How to take that perfect photo

Posted by on Nov 19, 2011 in Features | 63 comments

It is, without question, my most asked question: how do I take my photos. So, today, I’ll be bringing you a step by step guide as to how I take my photos, including hints on what NOT to do.

Before I start, I should state the usual caveat: this is how I take my photos.  This is what works for me.  You might have another method / strategy / technique that is awesome AND can cure the world’s shortage of Cheezels.  And that’s fantastic.  For me, this works and that’s why I am sharing it.

I know some of you will think ‘What? All this for a nail swatch? Are you crazy?’  Perhaps.  But I started my blogging career as a nail blogger.  Ultimately, it’s still what I do best and what I enjoy doing the most on YGN, so I do invest time in it to get it as perfect as I can.  You don’t have to do this if you’re happy with how you take photos.

 

Do your manicure

The most important step, by far, is nailing your manicure.

I’ve included here my two ‘how to’ videos on how to a) apply your polish; and b) how to do a cleanup.

 


Suffice to say, your nails should be filed, your cuticles should be clean and you should avoid any cuticle flooding (if it occurs, do a cleanup before you start taking photos).  Whether your nails are long or short, it doesn’t really matter so long as your finish is neat and tidy.  What you don’t want is people being distracted by a hang nail, or sloppy application, or differing nail lengths.  So make sure your manicure is as near to perfect as you can get it.

 

Equipment

In terms of equipment to take the actual photos, I use a Canon 550D SLR camera combined with a lightbox.

Cameras

With the camera, you certainly do not need an SLR to take great photos.  Compact cameras can work beautifully.  I use an SLR because I find they are more ‘colour true’ and it’s easier for me to accurately capture difficult colours (such as purple).  If you do use a compact, use the macro function when taking nail swatches.  You will get much better detail.

In addition to your camera, where possible, use a tripod to stabilise the camera before taking the photo.  This will eliminate the opportunity for hand shaking and blurriness.  It also gives you more control: you can get your swatching hand set up, you can position the camera easily and, when you’re ready to take the photo, you can do so with a steady hand.

Light

Obviously, the most perfect light is natural light. But if you’re like me and you work full time and you blog full time, then getting access to natural light is a tricky thing.  I actually prefer using light boxes than natural light because I am guaranteed, every time, of getting the perfect light and the perfect shot.

You can either buy a light box or make your own.  The key to a good lightbox is the bulbs.  Aim for white light.  Even natural sunlight has a habit of ‘yellowing’ and washing out the skin.  White light keeps things crisp and colour accurate.

 

Now the important stuff, posing

Just like supermodels learn when they go to supermodel school (aka Tyra Banks’ house), it’s all about angles.

My nails are far from perfect.  I have short nail beds.  My nails are not symmetrical.  They are always short.  So I have to work with angles to make them look their best in photographs.

Learning your nails’ best angles is – truly – trial and error.  I look back at my early swatches and cringe because I was taking photos like every other nail blogger and not taking into account what poses made my nails look their best.  Over time, I have learnt what works and what doesn’t.  For example, you will rarely see me photograph my hand resting flat.  Why?  My fingers are crooked and never sit flat without showing tension.  So I don’t take photos like that because I know it’s not showing my angles in a way that I would like.

First thing, regardless of angles, is to ensure your hand is relaxed.  Don’t ever grip the bottle like you’re holding on for dear life (see further down for how not to pose). If you’re feeling physically uncomfortable when you’re posing, that will show through in your photos.

Secondly, make sure you show the lacquer in its best light.  Some lacquers, like glitters, really require you to maximise your light to show off their beauty.  In these instances, take the photo, see what it looks like on your monitor and, if it’s not good, go back and take some more shots.  On average, I take around 60 shots for every lacquer I swatch.  Around 4 of those shows will actually make it into the post.

Finally, capitalise on your best features.  We all have one nail we love.  It always looks good and it always photographs to perfection.  For me, that finger is my ring finger.  So, you’ll notice in every nail swatch that I do, there will be a closeup of that finger.

 

How not to pose!

So, what are the poses to avoid?  There are some classic poses I see on blogs that are universally unflattering.  I’ve included three of the most common poses. Seriously, ladies, DON’T DO THESE.  They are not flattering. Ever.  Totally in my opinion so take it for what it’s worth.

The Claw

Oh the Claw is my favourite hideous pose.  Ladies, this never looks good.  Contorting your hand into an aggressive, arthritic pose is not attractive in any known universe.  My hand looks like it’s in pain, and it is.

 

The Squeeze

This pose is unflattering for a few reasons.  Firstly, it visibly shows tension in the hand which is what you want to avoid.  Secondly, it makes my fingers look fatter than they are.   Blurgh.

 

The Death Grip

The death grip is where you hold onto that bottle for dear life.  Very similar to the squeeze, this shows obvious tension in the hand and doesn’t show your fingers off to their best potential.  There is no need to hold a bottle like this.  At the angle it’s at here, the bottle will sit quite happily in the hand, allowing you to just lightly rest your fingers on it.

 

Cropping and Editing

I know you love your window sill but I don’t. I came to see nail swatches. So always crop your photos.

Below, you will see cropped and uncropped.   To my eye anyway, the cropped photo is a preferable option because it show the lacquer without the noise of a distracting background.

In the first photo, lacquer on my nails is around 10% of the final photo.  You see more of my hand than you do of the nails.

In the second photo, you see more lacquer than anything else.  Which, in a nail swatch, is the way it should be.

 

Summary

So that’s pretty much it. My guide to taking nail swatches.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. And, remember, there is no law when it comes to taking nail swatches. This is just how I do it!

  • Amber @ Rainbows&Sparkles

    OH this is wonderful!!!

  • Anonymous

    Glad it helps!

  • Anonymous

    I bought mine online (there is a link in the post to the company), but you can buy them on ebay very cheaply. Or you can make your own with white card and a few well positioned lights.

  • http://makeup-and-macaroons.blogspot.com Lilit

    Great tips Jacie! I had to laugh at the how not to pose section because I’m pretty sure looking back at some of my nail posts The Claw and The Death Grip feature heavily! LOL.

  • Anonymous

    Oh love, I hope I didn’t offend. This is just my opinion. The Claw and the Death Grip don’t look attractive to me but you should do what works for you.

  • aaminahs mom

    ok cool, can you compare the glittering garland with Orly meet me under the mistletoe,  so i dont buy dupes. Nice info!!!!

  • Anonymous

    I don’t have that Orly lovely. Will have to see if I can get my hands on it and I will try.

  • Pandora

    Thank you so much for this Jacie! I’m trying to learn how to take better photos but my camera is totally pants :( . I’m sure I’ve committed one or two hand pose sins, but I’ve learnt so much from this post. I’ll try not to squeeze the life out of my bottles in future :P

  • Rock-or-not

    Thank you this was really helpful and interesting!!
    I don’t have a blog but when I want to take my nails on pictures it’s always a bad time ^^”
    I guess I have to practice again!

  • Anonymous

    Lovely, it really is trial and error. I’ve learnt how to rest the bottle so that my hand takes the weight, leaving my fingers to delicately sit over the top. And that just took practice and time.

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome. :-)

    Time is a great teacher. My first swatches were diabolical.

  • Emeconemeblog

    great post! thank you!

  • KimsKie’s Nails

    Thanks for sharing your enormous helpful tips! Always ♥ your pictures!

  • Megan Rhoads

    Awesome! Hopefully this will help some people get better. I am guilty of the death grip sometimes lol.

  • Anonymous

    We’ve ALL been guilty of the death grip. Find all my posts on Estee Lauder – I can’t help but hold it awkwardly.

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome. :-)

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome love. :-) )

  • Anonymous

    Glad it can be of help Sarah!

  • http://magicccat-nails.blogspot.com/ MagiccCat

    thank you for help ;-)

  • http://profiles.google.com/saraholsson88 Sarah Olsson

    I see nothing wrong with those “how not to pose” pics! I’m only in it for the polish, I don’t care about the hands really…

  • MummaInHeels

    I’m guilty of all the “what not to do” examples!
    Definitely saving this to my favourites for the next time I’m swatching :)

  • Anonymous

    It all comes down to personal preference. As I said, these are just my opinions.

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome.

  • Anonymous

    Hahaha there are no hard and fast rules – these are just my opinions. :-)

  • http://www.beautycabby.com/ lyn

    Excellent article! I think I’ve made a few mistakes so thanks for the tips :-)

  • http://twitter.com/theVEROblog Veronica R

    great article! this was very helpful.. thanks!

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome. I love that your Twitter name contains ‘Vero’. That’s what I call my French cousin, Veronique. Made me smile. :-)

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome. I don’t want anyone to think that my way is the ONLY way. It’s just what I’ve found.

  • http://twitter.com/blushfully Cendana K

    This is amazewonder! very very helpful since I do occasional nail swatches. Thanks so much for sharing, Jacie!!

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome beautiful.

  • http://twitter.com/bmwmchick Bridget R.

    Yes… the ‘claw’ is a great way to describe it, I’ve had a hard time trying to show the colors properly – this is very helpful! So all and all holding the bottle lightly showign a good portion of the bottle – any other suggestions? (other than using other objects or holding items like necklaces?)

  • Jen

    What a fabulous post and resource. Wish it had been around when I started blogging. It took me the best part of 6 months to get to a point where my photos didn’t embarrass me and it’s still an evolving art. I’m never satisfied!

  • Anonymous

    6 months, you’re a star. I haven’t really been happy until this year. So around 18 months to get my swatches to where I’m happy with them.

  • Anonymous

    Your thumb is a great stabiliser. Your hand can take alot of the weight of the bottle. A well placed thumb on the lid is a great way of keeping the bottle still.

  • Anonymous

    Hahah no way, I love your photos.

  • http://twitter.com/UneLuneBleue Lynn

    Every time I see someone do “The Claw” I actually yell at my computer, it’s horrible! This is information that anyone taking photos of their polish needs to know. I think I may be guilty of The Death Grip, but I have no plans of starting a blog, so hopefully I get an amateur pass ;-)

  • Anonymous

    The Death Grip is a forgiveable one as some bottles are hard to hold. But the others….. they can all be avoided.

  • http://makeup-and-macaroons.blogspot.com Lilit

    Of course you didn’t offend! It’s just cringeworthy some of the blogging mistakes I made when i first started out. And I’m sure next year looking back at posts from now I’ll think the same thing! And I agree, the Claw and Death Grip are definitely NOT attractive.

  • Ice Queen

    This is a great article. It took me a while to learn how to photograph and to pose my shots. I cringe when I see my early photographs. lol Like one of your other posters, my camera is pants (I just love that word used in that context! :D ) and I have to really work to get decent shots. I take a gozillion and crop, tweak, sharpen, refine, fix the colour as best I can. Then I edit down to the few I am going to post. Takes forever but it’s a lot of fun and it keeps me out of trouble. 

  • http://moonchild666.blogspot.com moonchild

    Thank you so much for this :)

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome. :-)

  • Anonymous

    God I cringe with my early ones too. Once I figured out how to photograph well, I spent less time stressing about them.

  • Anonymous

    Ok, I’m glad. I’d had to have my beautiful Lilit hate me.

  • http://www.fablesinfashion.com Celina

    Amazing post Jacie!! :)

  • Powdered Almond

    Thank you thank you thank you such a fabulous post. I have to get a brush, q-tips are not the way to go. x

  • Anonymous

    Wow great tips (pun intended)! I’m guilty of background-shooting. 
    I’m hoping my grip will become more relaxed as I do more swatches!

  • Anonymous

    Qtips definitely no. They’re just not precise enough and you’ll end up either taking off too much or you’ll barely make a dent.

    Concealer brushes are great for cleanup. And you don’t have to spend alot. Cheapies do just as well as the more expensive ones.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks lovely, see you soon!

  • Anonymous

    There are some bloggers who do background shoot and I love those shots, but they are more bloggers whose background has somehow inspired them and/or the manicure. So it makes sense.

  • Anonymous

    Just my opinion lovely, take it for what it’s worth. :-)

  • Adrienne

    I’m sure you’ve answered this 1,000 times but I haven’t any idea where to start to find the answer….what top coat do you use?

  • Lucy

    I didn’t realize how much goes in to taking photos.  Having a nail blog is a hell of a lot of work.  I have much more admiration for all the work you put into showing off the polish.  I’ve been noticing the photos even more now that I know what you need to do right.  Your cropping is outstanding.  I look at other blogs with a new eye.  I hate the claw pose! Looks ridiculous and I say many ladies who do this.  I don’t see it on my favorite blogs.  Now I’m even more impressed with you.  You could have a series on blogging & taking good photos for people who want to start a blog.  Whew–so much work.  Mwah.

  • CatDan

    Brilliant post. Thank you so much. Hopefully I can use these tips to make my pics gorgeous like yours. Reminder to self: get a tripod.

  • http://polishandgloss.blogspot.com Sarah Crawford

    Great post!! I have the problem of a yellowish tint to my pics, so I think I need a different light for my light box.

    And the claw! Ugh! I hate when I see that…I can’t believe people think it looks good.

  • Anonymous

    The Claw is NOT a good pose.

    Definitely get some bright white lights. They make SUCH a big difference.

  • Anonymous

    Tripods are wicked. And cheap. All cameras have the same size hole underneath them so you can buy pretty much any tripod and it will fit.

  • Anonymous

    It doesn’t take me that long to swatch now that I have a rhythm. On average, around 15 minutes from start to finish – so from painting to cleanup to taking photos to cropping. So I can get through 4-6 lacquers an hour. But that took ALOT of practice and trial and error.

    Mwah to you too love. Always. :-)

  • Anonymous

    Seche Vite lovely. Beautiful glass like finish and your nails will be dry in a minute.

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  • Anonymous

    I don’t do clean up for every shot. Some days I get a lacquer that applies perfectly and I don’t need to clean up. Applying lacquer is a skill / art and it only improves with practice.

  • Anonymous

    You’re welcome Lizzy. Glad it helps. :-)

  • Anonymous

    I have a few early photos where I am death gripping myself! So I’m not faultless here.

    I really don’t like see lacquer on cuticles. For a start, it’s not good for your cuticles to have lacquer slopped on them. And its just untidy. You wouldn’t walk out of the house with lipstick smeared on your cheek. So why leave your nails messy?

  • Anonymous

    I think alot of people saw the post as insulting when it wasn’t intended to be. As always, it’s just my opinion. :-)

  • Anonymous

    It all comes down to personal preference in the end sweets. :-)