The first cool front of the summer rolled in last night, so it's coffee & oatmeal enjoyed on the deck on this gift of a summer morning - simple pleasures.  

It is so easy to over complicate the things we all do - daily.  I am constantly looking for that least common denominator - to knock it down a few notches, simplify, and get back to the basics.   

I'm heading towards photography and light today.  I started selling on eBay in 1999, at a time when there were fewer than five pages of lampwork listings.  It was all just beginning for us back then and the market was hungry for what were offering.  Listings sold for crazy high prices and it began a process of thinking for me.  "Online sales - how can you stand out?"

The means of promoting your items was through the photographs and descriptions in your listings, and the images needed to be drop-dead gorgeous with well written descriptions.  I have always loved the sexy side of photography - the careful arrangement of a set to capture crisp edges, a necessary reflection or the effect of a light flooded bead spilling out a color-filled shadow. 

These minute nuances of serenity and beauty - in their simplest of forms - were what caught and kept the attention of online buyers.  To allow them to enjoy the absolute sweetness of pure form and color - thoughtfully arranged and beautifully delivered.

It took me awhile to find my voice and understand how important the concept of being consistent was.  Early on, I photographed in natural daylight, I loved the sparkle my glass gave off in the sunlight, but quickly realized that sunlight had differing color "temperatures" depending upon time of day and season, this caused my images to be inconsistent. 

I moved indoors, giving up the sparkle and bought an illuminated light box and high(er) dollar equipment... (because we're used to "more is better" - right?) NOT.  Currently, and for perhaps the past eight years, I photograph indoors with an old 5megapixel Sony Cybershot camera on a piece of printer paper with two daylight lamps overhead.  

Keeping it simple... I strive for the quintessential compliment from customers - "I just received my beads and they're even prettier than the pictures!"  I love it.

smiles,
Jill

ps - I am looking for a few more of these memory sticks:

if you have one, contact me and I'll give you a $50 credit (for a 128MB stick) to use towards purchases on my site.