Weekly #1: Documentation

GOAL: The goal for this week is to find the best setup for documenting woven material with the least amount of effort for the best quality. I will be using a linen bag to experiment with different lighting setups and camera techniques.

A shot like this establishes the entire material being used. In this case, a photo of the entire bag is necessary to show what I will be documenting

As you can probably see by now I'm using Instructables to post my weeklies. I have used it in the past and I enjoy how easy it is to post a complicated project in blog format. Also, its a good way to share my work with others without having a personal blog.

For the shot, I found that my iPhone camera can get fairly macro shots without the use of a lens. cropping was required, however.

For this shot, I was experimenting with using the brightness of the computer screen to act as an area light for the photo. When shooting this small I found that it is crucial to have plenty of light in order to capture some of the fine details.

This week we explored the documentation process, specifically involving woven fabrics. What is the best way to document woven fabric to showcase its qualities? if the woven is a piece of clothing, maybe it should be documented on an individual. If it is hand woven, maybe it should be taken in macro to showcase its craftsmanship. A lot should be taken into consideration when documenting woven materials. For me, however, the most important thing is actually doing the documentation! I've had so many projects that I wish I had taken better documentation and now its too late. So getting the fastest, most easy to set up shot is the most important part. Pair this with Instructables I should have no excuse NOT to document my work.