Now, I took a photography class in high school. Unfortunately, I remember next to nothing, besides the aesthetic quality of picture framing. All the art classes I took in middle and high school have helped craft my eyes into seeing a good photo op. I can frame a beautiful picture, not necessarily of jewelry, but the settings always trip me up along the way.

My fiance rented a macro lens for two weeks. The difference in the quality of pictures was phenomenal. I could not believe how much the quality of the lens affected the quality of the pictures. Needless to say, I was still frustrated with the lighting and settings, however, I did have better results. If I’m going to get serious, I will eventually have to get a macro lens in order to properly showcase my work on this realm.

Wandering around bead shops looking for inspiration is almost as much fun as the actual beading process. I usually spend at around 30 minutes looking for beads. Occasionally, I have a project in mind when I head to the craft or bead store. Usually, though, I find a bead or two that I have to have and make pieces focused around it, taking into account color, size, texture, and material. At this point, a rough idea of the finished piece may be forming in my head.

Depending on the size of the piece, designing can take any where from 30 seconds to an hour. Depending on the intricacy of the piece, the designing may be more of a fluid process, changing with each addition of beads. A simple drop earring with beads stacked on top of one another takes less time than earrings with a more complex design. With a more complex design, the original design may change throughout the beading process and may not resemble what I first had in mind. Thus, the design and creation of a piece may be one and the same.

After a product is finished, I like to take pictures to keep for myself and to post here and on Etsy.com. More to come on my thoughts on the picture taking aspect of beginning this site and my Etsy shop.