Wednesday 3 April 2013

Going off the straight and narrow

Can anyone tell me why you can put a flat, square piece of card stock on the floor, which is completely flat too, and yet when you take a photo of it, it looks distorted and not square or flat at all? It's so annoying, I need to find a new way of photographing layouts!  I try hard to hold the camera at the proper angle so that I am looking straight down at the straight card, on the straight floor and still it comes out squiffy.  Short of suspending myself from the ceiling and lowering myself down towards the floor in a scene reminscent of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, I can't think of what I can do to stop this. 
 
Anyhow, without further ramblings - part two of my Mad Hatter layout and the two pages next to one another ...



 
So anyway, today we are back to freezing temperatures, frost on the ground, gloves on, hoods up.  So I'm guessing that yesterday was Spring.  Gotta love the British seasons eh?

13 comments:

scrappyjacky said...

They look great together,Deb.I have exactly the same problem with photographing layouts!!

Rhona said...

I have the same problem with photographing layouts - if you find out how to rectify it I'd be very interested. I really like the look of this double sided one and what a great reminder of a fun day.
We're also back to freezing temps and some snow flurries this morning! :(
xx

Cheri said...

Unless you are able to hold your camera precisely parallel with the floor, that is going to happen. It can't lean even a teeny bit in any direction without skewing the perspective. And believe me I've tried too!

And if it makes you feel any better, we are having the same crazy weather here in Pennsylvania. Spring-like one day, back to Winter the next.

Denise said...

Freezing here today too.I always have that problem,although I normally stand mine up against something,they still always look weird though !

Abi said...

I have this problem too! Cheri is right. You have to have your camera parallel to the floor. I find it helps to stand on a chair, pop the camera strap around your neck and then hold the camera out from your body pointing directly at the floor. So difficult though! x

Alison said...

Great two page layout Deb..I haven't done one for ages! ..and I struggle with taking pics of Layouts too!
alison xx

Maria Ontiveros said...

LOL! I think we all feel your pain.
Rinda

Sian said...

I'm having a very enjoyable post Easter blog fest today ..wish I had some good advice about the photographing, but it's something I'm not very good at myself. That's why I used to photograph my pages in a setting because it wasn't so noticeable if they weren't square. But I got a bit bored with doing that so now I blutack them to the edge of a shelf and step backwards. A tripod can help if you do it that way too.

..and can I just say every home needs a meerkat?!

Becky said...

I have the same problem with photographing layouts too! I do like your layouts though :)

I've been told that my Meerkat is going to arrive this week! Let's wait and see! It will be our second - think I might have been mindwashed by advertising!

alexa said...

That's a great double page spread! When I had trouble with 'bowed' and 'curvy' pages, I discovered that it was because I was leaning in close to fill the lens space. If you stand upright over the page and use the zoom, then it doesn't distort. Don't know if this will be of use to you ...

Abi said...

Hi Debs, in reply to your comment on my blog I sometimes buy fabric locally and sometimes online. The fabric i am using at the moment was bought online at "the eternal maker". They had very fast delivery. "M is for make" is also good online!

Sandie said...

This seems a familiar problem, I find it more noticeable with larger projects that I am taking. I will try out Alexa's suggestion. Great pages and happy memories of what looks like a great day out. Lucky you!

Sandra said...

I think photographing layouts is something we all struggle with. I think a tri pod might be the answer, but oh what a faff lol.

Anyhow, it doesn't distract from your lovely layouts