Getting ready for the Holidays on facebook... Artsy style

I've been noodling my holiday promotional images since Spring! Partly because I love styling my art, and partly because I think its important to have the holiday photography ready to go WAY before the holidays hit. I believe that, in this world of internet sharing, the photographs of our art as almost as important as the art itself. Almost no one who buys my art will see it in person before they bring it into their home. So, creating a brand, a "look" for my work is something that I spend a great deal of time on. I just finished a couple of images for my facebook banner and am just in love with them. They take a lot of work and I thought it might be helpful to someone else to share my process. This isn't the "right" way to do it, maybe. It is just what works for me. 

First, I collect things that I think would work for the look I'm going for. This time, I was collecting for Fall and Christmas. I especially like thrift stores for this because I buy more than I'll use and don't want to overspend. I audition many props before I come up with just what I think tells the story I want to tell. 

Here's the first image I shot for the fall facebook banner: 

raw photo before perfecting for my facebook page.

By looking at this picture, you can see the book I used to prop up the birds in the glass dish and a peak at the wall behind my drape. I like to take a group of photos, go to photoshop to see how it looks when cropped, and then go back and play with my items. Sometimes, I do this many, many times. I actually ended up climbing up on a chair and sitting on the back to get the shot I wanted. 

Here's a similar shot of the Christmas set up:

raw photo used for demonstration purposes only

You can see stuff I used to lift things up into the shot as well as a set-up that I ended up not loving. The roses are too bright and don't fit the look I was going for. I fetched another crochet shawl, changed out the nest on the cake, took LOTS of shots from different angles, and then... it all came together like magic!

Here are the final images:

LaBelle Mariposa 2015 Fall Facebook Banner

LaBelle Mariposa 2015 Christmas Facebook Banner

I cropped them wide because I plan to use them as banners on my facebook page. I find that leaving a blank spot on the bottom left works well for the way facebook lays things out. If you plan to promote your page, you'll want something that looks nice in that area, but that won't look silly if it's covered up because these images can be used for promotion. My log is in the upper right hand side because facebook doesn't put anything there. 

I use my best camera and set it to shoot without a flash. That's very important because a flash will blast out all of your hard work and make your image look depth-less. I welcome any questions in the comments section below. I hope you enjoy my photos and have fun making your own.!

Blessings,

Laura P.

Christmas Eve Eve 2012

Some of the dolls and teddy bears we've collected through the years taken up residence on the hutch for the holiday.

2012 has been an interesting year. Some good, some not-so-good. But, I guess that can be said of most years. I am excited to be moving into 2013. Glad we all didn't die on the 21st... And generally happy about the plans I have for the coming year.

I had fun decorating for Christmas this year, so I thought I'd share my humble (and a bit silly) decorating with you all. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and share my anticipation and excitement about 2013.

our family Christmas tree and stockings

my antique dress form (Eleanor) all dressed up for Christmas posing with a painting from a local El Dorado County artist

Gracie our Aussie comfortably waiting for the big day.