The 2012 Calendar Search, part 1

Every year for the past 13 years, I have bought promotional calendars to give to my customers, so they'd have my name and contact information in front of them all year long.  This year I did not.  Partly because it was like pulling teeth to actually GIVE them away before February, even though I started handing them out in October.  Even though I bought fewer and fewer each year because it WAS so hard to give them away.  But the main reason I didn't get them this year is because the calendar company really pissed me off.  I'm not going to go into that whole story, but after they took money out of my bank account without notifying me first, I was done with them.

The problem with that is now I'm on a hunt for the perfect calendar for myself.  I always got a couple of designs that I really liked and used them in my home and in my store.  It's probably just a bit early in the year to find a lot of choices of 2012 calendars, but I ran across one by accident the other day that just took my breath away!

I love horses, and this collection is by one of my most favorite photographers on Etsy...irenesuchocki.  She apparently has more calendars, but I haven't dared look at them all yet.  I'll probably want them all!  I've already got several of her photographs in my official Etsy "favorites" list--she's just phenomenal!  You can see all 13 white horse photos and purchase this calendar here: White Horses Calendar  (Go ahead and buy it, I won't mind--I've already asked and she can make more!)

The only drawback to this magnificent calendar is that it's only 5x7".  I need a calendar that has a relatively large box for each day so I can write on it.  I'm getting to that age where if I have things to do or bills to pay and I don't write it down, it flies right out of my head!  Fortunately there's no rule that says you can only own ONE calendar...mwaahahahaha!

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The Driftwood Backdrop

Last month I posted about some interesting display items that a friend of mine had let me borrow to use for photographing my jewelry. I showed a picture of a cameo that I had taken on a chunk of pyrite, and the same cameo on a chunk of honey onyx. At that time I mentioned the fantastic big piece of driftwood he let me borrow, but I hadn't yet shot any photography using it. Well, I have now! I'm telling you, that thing is FANTASTIC! Every inch of it is different and every inch is beautiful and interesting. The picture above is a dichroic glass and amethyst necklace draped down the driftwood. I just love it! My friend is going to let me keep it for awhile, but sooner or later I'm going to have to get one of my own. I'm told to check out aquarium-supply places, as these large pieces of driftwood are often used to decorate big fish tanks. I sure hope I can find one as beautiful as this!

By the way, this gorgeous necklace is for sale in my Etsy shop!

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Photo Backgrounds

There is a guy who is a long-time customer of mine, who is a serious rockhound and who has a lot of spare time on his hands. He happened to come in one day a few weeks ago when I was working on photography and noticed the various backdrops I use to display my jewelry on when I'm taking pictures: a piece of wood with a light "interior" side and a dark bark "exterior" side; 2 different light grey patterned tile pieces, 1 beige patterned tile piece, and a small but very pretty piece of driftwood. (I also shoot outside on the edge of the courtyard water fountain, a cement bench, and various plants and leaves.)

The next day my friend shows up with a huge chunk of pyrite (fool's gold) for me to use in my photography. I'm not kidding, this thing is at least 10 inches long by 8 inches wide by 5 inches deep--the biggest chunk of pyrite I've ever seen. There's one section with glittering little square nuggety protrusions, and other sections where the rock is smoother but still has the "gold" flecks through it. A beautiful specimen, but my first thought was whether it would be too shiny to get a decent picture without glare from the flash.

A couple of days later he comes in with another big rock. This one is honey onyx--layers and striations of soft peach alternating with white, and an uneven, rocky face, which is perfect for displaying jewelry. Just gorgeous, and a nice neutral color that I thought would be great for a background.

Last week I finally got around to shooting some new photography using these unique pieces. You can see the results yourself--the same cameo pendant taken on both rocks. The pyrite is actually not as bad as I thought, but doesn't work well for every color of stone. With the right item, though, it's a really interesting background! And the honey onyx is fantastic--I don't think there was any piece that I tried to photograph that didn't look good on it. I'd love to get some comments on what YOU think!

Just a couple days ago, my customer brought in this FANTASTIC big piece of driftwood for me to use. It's got light and dark sections and lots of lumps, bumps, holes, and protrusions that are going to make for amazing pictures! You can see more examples of the pyrite, the honey onyx, and soon the driftwood in my Etsy shop or my Artfire studio. (Be sure to look at the jewelry itself while you're there!)

The Wrong Color

I have a ton of pictures to take of new jewelry that I've made recently, and yet I wore a red shirt today. For some reason the red reflects on whatever I'm trying to shoot and even with the great photo-editing software I have, I can't get the tint out of the picture. Rats. What possessed me when I was getting dressed this morning? Maybe I can find some fabric or a towel lying around here that I can drape over my front to cover up the red. Wish me luck!

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Online Venue #7 -- Flickr

I joined the photo-sharing site Flickr, maybe 5 or 6 months ago. At first I was very gung-ho, posting new pictures frequently and signing up for lots of photo groups. And therein lies what became the problem. So many photo groups! So many gorgeous photos! It's very easy to lose track of time while clicking around Flickr. (If you want to see some really cool pictures, you have to check out the Infrared Landscapes group!)

I know a few people--sellers on Etsy--who use Flickr successfully as a marketing tool. I guess they post their pictures and make it very clear that the items are for sale, so people contact them to make purchases. I haven't personally looked at their Flickr photostreams, but I do know that technically it's not allowed to put prices or contact information on the Flickr photos themselves. You can put a link in your Profile, which I have done. But so far I haven't had any sales that can be directly attributed to my Flickr pictures. I do think this is a promising tool, though. This is one place I will continue to explore the marketing possibilities. AND enjoy all the beautiful pictures!

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