in the trackless desert
Strolling through the archives of my past attempts at being artsy-crafty…and I am reminded that even though some things look pretty lame…I did enjoy the moments and the process. So let’s have a chuckle together and have a look at a thing or two as the days go by.
Chuckle #1
First try at pyrography on a gourd
Click for the pattern on the Yarn Pixie blog
Is the lighting less than flattering for all those objects you have photographed? You know the ones … that vintage vase from Aunt Matilda with the kitchen range in the background, the awesome glass jewelry project with the glare from the flash that completely obstructs any reasonable view of the details, the fabulous hand-tooled leather bag you worked on for days with such a washed out image that it may as well have been made from burlap … where’s the depth? what happened to the colors? how did THAT get in there? why do I need sunglasses to look at the photo? eeeiiiooouuu
The obvious answer is a Light Tent like the professionals use, but those can be pricey.
We’re all for Do It Yourself, right? We really like cheap … oh no … that should read “inexpensive.” So how ’bout some of both?!
• How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio – Strobist
• How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent – DIY – Digital Photography School
• The Making of a Light box – Drawings In Motion
• DIY light box – Make Magazine
• Create a Macro Studio Light Box / Tent for Free! – Some Life Blog
• Studio Lighting – Super Simple Light Tent – DIY Photography
or purchase
• Harbor Freight Tools – Collapsible Photo Tent
• EZcube Light Box – plus several how-to use it instructions
» How-To Video – Folding a Collapsible Photo Tent – YouTube
And if that is not enough; you know what to do … Google search light box tent!
Cute blog with a project or two – mmmcrafts
The Desert Ironwood is my favorite desert tree. Ours is finally blooming after several years and here ’tis!
Desert Ironwood Tree - Olneya tesota
Lots of thorns, which makes it the perfect home for birds. They can tolerate the pointy stuff, but the neighborhood kitties; not so much. The flowers are about 1/2 inch wide and are followed by pea-pods. The wood is incredibly dense and can be polished to a shine like stone. They can live to be 500 years old!
