Hi, everyone! I apologize for making you wonder if I'd breathed my last, since I hadn't posted for almost two weeks. I've been so busy reshooting all but one of the Shop pics with Dominique modeling the garments. Not just one shot of each item, but two or three of each pose, just to make sure at least one of each would turn out well, so my digital camera - a Canon Powershot A-4000, which I absolutely love - got an honest-to-goodness workout! The project took longer than anticipated, because I was not satisfied was the pose I'd put Dom in for some of the listings, so I ended up doing them over with the back view of her sitting.
I said "all but one of the Shop pics" because there is one I like so much I can't bear the idea of replacing it. It's the main pic of my Cotton Multicolored Daisies Dress: a closeup of her modeling the dress, with part of my flower garden in the background. The delicate while alyssum and orange marigolds were a built-in prop. They complement the print of the dress so well, and they aren't distracting, IMO (hopefully humble).
The ideal photo background in Etsy's eyes is white, but try as I did I could not get the tan out of some of the pics. How that got there mystifies me, since I took them at the same time of day with the vertical blinds fronting my bedroom window wide open. At least I have the satisfaction of having done my very best, using Picasa to crop and to adjust the color, contrast and brightness. I really like Picasa because of its simplicity. All you need to do is click on the "color" and "contrast" buttons, click on "crop" to use the cropping feature, and move the brightness "lever" with the mouse. For adjustment of the background, since it sometimes comes out blue or yellow, I resort to Picmonkey's color balance feature.
Enough rambling about the new, improved (a term borrowed from the advertising trade) photos. Now I'm practically counting the hours until the UPS truck makes its delivery here tomorrow. I'm getting a Kindle Fire, which I ordered from Amazon. It will put a happy end to my having to lug a heavy bag full of books to my spiritual meetings and will thus be a boon for my degenerated lumbar spin, which is about ready for the dumpster.
About a week ago I somehow managed to squeeze in the time to sew and list a fleece coat, the print/stripe of which is similar to the one with green on the sides and is also different in that it has a pocket on the back for keys, doo-doo bags, etc.
I just tried uploading a pic of the coat - an exercise in futility, which means the server is probably busy. I'll try again later.
Recipe time: Tuscan Sweet Potato Salad. This yummy concoction serves 4.
1 lb. sweet potatoes, cooked and drained
2 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced
1 cup bell pepper strips
2 ox. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 TBSP. fresh basil, cut into thin strips
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and cheese; add basil. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together oil, vinegar and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad, and toss to blend. Cover and let stand up to one hour to blend flavors. Enjoy!
That's all for now. Be back later. Take=care!
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Hi, Sally, Hi Dom--
ReplyDeleteI'm finally catching up on my blog reading. I wanted to say you might want to give fotofuze.com a try for getting your white backgrounds for Etsy. It's super easy, as is evidenced by the fact that I can do it. I couldn't figure out how people got that pure white background either until I stumbled upon that site. Dom looks sweet in her natural state! And you're obviously a very adventurous and accomplished cook. What's your background with that--talented hobbyist, professional??