Secret Stuff and Snaptastic Photo Results!

Hi all! I apologize for it being so quiet around here. Blogging will most certainly become more of a commitment in my immediate future, that's for sure. I was recently offered an amazing opportunity to join a well known group blog. I'm so excited! Joining a team like this will definitely help me make blogging more of a priority. Can't wait to share the news with you on that soon.

Also, I've been working hard on all secret jewelry stuff, lately. Mostly magazine submissions for 2012...and one other really BIG secret thing. At least, it's big to me. No, it's definitely big. Eeek! I'd be playing where all the professional jewelry girls and boys play if I got this. I haven't heard anything back yet, so wish me luck! I really want this thing to happen. I think it's the direction I want to take my jewelry career for the future. I wish I could tell you more, I just don't want to get too ahead of myself here, so I just can't go there. I know. I hate cryptic messages from people too, so I understand if you dislike me right now. ;)

Anyway, in other news, I finished up Kerry Bogert's Snaptastic e-course! Yay! I learned a lot and I'm improving on my jewelry photos tremendously! I still need a little more work and practice to be where I want to be overall, but I'm happy with the results I've gotten with the information Kerry shared in her course. You can still take the e-course, you know. Just click that link above. I highly recommend it! Here are a few of my new photos I took and edited while taking Kerry's e-class:

 Rainfall Earrings

 Blue Jean Baby Leather Wrap Bracelet

 Exotic Wishbone Earrings

You can see a few more on my Flickr page!

Taking Jewelry Photos

I'm thrilled that Kerry Bogert is offering an e-course of her Snaptastic! Photography class! I was considering attending ArtBliss this year to take the class there, but with a baby, buying our first home and finishing up the book, I just couldn't make it. Kerry is one of those people in the bead and jewelry world I admire very much for just about everything she does. I'd love to meet her in person someday, but I was really thrilled she was offering her class as an e-course. Now, that I can do! I have some new plans in the works and I really need to be taking better photos of my jewelry. I feel I used to be able to get some good shots when I could take most of my photos outside, but I don't have an outdoor space to take photos where we live now. I need to learn how to get better shots inside. I also need to learn how to use the settings on my new camera. Even though I have a point-and-shoot camera, it still has settings and modes for things like aperture, shutter speed, manual, program, etc. Ack! I have no idea.
The e-course will be starting in a just few days. You still have time to registrar and take the class with me. I was a little too anxious to get started, so I bought her e-book version and I've gotten a little head start! I made some new earring designs I'm very excited about, so I wanted to get some good shots of them. I've been taking photos for 3 days straight and I'm exhausted!

Below are photos I managed to come up with after reading Kerry's e-book:

These were taken in natural light. It was cloudy all three days I took photos, but I think I managed to get some okay shots. Still, a bit dark. These are probably the best photos I've ever taken of jewelry, so at least there's improvement! So, what do you think? Be honest, now. I'm looking to improve, so don't be shy with the critiques!