Yay!!! You have now completed your Shine On Sling Bag!

Today is all about photographing your bag.

I’d like to challenge you today, to take a journey with me and try to take some amazing photos of your bags for social media. Whether that’s to sell your bags or share with your friends, good photos can really make your finished product shine. They are also great to refer back to when you make your next Shine On Sling Bag.

Here are my product photography tips:

• Iron your bag….we don’t want wrinkles in our photos. I stuff my bag with a towel so that it is full in shape and then run the iron over it. Remember not to iron leather or vinyl! (Ask me how I know!)
• Stuff your bag. Full bags sit better than flat bags, I stuff mine with bubble wrap or a towel to get a nice shape for my photos.
• I use my mobile phone to take all my photos. Learning to play with the settings on your camera can make a huge difference to your photos. I often use “live focus” on my Samsung Galaxy, this blurs the background and makes the bag the focal point in the photo. So grab your camera and have a look at the different settings available. Have you tried any of them before? If not now is the time.
• You might like to try a tripod to hold your camera steady for photos. Or if like me you have little people at home ask them to help you. If they are little you might need to remind them to hold the camera up high so it’s at a better angle. If you have no extra hands around, use the timer setting on your camera, I use this often.
• Lighting – this is so important. Try to take your photos in natural light outdoors if possible. I take my photos later in the afternoon (I am in Queensland though where it is light until 7.00pm in summer). Avoid direct harsh light. Find a spot in your garden or a park where you can play with photos at different times of the day. Overcast weather can give some great lighting opportunities too.
• Background- I live on a farm that has been hit by drought for the past few years, this meant no green grass or crops which are usually what I would like in my photos. Remember that your photo is about featuring the product not so much the background. Even photos with me in it might only show my arms or me holding the bag not my whole body. So have a think about your backgrounds, they don’t always need to be pretty and green, old trees with beautiful texture can look a treat too!
• Camera angles- try different angles, up high, down low, zoom in, zoom out. Focus on some of the bag features that you want to highlight.
• Editing – most phone cameras have an editing tool in them, there are also some awesome apps that you can use. One of my favourites is “Canva.” It is the app I use to add borders, wording and collages in. Give it a try you will love it!
• Below are some bagspiration photos for you. I’d love to see some photos of your finished bag, please tag me or email them through to lilmoodesigns@hotmail.com
• Thanks so much for joing me for the Shine On Sling Bag Sewalong! I look forward to seeing you again soon for more sewing fun.

Happy Sewing, Kylie.