I will not flash...I will not flash... I will not...

Hi, my name is Splashin and I'm a chronic flasher.

There, I said it. I like to point, shoot, and flash. It's easy ... and the results are, well, not always so great. See what I mean?

Well, as I worked to start listing all those glass paperweights I told you about that I'm putting in the new vintage section of my shop as quick as I can, I discovered I'm a really lousy photographer! I really don't know how to take a detailed picture. Oh, I can handle a shot of the kids carrying on together or somebody making a funny face, and they turn out just fine for passing around the family or hanging on the fridge. But then, I'm not usually trying to sell that subject to anybody (then again,...)
When you're selling online and folks can't pick up the object and handle it themselves, you need to be sure your picture tells it all, just as though there were no words. (Likewise, your written description must also tell all as if there is no pic.)

Thank goodness for digital cameras. You can take hundreds of shots and delete all of them until you get it right. Okay, I've needed to settle for close to right. I'm still learning.

After a couple hundred shots that weren't usable, I took time to go online and look for some suggestions. There are tricks to getting good pictures of shiny glass transparent objects. I, obviously, haven't learned them all but I AM getting better.
Ideally, one should buy a great camera. I really do want one. For now, I have a tiny, easy to use, pocket size Casio that is at least 10 years old. It has a limited zoom range and is only 4 megapixels. (It was impressive when I first got it.) My setting options are limited. In it's favor, it's small and easy to carry everywhere. The best feature is, it simply plugs into my computer for downloading and came with its own software. There is no need to remove the card, -EVER. (I'm still using the original disc in it which has now taken well over 9000 pictures in 10 years.)

First rule is TURN OFF THE FLASH. Use natural light if possible. I tried to do this but I have an old camera that is sometimes determined to do things its own way. It took two days of hitting the OFF setting before the camera agreed to do that. It still is not consistent. Yes, a new camera is on my list of wants.Next, CLEAR THE BACKGROUND of clutter. This requires you to set up the space not just point and shoot where ever.

REFLECT THE LIGHT BACK ONTO YOUR OBJECT. Many folks do this with the use of a light box. (There are tons of online instructions for creating a light box.) I didn't do this BUT I did create a reflecting board and base. I did it in a kind of Rube Goldberg style. Not necessarily recommended but it accomplished what I set out to do and was quick, easy and free.
My first efforts were done on the spur of the moment without a lot of thought and planning. One article I read suggested using aluminum foil to reflect natural light. This helped but was not the solution. Or maybe it's just the way I did it. The writer suggested covering pieces of cardboard with foil and setting them in a fashion to form three walls around a foil "floor". He suggested setting this up on a table pulled close to a window.
I pulled my dining room table closer to the window then I quickly grabbed a roll of foil. I didn't have any appropriate cardboard on hand so I spread one piece on the table and then stretched a sheet between two tall objects (bottles), taping it to the bottles to form one wall. I repeated this effort for a second wall. forming a L-shaped "studio" so to speak. (Hey, I had to grab what was handy. I was in a hurry.)
I accomplished "better" pics but not "good" pics. I used some done in this "studio" and I did make sales using them. But I needed to do better.
Again, I worked cheap with what was handy but I planned a little better. This time, I went for a plain white background. I pulled the same table in front of the same window. I pulled the curtains back to let in full light. I made my reflecting boards a little more stable this time. I still didn't have cardboard available but I DO have a set of 3 Pampered Chef flexible cutting mats that are solid and an appropriate size. I simply covered them with white computer paper (taping the paper in place) and used one for a floor, and two for walls. This worked!! I think I finally got some decent pictures of these beautiful objects.






Look for them all in my shop within the next few days.

Where did all this STUFF come from?

About two weeks ago, I decided to start decluttering. We're trying to put a better spin on it though. We've decided to tell folks, "We're beginning to consolidate as we anticipate downsizing in the foreseeable future."


More precisely, between the two of us, we've been putting "stuff" in this house for over 35 years. As with most folks, more has come in than has ever gone out. It's one of the down points of staying in one place too long. No one has ever forced us to thin it out. At least when you move frequently, you have to go through all that accumulated stuff once in a while.

Actually, it seemed easy enough. I needed something from a shelf in the basement and had to move several things that were in front of what I wanted. As I moved them, it dawned on me that the only time I even looked at these things was when I needed to get something from that shelf. I really am not appreciating them. They're just sitting there - year in, year out. I brought all three of those items with me when I moved in. All three have sat on an out-of-the-way shelf for well more than a decade (or two). I came to the conclusion that someone else might love them more, now.

As they really are collectible items, I thought it should be easy enough to simply list them in my Etsy shop as Etsy allows the sale of handmade items, supplies and VINTAGE pieces. Etsy defines "vintage" as at least 20 years old. These things definitely qualified there. I took a few minutes and photographed them, scribbled down a description, determined a value and posted them in a new "Vintage" section in my shop.

I made the mistake of mentioning this at dinner. The Big Guy embraced the idea with open arms and proceeded to point out all kinds of merchandise we could sell just to clean it out of our house.

Check out all the vintage items that have been packed away in one small cabinet for over 25 years, never seeing the light of day in that time! Most are actually bonafide collectibles, too. In order to list these things in the shop, I need to research each one as to it's origin, manufacturer, etc. (These were not mine to begin with so I'm learning about each as I go along.) This has been no easy quick task. It is quite tedious and time consuming. And, then...

There's the challenge of getting each item photographed. Glassware and miniature items are quite difficult to get good shots of. It has been a learning experience all 'round for me. Believe me, I'm still learning in this area.

At least I HOPE I am learning as my photography skills NEED improvement - LOTS of improvement. For now, I tell folks I really need a better camera!)