to reduce the gray tones and resize the image for optimum website loading.
The middle picture was taken during the day in natural light on a white board. Much less editing needed, but the background is not “white” and the polished steel doesn’t show as well as photos 1 and 3.
The 3rd picture was taken by Mike’s phone camera. Great colors but frequently more editing because a whiteboard isn’t always handy when taking pictures! The ease of sharing these photos through Facebook and other channels, however, makes them a very attractive alternative.
I will continue to improve my photography skills through education and experience as time goes on. Additional blogs will also be added to let our friends in on how we progress through this exciting and challenging venture. We appreciate the support and advice we receive from others and hope we can someday do the same for other new business owners. We know we will always be challenged, but that’s what makes it interesting!