Capturing and sharing your love of crafting can be a job in itself. Here are some necessary tools and other things that make photographing your projects as much fun as making them!
Photographer mittens – free pattern
Bea Aarebrot wrote a pattern for these peek-a-boo mittens that let your shutter finger poke out as needed to snap photos. Whip out your needles for the cold weather photographer on your list. On Ravelry, too.
Eye-Fi card, $50-$100
These nifty gadgets replace your standard SD memory and pack in some tiny electronics to connect to your wireless network. Automagically transfer photos from your camera to your PC (and share them online via Flickr, etc.) without ever connecting a single USB cable. Speeds up your post-production time considerably!
Photo editing software – $varies
Photoshop, the GIMP, Aperture, iPhoto, whatever. Crafters need to at least be able to adjust the light levels and crop photos down to size.
Digital camera, $varies
I’m really digging the compact size and pro-looking photos coming from the micro four thirds cameras these days. Pictured above is the Olympus ELP-1, but I’ve also been eyeing the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. There’s nothing wrong with the big DSLRs, or small point-and-shoots, though. I’m a fan of the indestructible and tiny Stylus Tough line by Olympus. They’re waterproof, even!
DIY Cyclorama, build it yourself, tutorial by Johngineer
A nice seamless backdrop for photographing small projects can make the difference between a “blah” and a “wow!” photo.
Flickr Pro account, $25/year
Share your full-res photos online in an organized, unlimited fashion with a Flickr Pro account. License your photos under Creative Commons so others can use and share them.
Gorillapod Magnetic Tripod, $25, Maker Shed
For grabbing stable shots from non-standard locations.
Instructables Pro account, $23.40/year
Get rid of ads and utilize a more fully featured step-by-step documentation environment by signing up for an Instructables Pro account.
Tripod, $varies
Taking clear, crisp photos is a huge part of documenting your project well, and if there’s one thing that’s going to get you there, it’s a good sturdy tripod. If it’s even a smidge darker than natural daytime sunlight, you’re going to want one to eliminate motion blur caused by your subtle hand-held motions. Manfrotto makes the best ones, but you can get by with a cheapy Sunpak or similar. I’ve been eying Manfrotto’s variable friction magic arm, which I could clamp to a table or shelf and quickly manipulate to get the shots I want.
More:
- Holiday Gift Guide: For the Family
- Holiday Gift Guide: Craft Tools And Kits
- Holiday Gift Guide: Handmade Gifts Under $50
In the Maker Shed:
Want more? Stop by the Maker Shed. We’ve got all sorts of great holiday gift ideas, craft kits, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, gift certificates, kits from Japan and more.
Holiday Shipping Deadlines in December:
15 (Wed) – Postal shipping deadline
14 (Mon) – Ground shipping deadline
18 (Sat) – 3-day shipping deadline
20 (Mon) – 2-day shipping deadline
21 (Tue) – Overnight shipping deadline
*Orders placed after these dates using these shipping methods may arrive on time; however, the dates listed are what we consider likely “safe dates.”
United States Postal Service (USPS):
Due to the high volume of mail that the postal service deals with around the holidays, please order by Dec 15 if you intend to select this method. However, we have had increased reports of packages sent via USPS lost or delayed in transit during this high-volume period. Since we do not replace or refund any order placed using this shipping method, we strongly encourage you not to use this method in December.
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