August Reboot Series - The Camera Does Lie!

This month I'm going to be doing some re-posting of older blog posts. Some like this one will have updates included as when I reread I often realize I've learned something new since the original post went up.  I hope to have all new interviews every Friday but many Pros take the month of August off and in past years I haven't always been able to get enough interviews back to fill all the August dates.

One of the great things about my knitting career has been the amount I've gotten to learn about so many new things. Have you ever heard the saying "the camera never lies"? I used to believe that but now I know it isn't true.

The camera sees things differently than we do. Light conditions impact colour so much more than I was ever aware of before I needed photos that are true to the colour of a specific yarn. When I worked in my LYS we had a problem  pattern. I was told to let customers know when they tried to buy the yarn that it didn't come in that colour. The photo was incorrect with respect to the true colour, changing a beige yarn to pale green.

I've also discovered that detail shots have colour issues as well. When you move in close to get the photo the proximity of the camera changes the light. Sometimes we colour correct and other times we use a magnification of a full garment shot, crop and then sharpen it up. 

Once a friend was showing me wedding photos of what I thought were coloured blocked bridesmaid dresses. She mentioned that the colour difference was only visible in the photos. The dresses were made from velvet and chiffon that reflected light back to the camera differently.

Take a look at the photos below. I heard  Melisa Joan Hart mention on a talk show that the white mark on her forehead was not visible to anyone except the camera.

I've also noticed that designs like the ones below with small textured stitches look great in the real world. The patterns sell more copies when knitters see the garments but get less notice and fewer positive comments when viewed in photos. I have other patterns which I notice the photos sell more copies than the samples do.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-anne-meredith-cardigan

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-emily-brent-cardigan

I've heard similar commentary on the fashions at awards shows. The press people frequently comment on the difference between the photos and their real world observation of the clothing. It's never consistent as to which makes the garments and the attendees look better. 

My hands are not really this big, they are just closer to the lens in the first photo.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-sylvia-dering-infinity-scarf-and-gloves

Humm.. how do I say this, I occasionally have a similar problem with another part of my body that protrudes forward. I discovered this effect when we were taking photos at Christmas. I was wearing a cocktail dress that fits snugly around the torso. The shots where I was at an angle to the camera looked normal but the straight on photo looked very disproportionate.