I Am No Model

I started the day playing with the giant square motif like I planned, but nothing was coming to me, so I picked up an old tatting book and played with another pattern instead. At first I thought I was just going to use a small piece of the design as a pendant, so once I was done with that I screwed up my courage and went to taking pictures of my new mask.





 I had decided the way to go with this was really good lighting and a black background. As you might guess, I have no actually photography equipment save for a camera with a remote and a tripod. So I improvised. Usually I take pictures against a black white wall with the window open and the light on. This time I went upstairs with the east facing windows, opened one up and draped a black table cloth over my television. The light didn't hit directly, but was nice and bright. Then I proceeded to take dozens of photos of myself feeling a bit like the fool. After all that, I spent at least an hour playing with the photos in gimp, which is like photoshop, and I emerged with three pictures I felt okay about.

What is actually exciting to me is that I think the pictures actually show the mask almost how it is in person. When I attempted photographs of the last fancy mask everything just seems washed out. There was no sparkle, no reflection in the sequins and you couldn't even make out the embroidery at all. Along with these pictures, I used two that I already showed you for detail pictures and I got the mask listed. I was incredibly nervous about listing it though. I guess because the last one had garnered so much attention. I am anxious to see if my meager photography skills can get that much for this mask. It is of course something I will just have to wait and see about. I certainly believe this mask deserves at least that much attention, but then again that it not up to me.

After all this, I did get back to some tatting. I went back to the design I worked on earlier and made it up into a nice cuff bracelet...that I didn't get pictures of. Then I stumbled upon the use for the big square motif. I added multiple, heavy silver chains to it on the sides to form a short necklace...that I didn't get pictures of. I just wasn't in the mood for more photo shooting. People are always so kind to me in regards to my appearance in them, but that doesn't mean that I enjoy doing them...I do enjoy the compliments though. Today I should get the new pieces up and hope for some sales to busy me. Otherwise I think I will get to making up the embellishment free version of the mask. At least now I know I can get usable photos of it all by myself.