Filmless Photos

I have always been a visual person, and a self confessed photo junky (my poor over-photographed 17 month old son can attest to that). I love how photos engage the imagination and can evoke memories and feelings in a very powerful way. And this is exactly how I managed to stumble across a new store this week called Filmless Photos.


What drew me to this shop is undoubtably the Frangipanis, I am so enamoured with them I found a florist who would have a batch flown from Darwin to Melbourne for my wedding! But the magic of photos is that they will speak to each of us in a different way.

Kirsty of Filmless Photos includes a little story with each of the photographs about where or why it was taken. Kirsty has kindly provided some insight into her photography background and inspiration for me to share with you.

"I probably seriously started photography when I was 20 (now 26) with my Dad's old Minolta film SLR. It only had one lens, so I learnt to compromise with shots and make do with what I had. My first digital camera was a Kodak point and shoot (I got that for my 21st), which I was using right up until last year when I splurged and bought my Canon EOS1000D and a set of great lenses. I've always loved photography. My grandfather was a great photographer and so are mum and dad. I actually have a set of my grandfather's filters and a really old home made tripod. These are my most prized photography possessions! Inspiration....well, my camera is always with me. It's almost part of my anatomy! "

"I spend a lot of time traveling with my paying job (I'm an Occupational Therapist), so I get to see an awful lot of the countryside and draw inspiration from that. Australia is truely amazing through the lens -there's just not enough time to capture it all! People and animals are also an amazing inspiration. I think the true mark of a great photographer is being able to portray something's character in a single shot - it's something I really want to work on."

Well Kirsty I think you have definately nailed that with this pic!


For those of us who are not real pros I have asked Kirsty to share some quick tips to get us on the right path:

• It doesn't matter what sort of camera you have, it's all about lighting and imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment!
• There are masses of tips out there on the web - type your question into google and you are guaranteed an answer!
• Learn to use the manual settings on your camera (reading the manual is really worth it), you'll get better shots.
• Invest in a tripod - it's the best thing for getting that tricky shot, and a lamp with a "cool daylight" fluro globe - it will give you great light to shoot with.
• Think about your composition, straight shots can be boring shots. Get below your product, level with it, or above it to get some great angles. Use neutral backgrounds so as not to take away from your product. And try and take a shot of your product used in context - it will make sense to the buyer if the product is a little obscure, or hard to portray in a single shot.
• Keep shooting! If you only get one or two good shots for every 12 you take your doing well. If you get one GREAT shot, fantastic!

Kirsty is in the process of putting together an ebook for the Etsians who want to learn about product photography - it should be available very soon, so watch this space!

Images used with the permission of the artist.