Not much is said or writtten about how to photograph a quilt. Many folks lay it down on the floor and snap a shot that way. Another way is to hang it on the wall or on a frame to take a picture of it. And still, you can stage an area for a photo shoot with a quilt – commonly seen on tables or on rocking chairs.
I found a couple of interesting sites that have photography tips for quilts:
This is an area of the art of quilting that I want to work on. I enjoy seeing a picture of a whole quilt, but I also enjoy seeing the details and/or a staged photo, where you can actually see a quilt in action. I think it’s much like looking at selling a house, where the experts suggest that you remove most of your junk from the pad, leaving just enough furniture to show off the details of the space … so that the potential buyers can visualize their own stuff in the house.
Think about it – as a quilter, do you picture yourself making the quilt you’re looking at a photo of? And if so, do you put yourself in those shoes when you see a full shot of the quilt? Or when you see a staged shot?
And then do the same with you as the consumer. I am forever looking at a quilt that I’m making for someone, trying to picture them WITH the quilt wrapped around them. In this sense, I like to see quilts staged, so I can replace the details of the photo with people and places where the quilt will potentially hang out.
Here’s an example that may help you visualize what I mean. There are three photos of the same quilt below (with a little graphic magic from me). All of them were staged, but each, to me, emits a different ’emotion’ about the quilt:
I’m going to keep working on my photographing of quilts. And on lighting and all that goes with it. I’ve seen some stunning quilt photographs in the Cotton Spice quilting magazine, and in other places – so, I do have some experts and experience to lean on. But, I want the perfect quilt photo — something that really shows off a quilt, while still allowing for the visual appeal that makes me want to wrap myself around a quilt, too.
