Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Create your own memory books today. Learn  how to preserve and share family memories quickly and easily! DIY or have a pro help!

My dad used to only shoot slide film so he had to drag out the projector and force everyone to cram together on the sofa to watch me and my brothers grin for the camera. He was a talented photographer; but we actually rarely saw his work or our smiling faces.

Since the introduction of digital cameras, our hard drives have become stuffed with birthday wishes, Christmas cheer, baby coos and party antics.  Huddling around a computer monitor is worse than Dad’s Kodak projector (see pic above).

Today thanks to digital printing and online resources, you can easily create your own bound memory books. Plus there are some professionals out there to help you do justice to your family photos.

Organize your photos and decide on a theme. Choosing a theme will help you select the best photos to tell your story. You could just drop in different photos but the best photo books are those which have a strong theme. You could put together only Christmas pictures or pictures where everyone is cooking and include some family recipes.

Choose your web-based publisher. Many sites come with easy to use templates. Knowing how many pictures you’ll need, sizes and color schemes can help you weed out the “just not right” pictures from step 1. Here are some DIY book publishers with good reputations.

• Kodak Gallery Photo Books has an easy to use interface and Martha Stewart recommends them.

Check out this Martha Stewart You Tube video on creating a Kodak photo book.

 

• Shutterfly has a fill-in-the-blanks template option or a you can create a more customized photo book.
• Smile Books has downloadable software or you can create your masterpiece online.
• Google’s Picasa users have a shop button which will take them to Picasa’s preferred printer providers. Great resource.
• Mac users are iPhoto to create their photo books and Apple even offers printing!
• Photo Book Review has a great comparison chart of photo book publishers.

 

Not Comfortable with DIY Projects?

You can hire a professional to create your photo books or custom digital scrapbooks (which can be printed and bound). Google personalized photo books and custom digital scrapbooks for more sources.

• Catching Keepsakes offers scrapbooking and photo project services.
• Digital Heirlooms can help restore your aging or damaged photos and create DVD slideshows or personalized scrapbooks.

 

Remember Garbage in, Garbage Out

Just because you have a camera doesn’t mean you can take a great picture. Brush up on your photo skills before starting a photo book project.

If you have a favorite photo that needs some tweaking. Find a Photoshop expert to remove the red eyes, enhance a sky or remove that ex-spouse. Google Photoshop designer or photo retouching for someone to help put the finishing touches on your photos. PhotoHand Professional Retouching provides this service.

Have family photos that are fading fast? You can have your photo library scanned professionally and color corrected. Scans can cost as little as as 10 cent each.

 

Thanks for stopping by again. Don’t forget to check out the newest releases in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store.

Many artisans and craftspeople use models in their product photos but are they doing it “safely”? Are you getting a signed model release when you snap those shots? It isn’t a “law” but it is good business practice to obtain legal consent before using someone’s image in your advertising and marketing.

A model release form is a simple single page document where the model (or legal guardian if you are photographing children) agrees that you have the right to use their image for business usage. Some professional photographers actually “pay” their models a dollar to solidify this agreement.

But she’s my sister-in-law? He’s my best friend? While we like to think that disagreements won’t arise – the fact is they do. With a signed model release, you don’t have to fear that someone could legally prohibit you from using their image after you’ve designed an ad campaign or sent out product releases. And should your model become a “recognizable person” you might find yourself in hot water later on.

If you have a prepared model release and explain its purpose, you’ll find most people will willingly sign. Be sure to keep these releases in your file for later reference.

The take away here is to obtain a model release before you use the person in your business photography – just to be safe.

If you’d like a model release form for your own use, complete the contact form on the Rose of Sharon Jewelry site and I’ll be glad to email you the version I’ve used during my marketing career.

While this may seem a silly recommendation – do the right thing and obtain a release. It’s only your integrity at risk.

Using the image of a celebrity (even if they are deceased) in your marketing/advertising/promotion is a NO-NO! Their livelihood is tied to their image and legally they “own” it. A picture of Elizabeth Taylor or Lady GaGa used in a way that implies they endorse you or your business may seem like a great idea – until someone decides to object.

Orion is going to be another Richard Avedon. Who knew a 3-year-old could even take photos? Let alone ones you’d keep.

Here’s a few pictures he took this week. My daughter-in-law Dawn was posing with some vintage scarves for an upcoming blog feature when Orion raised his chubby hand, shouting “Me, Me, Me.” I thought he wanted his picture taken but that didn’t make him happy. He wanted my camera.

So I kept the camera strap around my neck and let him shoot away with the Canon Rebel and a pretty heavy lens. Every time the lens clicked, he giggled.

Here are some of his best pictures (with just a bit of cropping by Grandma). Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama (a.k.a. Dawn)

Grandma’s Garden

 

 

 

 

 

Toes (a self portrait)

 

 

Here’s Master Photographer Orion on his 3rd birthday.

Photography is all about practice.  3-year-old Kael was in a playful mood so he was my subject during  Sunday’s lens practice. My goal was to get a feel for the macro functions of my new Tamron lens.  Mr. Bugs (his nickname) isn’t normally a cooperative subject, but as you can see from the smile he was enjoying mugging for the camera.

 

  

---

Got my new Tamron lens for my Canon Rebel last Friday. Splurged on an award-winning 18 – 270 mm telephoto with macro capabilities.  I’ll post some test photos over the next few days as I have to make certain that I feel comfortable with all the features so I don’t miss a single shot on our upcoming trip.

I really needed (read – a good excuse for) a powerful telephoto lens to document  my 12 yr. old grandson Hunter’s once-in-a-lifetime racing school weekend in Sonoma, CA at Infineon Raceway in 2 weeks. 

Hunter has shown some real promise behind the wheel and racing is part of our lives (from friend Jim’s SCCA wins to Formula 1 trips to naming grandson Kael Senna after a beloved F1 driver).

I wasn’t going to be part of the “boy-weekend” but then I was drafted to be the official track photographer for the Fullen boys. I agreed with the one condition – I get a new telephoto lens.

We’re looking forward a fabulous weekend on and off the track. The Jim Russell School is quite famous and the track is a wonderful place to learn and have tons of fun.  Plus Grandma gets to spend a little time in the Wine Country.

 

---

I enjoy taking pictures of my family and garden and I’ve got some great shots to prove it.  But I must confess I’m just an above average photographer when it comes to creating product shots of my handmade jewelry. I’ve invested in semi-pro equipment, spent time studying and am constantly experimenting with my studio shots.  But I’m still not satisfied and know I can do better.  The photos I have posted in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store are pretty color accurate as I  want customers to make the right choices. But they just don’t pop and often have inconsistent background shading. As a former marketing director, I’ve hired photographers, accessed photo campaigns and selected lots of product shots so I know what the “right photo” is. But as a photographer, I’m missing the mark.

I'm a rabid NPR (National Public Radio) fan. Honest news (facts), great interviews and enlightenment all at once. On today's trip to the bank, an author was discussing the writing life. During the short trip, I realized that instead of complaining about all the photography, web work, blogging, social networking - basically anything that "robs" me of jewelry making time - is actually an important part of the creative process. All are creative and instead of fighting I need to open up to the possibilities.

That doesn't mean I don't need to prioritize my jewelry designing - it just means that without the "butt in the chair" time, I won't be rewarded with the results I want - for all of you to be able to own a handmade piece of jewelry that I made!

So starting today - less mumbling, more time looking for the possibility to paint the "boring" stuff with the creativity brush. A nice swatch of rich red  all over it would be nice.

Wouldn't it be great if actions were colors? What color would your favorite creative endeavor be? What color would your family time be? What color would you be while enjoying your life? Just leave a comment so we can appreciate your colors.

Here's what my Deepest Red creativity color looks like a beautiful red coral necklace! Thanks for the inspiration Mom.

 

Betty's newest series of beautiful hand beaded cross necklaces (part of our marathon photography session this week) will debut in  ROSJ store next week. Her original designs feature everything from simple sterling silver crosses to ornate gold filigree versions with Swarovski crystals. Here is a sneak peak of my personal favorite with luscious green Malay Jade - Betty calls this necklace Wisdom. If you are interested in this design before it appears in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store - send me an email and I'll provide you with pricing, etc