Getting It Right the 20th Time

This time last year, I put out my first independently published how-to book, Gifting Green. I got into the process easily enough, planned the book from page 1 to page 20 and I was off and running.

But I was never completely happy with the photos, especially the ones I took in the house. To my eye, they all had too many shadows and a bluish cast.

Now I'm gearing up to tackle more how-to books and this time, I'm determined to get my photos looking as professional as any others you find in any books out there.

Over the weekend, I set up a small (small because there's no room for large) studio space to do photographs. I've eliminated all fluorescent lighting (which accounts for the bluish tinge I didn't like before) and am taking pictures in a vertical rather than a horizontal position. In other words, nothing's laying on the floor.

Today I made my first test photos and while I'm not tearing out my hair, there are issues.

Image manipulation is not my area of expertise. I can and do take some really good pictures but they are usually outdoors and my subjects are not moving. But when it comes to understanding how lighting impacts an indoors shot, I'm a bit lost.

So here's my baseline. Now I'm going to methodically work to get these better. I'm starting with the camera. My little digital is an all-auto, all-the-time snapshot taker. I've learned to manipulate some of its functions but my first foray into solving this problem means taking out the owner's manual and trying to understand what it says.