10.26.2011

31 Days: Day 26

I LOVE going to antique, consignment, and thrift stores. Even if I just window shop, it's so fun to imagine the possibilities of having all of those treasures in my home. When I get to bring something home? Forget about it - so excited.

I love sharing my finds through pretty pictures, but how do you highlight a particular piece in your home?

This has everything to do with the composition in your photo, or how you use light and the angle of your photo to direct someone's eye. Ok yeah I know... not such an obvious thing from that description...

So let's look at pictures!
This is a lamp DIY that I've never taken good pictures for. So for today's post, I've taken a bunch of pictures and we can talk about which ones showcase the lamp best and why.

I usually like to have three pictures of anything I'm showcasing: an object-centered shot to just show you the thing, an artsy closeup for fun and visual interest, and a wide shot that gives the thing context in my house.

Object-Centered 

I'm not head over heels about this shot, but I think it does a really good job of just showing you the lamp. It's clear and pretty, just not particularly compelling. But then again, I just want you to see the lamp, so it's not necessarily going to be a stunning picture.


This object-centered shot is very to the point. There is the lamp, which is good. But, what I don't love about it is that the photo is portrait instead of landscape. It's just a personal opinion, but I think landscape pictures look a lot nicer on the internet because they fill out all of the negative space. Portrait shots have a lot of wasted space.

Artsy Closeups

I like this closeup a lot. It highlights the bingo letters in the lamp and looks really bright.

This closeup is really interesting. There's lots of color and texture, but the picture doesn't focus on the lamp very well. It's more like an interesting view of my porch from the couch...

Wide Shot

Here is a photo of how the lamp lives in my space. I like this picture a lot because you can see a lot of context, but the lamp is still really central to the photo. 

This shot is nice, but I've gotten too far out and the lamp isn't a very central part of the photo anymore. Just a couple of inches back, but it makes a huge difference!

So there you have it, three ways to highlight a particular piece in your home! Pick one of your own treasures and try it out - it's a lot of fun!