Beautiful Blogs

I've been reading a few of my back issues of Artful Blogging...what a wonderful resource of artistic photography and writing talents of online bloggers...I went exploring this week...and found some wonderful blogs....While reading my magazines, I came across a blog that talked about "Photo Styling"...an interesting concept to me and it really hit home of what I wish I could do "in my next life".  I'd like to explore a class in photo styling if I could find one in my travels, or maybe I could take a class online. I LOVE this idea!


Photo styling is taking every day items and photographing them in an artistic way to make them look exceptionally appealing, that's my own personal definition. Everything you see in catalogs, in ads, is "styled" to make you see the item in its most flattering light. There's food styling, "off the model" clothing styling, furniture styling, and product styling and more, I'm sure. Lighting is critical, angle and positioning of the item are critical, there are lots of design aspects where training and a great eye would come in to play. Sometimes I think I have a photographer's eye, and sometimes I don't. My daughter, the new mom, says I should get a job as a Wally World children's photographer. I actually looked into that at one time, and they wanted ridiculous hours from anybody who works for them. You had to work holidays...yuck! She says I have an obsessive problem...I take too many photos every day! Hm-m-m-m...awareness is the first step, right? :-) But it makes me really really happy to take photos and have some good ones turn out. It's now my retirement hobby, and if it takes up a LOT of my time, who cares? I swear that my new little grandson was starting to have an awareness of Grandma and her camera before I left. He would slow down his little arms and legs flailing away when I came near with my camera and just watch me.


Back to the photo styling, I digressed, something I do often in my life....Here is my own primitive attempt at photographing some yarn....A photo stylist would change the angle of the needles to show off their color better? Have a different placement of the sock in progress? Maybe use a different background?  I'm just guessing here, but it gives you some idea that there is a LOT of work and a LOT of time involved setting up items for a photo shoot. But I do like this photo regardless. I like the way the grey picnic table plays up the fun color of the yarn. I like looking at this photo. It makes me happy just to look at this Pagewood Farms bright rose/orange/salmon sock yarn.

The Artful Blogging magazine is full of "styled" blogs...They are eye candy to look at and aspire to, with the way that the writers delve into their psyches, or report about the ordinary, and the way they photograph and document their lives...just really beautiful blogs. I'm going to post some of my faves next time.....