Ain't nobody got time to wrestle a mannequin!

One of the biggest draws in my shop are my vintage dresses.  I made the leap into selling vintage dresses back in 2008 when my Etsy shop was still fairly new and I was new to product photography and all the rest.  This week, though I've been putting it off for quite some time, I decided to re-shoot all the dresses I've had for sale in my shop now for more than five years.  I mean, in 2010 I finally bit the bullet and bought a mannequin--I'd been using a plus-sized dress form that my mom scored from a yardsale and half the time I was photographing dresses completely unzipped down the back because they just didn't fit the form.

Despite having bought the mannequin in 2010, I only re-shot the dresses I already had for sale in 2012...

I've been putting it off.  I remembered the 2012 shoot taking FOREVER because dressing and undressing the mannequin is a bear.  The 2012 shoot had my studio lights, which aren't that bright, shot at nighttime in a dark basement.

Not to mention the fact that my black backdrop was in the wrong place for the angles that I needed, so my photos from that night were terrible with half a backdrop or some awful such thing.


Now? I'm 34 weeks pregnant. Ain't nobody got time (or energy) to wrestle a mannequin!


However, if I want to get these dresses sold, the terrible pictures from 2008-9...2012... have to go. I know I don't have a good photo setup for the mannequin and clothing despite being a professional photographer. I've got pro equipment but I'm not a portrait photographer by any means, so I don't have a studio setup with legit backdrops.  I'm a photojournalist with a white tablecloth and I sold my mediocre light setup to my brother in law because it suits his videography needs far better than it ever suited my still needs.  As a result, my lighting for clothing photogaphy consists of a 40 year old overhead fluorescent light and a big ol' window.

Yikes.

So I shot 8 dresses for my Etsy shop before my body and baby were like, "LOL UR DONE IT'S NAPTIME"  and I brought my tiny photoshoot home to be edited.  Then I noticed this photo.

What the hell happened to her wig?  Where's her bottle of Jack?

And since I can't drink my sorrows away at the moment, I went straight to the Etsy forums to mention how I thought my mannequin looked like she rolled out of bed.  Because quite clearly, she did.  And my long white tablecloth idea is just not working either, I can see that.

So I'm replacing crappy five year old product photos with mediocre product photos. OK.  On the Etsy forums, someone mentioned how if I photographed her with a bottle of Jack in her hand, she would show it to all her friends, which reminded me of my past clothing photography endeavors.

Like...before I had the plus size dress form, I had a five foot plastic skeleton with a stuffed bra as such a gimmick.  I remembered selling at least one dress like that, but there were actually two sold, and so I went off in search of my bad clothing photos from way back.

And that is what this post is about-- the TERRIBLE clothing photos I started out with, and where I am still struggling today.  At least the latest round isn't nearly as cringe-worthy as some of these!

2008:

 Oh look, here's a dress hanging off my mother's porch!  Look at her shed in the background!

 OMG so like that angle wasn't good enough, here's the VFW next door and OMG LOOK AT MY SAAB!!!!

Well none of those shots worked.  Here's the money shot.  THIS DRESS SOLD WITH THIS PHOTO.

Here's another look at the dress that's been in my shop the absolute longest.  It's hard to photograph because of that pattern, which almost never looked as good as it does in person until the 2012 shoot.

 2008: Shot on a hanger tacked to the living room wall in almost direct sunlight with a Kodak DX7590, and below, shot in a basement with the same Kodak and the flash!  For the love of all that is holy...

 2009: Dress on the plus-size dress form, completely unzipped down the back since it's a US size 4.  At least this was better than say...hanging off my mom's porch.  Shot with a Canon Rebel XS in my mother's living room.  There are still quite a few of the April 2009 photo shoot images still floating around my Etsy shop, but not as the main photo.  There were some others shot in the basement in October 2009 that are also still in existence.  Honestly, I think the April 2009 was the most successful but not the best they could have been due to lighting/equipment/etc.  There were a lot of motion blur photos or just out of focus, etc, and they all got listed that way...

I had high hopes for the 2012 shoot, which went so horribly I didn't want to even tackle it again for another two years.  I couldn't even find the photos, which apparently never made it to my archive from my laptop.

And this week. 

(This shot was posted on my photography blog, found here.)

 Huge improvement, but nothing spectacular...

The search for the perfect setup continues...

Recent creations and some news!

With so much going on in my life as of late (got married, whole wedding planned and executed in FIVE DAYS --another post, another time!) I've neglected all my blogs!  (I have a photography blog, which can be found here.)

I've been hard at work on my Etsy shop and officially off from my day job since August 9.  I'd say all the new listings don't leave a lot of time for working on social media and blogs, but they're an important component to selling online.  Check out these uploads from my instagram while I was brainstorming and creating one night!

These earrings have since been listed, here.

 A small taste of things to come? 

I have to admit, I've been having fun teasing on Instagram as I create new jewelry.  I haven't really been hard at work at creating new things since 2009 or so--other than re-making clock hand earrings when I could, I hadn't felt too creative over the past few years.  My photography career made everything else take a back seat, as well it should have, because it supported me for years.

So here, check out this necklace I made, from start to finish!

Brainstorming! Let's play with beads!  If that pendant looks familiar, it's because it was part of my #21 pendant, created on January 15, 2008.  I decided to take it apart and re-work the design.

The old #21 pendant.

The new necklace, #225 Quarry Queen - Necklace with Quartz, Labradorite, Fluorite, Amethyst, and Dyed Agate.

Oh by the way, check out how my product photos have improved! The Number #21 Pendant photo was actually listed like that on Etsy (and I know if you hunt around my Etsy shop enough, you will find plenty of crappy product photos shot that same night).  I didn't know what I was doing back then with either photography or jewelry making, apparently.  I mean, there's a reason I'm re-working my oldest designs.  Speaking of re-working, I've been taking apart my oldest clock hand earrings and fixing the wiring technique. Not that my earrings have come apart through the years, they just used way too much wire and looked a mess.

Stay tuned for some awesome wedding posts, including a tutorial on wedding party favors!

P.S. I signed up for a Craftori account, we'll see how that goes!  Check it out, here. http://craftori.com/items/author/mannequinreject/

Also, my Mannequin Reject Emporium has a Pinterest page, separate from my personal one.

It's time to revive the shop blog!

I mean, it's only been 5 years since I posted anything at all.

The best years I had on Etsy were 2008 and 2009, and I spent the morning editing old posts in this blog so that it would hopefully remain relevant if anyone wanted to see my earliest beginnings.  I stopped focusing on Etsy during mid-2010 when my photography career took off, and I spent the next two years building that. For more information, see my website: http://meganmcgory.com .

I'm up to 332 Etsy sales, 2 artfire sales, and over 100 positive feedback on eBay, and I'm hitting Etsy hard as I come up on a new period of extended-no-day-job-ness.

Not like I'm losing the post office job, I have that as long as I want it.  I left it once, I went back.  Now I'm preparing for a maternity leave and am using it as a springboard to hopefully build my Etsy store like I never did before.

In the past month, the size of the shop has tripled and I now have more listings than I ever did in 2008/09/10.

What else has changed in the past five years?

Damn near everything.

I have a new camera.  My last posts mentioned my learning process with the Canon Rebel XS I had just received the previous January.  I have all new lenses, two Canon 7D's and when I look at my product photos from 2008, frankly, I'm embarrassed. lol  Go see the part about my photography career taking off.  There's an ebb and flow to the working world now.  Maybe there always has been.

Oh, and since my blog idolizes Lunatic Sophie Saab, let's update that too.

#operationrescuesaab on Instagram.

My 1984 Saab 900 S served me well until January 2010 when it stalled in the road five times on my way home from the post office, a distance of 1/2 mile, and I pushed it home.  I parked it that day.  I couldn't afford to keep dumping money into it and mechanics were raking me over the coals. Turns out there was nothing wrong with it but a bad battery (that I had just purchased, but that happens, apparently).  And it had been parked for almost three years before I found that out.

My poor 1984 Saab.  It sat so long for nothing.  Now it has a host of many, many more problems while I was out driving all over kingdom come in my used Subarus, a 2005 Legacy, and a 2010 Forester.

 Sally Subaru, which I drove from February 1, 2010-June 30, 2011

 Rhonda the Mafia Mobile, which I drove from June 30, 2011-May 2, 2014

Meanwhile, during an ebb in my photography work, when I figured I would eventually have to sell my Forester, my loving fiance (Brent!) found me a 1993 Saab 900 S. So this is the new Saab that will be turning up in obligatory saab shots.

 This is Grumpy Sophie Saab II of Buggyshire, purchased February 19, 2013! See this Saab in still-life action on Instagram! #grumpysophiesaab2ofbuggyshire

So as it turns out, the transmission from the 1984 Saab is compatible with the 1993 Saab, so I do still have both, though the original saab is a sad saab sitting over at my future in-laws.  Brent is my only trusted mechanic, and his dad owned SEVEN Saab 900's while he was growing up, so guess what he's worked on more than he knows?

And we still go up Lantern Hill every year with my now 83-year-old grandfather. 

So what's new in my Etsy shop?  I got rid of all the half-assed crap that I thought was so special (Polymer secret beads from Feb. '08?  No one cared.) I debuted new magnets, which I made in 2009 but never listed because I wanted to make sure the glue was sturdy enough.  I GUESS AFTER 5 YEARS WE KNOW THE ANSWER.

So here they are!  Magnets -  Neon Jewels Variety Pack

And in case you were wondering, I am in fact still listing hand-made jewelry, and making more!  Here are some of my latest creations!

 Art Deco Steampunk Clock Hand Earrings with Antique Buttons

  Ruby Red Steampunk Romance Necklace

As always, I have a wide variety of crafting supplies (especially buttons!) and vintage clothes!  Check out all my links to pinterest and twitter on the side of the page, and check back soon for more regular blog posts (that hopefully won't ramble as badly as the old ones, oh hell, maybe not. haha)

The importance of having a really good camera for product photos.

Today I decided to share a little before/after session with you to show the importance of having a good camera vs. a GOOD camera. Now, because my Kodak DX7590 was my BABY and I couldn't afford a new camera despite the fact my Kodak was broken since Sept. 2007, I shot all my Etsy product photos with my "good" camera.

Here's Number 128 - Electric Key Steampunk Skeleton Key Pendant as it was shot in September with the Kodak. Note that my camera always had problems with low light, and for some reason it seemed there was NEVER enough light. This was edited to be brighter / more colorful in photoshop, which is pretty common for all product photos.
And here's the same item shot last week with my Canon Rebel XS. It needed minimal post-processing compared to the other.
Now, don't tell me you get good photos with your camera phone. Your camera phones almost always lack DEPTH, are pixelated, etc etc etc. It matters to have a good camera and good lighting. Trust me.

Now...it's true that I've decided to move most of my steampunk pieces back to Etsy from Artfire. This includes all my OOAK clock hand earrings and many other things I can't reproduce...however, my Artfire shop will continue to remain open with different items from my Etsy shop. In the best interest of my business, I'm returning to Etsy. I love Artfire's features and locked in one of those $7 monthly accounts...but it's going to be a while before it has the built-in customer base that Etsy has. I miss the sales and I do believe my Etsy shop will bounce back from my 5-month hiatus rather quickly.

In other news, I'm going to Canada in 2 days and my shop will remain open. I find it interesting that my Etsy hiatus began almost as a direct result of my last trip to Canada.

I've already started stepping up my game in my Etsy shop...I listed 8 new GORGEOUS vintage dresses and re-shot all my existing Vintage clothing photos. I've got a long ways to go but the vintage dresses and new jewelry shots took priority over supplies and will continue to. Many of my supplies are going to end up as huge lots on ebay, I think.

By the way, another shoutout to Cuteable.com! My Art Deco earrings that were featured on their site last week SOLD!

So while I've been out having fun with my new camera, going to the beaches as much as I can before I'd have to start paying for parking, and working my butt off for USPS, I've neglected the poor blog. But...let's not lie, my blog was mainly a promotions blog for my Etsy/Artfire/Ebay shops. And I've been letting my shops go for months. I found a great sea glass community (Seaglass Lovers on Ning) so I'll stop pestering my readers (what... all of 3) and post most of my sea glass photos over there from now on. So, if you like sea glass, get your butt over there.

I finally started making jewelry again and am trying to revive my Etsy/Artfire shops. Ebay can wait a bit because Ebay just doesn't take so much maintenence. Here's some of my new creations!Number 140 - Art Deco Clock Hand Earrings II

Because I won't be going to the beach as often soon... Number 139 - Seahorse Earrings!

And almost too late for Prom season - Number 138- Party Time Clock Hand Earrings

And I was going to use the rest of this post to talk about how I can now fit into a shirt I bought from Caldor in the Norwichtown Mall in 1997, not to mention pull off horizontal stripes even though I'm still apparently obese according to BMI, but I'm not happy with many of those pictures except this one. LOL.

I really miss Caldor. haha.

In other news, my friend, the CrabbyOlBastard just opened his Etsy shop to sell his photography, including photos of his urban exploration adventures. Check it out! 

Speaking of Etsy, I started posting my clock hand earrings there again too, just to see if I can boost my sales. I'm also going to be listing some new vintage & supplies items in the near future, so stay tuned! And I posted a brand new vintage pendant that I just got from an antique store.

PS: I'm having a spring cleaning sale in my Etsy shop, you can find it here!

Camera closeups and experiments

No time for words since I have to get ready for work soon, but I wanted to update.Amberina, found 3/17/09
Canon Rebel XS
10x magnified lens filter
18-55mm lens
Shutter speed: 1/1000sec.
F-Stop: f/5.6
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 55mm

Close up experiment
Canon Rebel XS
10x magnified lens filter
18-55mm lens
Shutter speed: 1/86sec.
F-Stop: f/5.6
ISO: 320
Focal Length: 46mm

Nightshot experiment, Jamestown RI
Streetlights on water
70-300mm lens
Shutter speed: 1/4 sec.
F-Stop: f/4.0
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 70mm

Newport Bridge as seen from Jamestown
70-300mm lens
Shutter speed: 1/10 sec.
F-Stop: f/5.6
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 300mm

American Flag in Jamestown
70-300mm lens
Shutter speed: 1/10 sec.
F-Stop: f/4.0
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 70mm

So I think my experiments are going well and I'm getting to know the camera better. That's all!

Sea glass obsession!

Hey, if you love sea glass as much as I do, I know I'm forgiven already for the length of this post and the amount of pictures. LOL. All of the pictures in this post were shot with my brand new Canon Rebel XS, and I've been experimenting as well so now all of you are my guinea pigs! mwahahaha!

Anyway, it's been snowing and I've been working too much to head to the beach at all this year, which makes me a sad pumpkin. Tide times have been working against me too, so seeing it's been over 3 weeks since I've gone actually makes me rather miserable. And I've been sick to boot. LOL

Anyway, last trip's finds! Not much of note until I found another marble at the same beach I found two others! This one was partially buried in the sand, so it made the day. :) Also found my first piece of vibrant lavender.

I like this marble.

Right after this trip, I was poking around the bottle forum at antique-bottles.net and then there was this topic about someone selling a sea glass marble on ebay for $66 recently. So...I posted a picture of one of my marbles that I had handy. It got me thinking...now that almost a year has passed since I started collecting sea glass, maybe I should do a "best finds so far" type entry. I also wanted to re-shoot some of my better pieces since my Kodak had some problems with detail sometimes.
Some of my bottle necks and other special pieces that I keep separate (otherwise I keep them in clear jars by color).

Sea pottery, milk glass, and my lone piece of opaque black glass.
As it turns out, last night I discovered that the two patterned pieces are from the Greenwood China company in Trenton, NJ (the back of the larger piece is marked Greenwood / Trent). They are from the same pattern but two different sized plates! A whole plate in this pattern is currently for sale here. The best part was that these two patterned pieces were found well over 6 months apart at the same beach, but they didn't quite match up until I found the picture of that plate. Greenwood China was only in business from around 1862 or 1868 until 1933, and the particular stamp used on these plates was first implemented in 1886. These plates were more than likely manufatured for a hotel. A part of me wonders if they came from the Narragansett Casino (built in 1886, destroyed by fire in 1900) or the Rockingham Hotel (where the fire started which burned the Narragansett Casino.) If you know of the Narragansett Towers, they were originally part of the Narragansett Casino. (More information can be found on this site!)


My two favorite bottle neck pieces, found at the same beach!

Anyone who can identify some of these patterns or embossing, feel free!

This piece (above) isn't so worn (found in the driveway of a house at Pleasure Beach along with other bits of sea glass (I'm guessing that the person who lived at the house collected sea glass and kept it in a jar, which was smashed in the driveway because we found significant amounts of sea glass in that location.)

My best pieces, cobalt blues (lousy quality wear/frosting on the cobalts for the most part...) vaseline/uranium glass, and my marbles. :)

My red piece shaped like the lower 48 of the good ol' USA :D. Maybe after global warming though...because naturally Cape Cod and Florida are missing. lol

And the marbles too.