Photography: First Attempts

I know (almost) absolutely nothing about photography. My sister got into photography slightly after she won a contest for her photo from India of women in saris at a river. (My memory is failing me at remembering the details of this photograph.) She received a nice print of the photo and a Canon camera. After that, she took some time researching photography and using her nifty camera.

I, however, have never owned a super nice and nifty camera. My camera history has been:
1) film camera for 11th birthday - eventually donated to Goodwill with half a roll of film remaining inside
2) digital camera with 3.2 MP - dropped on its lens at Marjory's birthday party/Fourth of July party in 2008 when we were playing with sprinklers
3) A pretty navy blue digital camera - believed to be floating around Mount Rushmore, lost on the road trip to Washington (still a little upset about this one)
4) A pretty bright blue Panasonic Lumix - has developed a small gray spot in the middle of every picture, either a spot on the inside of the lens, or a burned out pixel (via advice from the Best Buy employee)
5) John's Samsung camera, purchased in Mexico when said spot on other camera was discovered on day two of our honeymoon.

I could very easily get my bright blue camera spot fixed. It just hasn't happened yet. Little embarrassed that it's been almost a year and it's just been chillin' in my nightstand.

I don't have terrible cameras, but they are definitely not professional grade. I have never really had an interest in it. I appreciate other people's photography, mainly because I can't reproduce it that beautifully.

Except now.

Now I have to photograph items I want to sell online.

I have to compete with the gorgeous views and artistic close-ups that gain sellers 10,000 sales. I'm trying my best, but my best attempts seem childishly amateur compared to the other photographs I see.

I started with my turquoise earrings.

So I thought the IKEA box lamp would be a good feature. I think these turned out okay, but not great.

Do you know what that candle holder is? You guessed it, an upside down wine glass.

Next I tried using my candle holder in the guest room as a prop.  Teal, teal - it would match right? Well the background is too dark and busy. I think it takes away from the earrings.

Yuck. Dark and blurry. 

Next attempt was using a white sheet as a backdrop. I did not like the way this was going, so I went back to the teal, then decided to call it a night because it was getting too dark in the pictures.

Still have yet to find a decent way to photograph this bracelet and earring set.

The next day, I sought out my sister's advice, which was to use a white or dark backdrop and lots of natural light. From the Internet, I gained the advice:
1) use a tripod and timer
2) use the macro setting (the little flower)
3) don't use a flash

I took to the back patio and got to work. I finally decided on the white trashcan to use. (Laugh all you want, it was the perfect lip for earrings.)

First attempt was still blurry. 

But I began to feel like I was getting somewhere.

I took a bunch of group shots of earrings and reaped a couple good ones. The next day, I continued with some different earrings. 

Still outside, this time with a placemat and foam board.

I wanted to see how the piano wood would look as a background. 

Attempting to capture the variations in bead patterns. 

Then, of course, I read an Etsy forum where users basically bashed anyone who included group shots for individual items or included extras in the photos that weren't included in the sale. 

For example:

"My personal feeling is that I won't buy from shops that show other things that are not included, or multiples when only one is being offered. I immediately click away, and never come back."

I was so disappointed. Was all my hard work really just to driver buyers away from my site and never return? I thought I was being thorough, in showing the slight variations among the beads and earring sets. I do not want to start again and photograph all my earrings again.

I want to know how to get good close ups of one set.

Like this one or like this one

Without hours of photoshop. I don't even own photoshop software, and I don't want to buy it. iPhoto is the most editing I can do.

So, am I heading in the right direction? I hope so. I like to think there are marked improvements from day one, diving in headfirst, and day two, arriving with goggles and a plan. But I don't know how to take it further to get amazing and clear close ups. The ones people ogle over and pin over and over again on Pinterest. Can I get there with a plain ole point and shoot camera? Can I get it without investing in a studio setup and lights? I guess time and new photographs will answer those questions.

If you have some advice on the photos I have up, please browse through them here and post any comments here.