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Photographing Quilts

This link below will take you to the Hewlett-Packard web page that explains many tips and tricks for taking the best possible pictures of your quilts. It's a great site because it explains "why" you should use the techniques and how to avoid some typical quilt picture problems.

When you photograph a quilt you are capturing its distinct array of colors, the details of its stitching and textures, and the story being told through its design. Whether you are taking photos for your personal use, to share with friends and family, or to submit as an entry to a quilt show, use HP's simple tips to portray your quilt as beautifully in digital form as it is in-person.
http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/take_better_photos/tips/quilts.html

In addition to the information on the HP site, here are a few more suggestions specific to displaying your quilt pictures on the Internet:

  1. You must use a digital camera;
  2. Set your camera to its highest possible resolution. Many digital cameras have a Large, Medium, Small resolution setting, which refers to the number of pixils in the photograph. Setting the camera so that it produces a picture using the maximum number of pixils; that is, the greatest resolution, allows your webmaster to reduce the photograph to a variety of sizes suitable for web viewing. Moreover, the reduced picture will show the greatest amount of detail possible.
  3. Whenever possible, avoid using your flash or photographing in direct sunlight; both will wash out the colors in your quilt. Try to photograph in the brighest indirect light you can.
  4. As HP says, take at least three (3) pictures of your quilt and send these to your webmaster contact person. Let the webmaster decide which picture will show well on the Internet.
  5. You are welcome to take pictures of youself with your quilts, but please remember that these pictures will enter the great Internet "cloud" where they will live forever.
  6. Your webmaster will never publish personal information about you unless you say it's OK to do so. Personal information includes your name, home address, email address, and telephone numbers. As with your quilt pictures, once this information is published on the web it's there forever and it's viewable by the entire world. It's not called the World Wide Web for nothing!