Clutch-Me.Com

Learn. Make. Sell. All about clutches.

Tips for your digital camera

I get asked questions about how to improve many shop’s listings and product photos.  I have helped several shops make improvements on their photos and their sales have increased.  While my talent in photography lies in close-ups of jewelry, I continually work on developing my other skills.

One of my favorite shots from my jewelry shop. So sparkly.

However, I currently only use a simple point-and-click digital camera that is about 7 years old.  It’s a little dented and is not fancy but does the trick.   It’s not doing justice to my wide shots, in low-light conditions, or shots with any movement since I have no shutter speed to work with but for a straightforward, non-moving target, I get a lot out of an old cheap camera.

Sometimes I can time it right and get an "action" shot.

I use iPhoto on my Mac to straighten, sharpen, brighten the shadows and the overall exposure.  Sometimes, all I need to do is hit the “Enhance” button and instant improvements are done!  However, if I start with an out-of-focus, badly lit shot, there’s not much I can do.  But here’s a sample of where a little straightening (ok, a lot), cropping and better exposure can improve a terrible photo.

Before. I was laying on my side trying to snap the view. Makes you kinda dizzy...

After

For your clutch shop, I recommend taking time to set up the shot before you snap.  In fact, the majority of your effort should be spent on setting up the shot with the right lighting, backdrop, and positioning.  Here’s one of my favorite shots of my clutch kits.

I sell a lot of these kits because it's a good clutch, but also due to the photo. It's a good angle and shows off the clutch well with good focus on the subject. You can even see the texture of the fabric.

I just ran across an article on camera tips so click on the pic below to get to that article.  I hope it’ll help you in your picture taking!

Click to read full article.

If you’ve got any good tips, I would love to hear them!

~Winn

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May 2, 2012 Posted by | Helpful Tips | , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Clutches from my travels

Since moving temporarily to Viet Nam, my family and I have done a bit of traveling.  And every time I go somewhere, I see clutches.  They are tremendously popular in Asia and the styles run the gamut and can range from $5 to hundreds of dollars.  Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of every clutch that I saw.  Sometimes I would forget my camera, or my camera ran out of batteries.  Many shops do not allow cameras so I couldn’t sneak a snapshot in many times.  In every Asian country I’ve been to, all the shop girls stick by you like that Pretty Woman scene where Julia Robert’s character is in the shop and the girl is thisclose to her.  I also lost a trove of photos from our Hong Kong trip, but here are a few snaps of clutches from my travels.  I hope this variety will inspire you if you are ever in a creative rut.

**This just added.  I forgot these lovely mini leather clutches sold at the Emperor’s Palace gift shop in Tokyo, Japan.**

Coin clutches in Hong Kong. These were made with faux leather and appliques. They were quite good but I didn't like the small kisslock balls. Hard to open.

Evening clutch in Tokyo, Japan. This was quite expensive and handmade. It was in the boutique's main showcase.

Evening clutches from another shop in Tokyo, Japan. These were priced around $100 USD. Really nice variety for evening wear.

Coin clutches in Tokyo, Japan. Made from sequined fabric. I love the bead trim. Priced around $15-20 USD.

I hit the motherlode in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This specialty store sold evening wear and clutches. I was able to sneak in one photo before being hollered at. "NO cameras!" These were quite pricey and didn't look like there were many sold since these are special occasion clutches. The delicacy of the crystals and fabric and the bulkiness of some made them not very functional to me.

A flamingo clutch at The Bird Park gift shop in KL, Malaysia. The inventiveness of this clutch was quite evident.

I really quite liked the symmetry and shape of this one. It's cute and functional.

Did I mention that the panda is my favorite animal? I checked one thing off my list: I got to see real pandas (in Hong Kong) for the first time. This lovely panda clutch was well done, but again, the small kisslock made it awkward to open. There's a cute lion one behind it as well.

On the cheap end was this coin clutch. It was poorly made and quite stiff. Not functional at all. Shame, really. I liked the look of it though.

This was a nice mid-range price clutch. The strap was a bit long but the silk-like fabric had lovely pale pink blooms. Clutch in Malaysia.

April 12, 2012 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

   

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