Not really! :) I'd like to talk about taking photos - a beadmaker's *ahem* favorite chore.
Taking pics of beads is fun most of the time - at least for me. I love the clarity you can get in a photo of something small and sparkly.
However, there's always that little something that just doesn't look right in a picture. In my case, it's getting the colors in the photo to actually agree with the real thing. Thank goodness there's Paint Shop Pro (or Photoshop or whatever). I can usually edit the photo so that the colors look like they do in real life. Of course, everyone's monitor is different, but at least I can usually get it in the ballpark.
Except for Aqua and it's darker sister Teal. For some really odd reason, I can never get these colors to look right. In reality, I can get aqua and teal to really sing in a set of beads. They're bright, vivid, summery colors that make me drool. But the minute I snap a photo of the beads that contain those lovely colors, it turns out either completely over-exposed or washed out. :( And no matter how I edit the picture, I can't get the vibrancy of color to come through.
The beads above are actually really bright and rich. But they faded out in the photograph completely. Grrrrr So hopefully people understand when I list beads made in aqua and teal, and I can describe the color they are actually getting.
I've tried fiddling with the camera, too - using different lighting, adjusting the white balance, etc. etc. It just doesn't read the color correctly.
Teal and aqua aren't the only colors to fade away in a photo - purple does it, too. It either comes across as brownish, or is way too blue. Luckily, PSP can adjust this pretty readily by fiddling with the hue and color levels. Clearing up the background also helps, as does adjusting the color temperature.
Ahhhh the art of photographing beads...... I can't just be good at manipulating hot glass. I have to be an expert photographer, too. LOL NOT. :)
