On taking shawl pictures

[alias]

I've knit a few shawls from the 'Victorian Lace Today' book (which I love) - but I have a problem.








I can't seem to take photos of them which show off both the patterns and the colours in the yarn as well as they deserve. Any suggestions for taking better pictures?

Comments

[cogknition]

Lovely! Thanks for sharing.

As for the pictures, I've been told that taking photos outside in the later afternoon gives the best lighting for photos.

[alias]

Ahh, thanks for the tip! That might help the colour problem, but I'm still stuck on showing the pattern well.

[wrongera]

Placing the shawl on a contrasting background tends to help with that. If your shawl's light-coloured, place it over something dark, and that'll help the pattern show up nice and clear in pictures, especially ones where there's already good lighting. If you're just aiming to show off the pattern definition and not the whole shawl that way, it's much easier to do a close-up shot this way too, so you can work with just a small sample of what you knit.

At least, those are things that I try to do in such situations.

[alias]

I'll try those, thank you.

[hyperbole]

Those are gorgeous!

I'm currently trying to learn good ways to photograph things too. =) Judging from what I see on Ravelry, a lot of people take their photos outside and draped in shiny ways. Maybe try draping the shawls over something in a contrasting colour that might shine through to show the pattern?

[alias]

... I can see myself having infinite garden adventures with a bedsheet now. XD

[hyperbole]

*giggledeath* I find that way funnier than is appropriate. :D

[alias]

I'll only be using it as a cape part of the time!

[beckyzoole]

[giggles inappropriately] Why not? It's May!

[alias]

Good point. What better time to shock the neighbours!

[nonethefewer]

They are all gorgeous, but that last one is absolutely stunning.  Nicely done!

[alias]

:) Thank you!

[apis_mellifera]

I generally take close-up pictures while the items are blocking in addition to pictures of the item after it's done blocking and free of pins & wires. Natural light is a bonus, definitely.

[alias]

Unfortunately, my blocking board is a very brightly coloured playmat! Not very flattering to the shawls.

[apis_mellifera]

That's when you put a contrasting sheet between the mat and your work. It shouldn't impede the drying or blocking much--I block on a bed and don't have problems in that department.

[alias]

Hmm, maybe I'll try that next time. I've always been antsy of blocking things on absorbent surfaces, for some reason.

[labellementeuse]

I read a massive discussion on ravelry about this recently - I think it was one of the big forums, maybe remnants or techniques & tips - and consensus was that blocking with absorbent substances, especially things like towelling which are specifically designed to dry shit, is better because moisture can be absorbed out of your FO and into the towel. I am not a really experienced blocker (and I block my shawls on my bed, so no choice about the absorbent thing) but a few people who were weighed in - try searching maybe!

Blocking photos do often seem to be great ways to show off lace.

[alias]

I will have a look around, thank you.

[ladyqkat]

Very pretty. I adore the green one.

When I read the first sentence, however, my brain parsed "Victorian" as "Vulcan". I guess I am somewhat excited about the new ST movie.

[alias]

:) I'm actually very pleased at how the green one turned out, since I knitted it in worsted-weight silk and didn't expect it to make lace as nice as it did.

Ahahah, I'd love to see some examples of Vulcan lace knitting, for sure.

[houseelf]

These are beautiful, especially the cream colored one.

[alias]

:) Thank you!

[beckyzoole]

They are all gorgeous; I love the pattern on the cream one!

I've seen some great outdoor photos of shawls, worn by someone dressed all in black or white, where the wearer's back is to the camera and their arms are spread out so the sunlight shines through the shawl. It's a good way to show off the pattern. It looks even better if the model is moving a little asymmetrically and the wind is blowing.

[alias]

It's a lovely design, yeah :)

Mm, I'm not sure I can get anyone to stand still long enough to do that ;) But I might give it a go.

[astro_noms]

I ran into a similar problem with my latest shawl--no roommates around to help with the holding of the shawl or taking pictures, so I used a blank wall in an empty room in the house to show off the stitches. Eventually I recruited my roommate to help out a bit but only got one useable picture out of that. As people have said, taking pictures during blocking is helpful for showing off details, as well as draping the finished project against a contrasting background. Close-up pictures are the best for details. Taking your projects outside is great, too--if you can get someone to help you out, you could shoot up from below the project, silhouetting it against the sky or something, to show off the detail.

[alias]

Thanks for the ideas! And that shawl is gorgeous.

[beckyzoole]

Oh my oh my oh my. That shawl takes my breath away.

How long did it take to knit?

[astro_noms]

Two month, give or take, including ripping out three or four repeats of the blossom chart at one point. Frustrating at times, a little monotonous, but SO WORTH IT. (Ravelry link.)