I have a love hate relationship with my bead pictures.  On the one hand, I feel a sense of pride when I look at a beautiful representation of my work.  On the other, pure angst when I can’t get them right.

There are many factors to getting a good bead picture.  Over the past 4 years I have come to learn the best lighting and set up.  I use white matt board, white foam core “walls” for bounce to fill in my shadows and natural outdoor light.  I know I have to take at least 3 shots of each bead pose.  My usual session is about 200 pictures.

Unfortunately, outdoors in New Hampshire means cold temperatures for a good part of the year.  Imagine me taking 15 or so shots of each bead strand with my bare hands, wind whipping my set up and the cold creeping up my body, because I’m on my hands and knees. Yah, I’m not having fun.

Often I get inside, download the pictures and find one or two that require a retake.  On a bad day, they are all bad and I want to pull my hair out trying to make things right with photoshop.  There is a lot of truth in the saying, “Photoshop can’t fix a bad picture, but it can make a good one great.” 

Ah, but then there are the good days.  The light is just right.  Not too much sun, not too dark, no bugs landing on the background, no dust coming from thin air; these are the days I just know I don’t need three shots of each pose.  Oh, I still take them.  But editing will be a snap.  As each bead talks to me from in front of the lense I can feel it.

Does my customer even notice?  Heck if I know.  It is my not so silent struggle to listen to the beads and let them talk to you. When they do, I’m having a great day.