Imitaion is the sincerest form of flattery

First let me say that I did not make this amazing shawl, but I did have the great pleasure of photographing not only it, but I also got to take photos of my beautiful friend Marianne, who actually did make it.

I was so inspired by it that I dragged her around looking for the exact same yarn so I could get pretty close to the version that she made.  We'll see if I ever finish it.  I'm not quite the knitter that she is.  The pattern is called Catkin.

Taking photos of your finished projects doesn't have to be all that tough.  There are a couple simple rules of thumb I use and they serve me pretty well:

• Only use natural light: no photos at night, no photos using light bulbs or camera flash bulbs
• Get up close: this usually involves putting your camera into macro mode, which often has a small flower icon on it.  I know, you may have to use your camera manual.  This is seriously not rocket science here.  Try it, you'll like it.
• If it works, rock that light:  Meaning, find the best light that you have available to you and use it.  Use it, use it, and use it some more.  If you only have good light in one room of your house during a certain time of day, only use that spot to take your photos and do it when the time is right.
• Have a photo party:  When the light is good, whip out several things and take photos of them in batches.  This will allow you to use them at 2am to do blog posts ;)
  
  Good luck and happy shooting!