IQA TIPS FOR GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
You might have made the most gorgeous-looking piece you've ever created-but if you don't have quality visuals made of it, the jurors of IQA will never know! While professional photography is best, below are some simple tips you can follow to make sure that your quilt/garment is represented in the best possible light when those who make the decisions that count each year look it at.
- Photograph your quilt against a solid background, and eliminate props. Be aware that flowers, hands, people, award ribbons, and pets are distracting to the central image you want to present.
- Photograph your garment on a dress form or on a person. If a model is used, photograph from the neck down only.
- Vertical hanging of the quilt to avoid distortion is recommended over holding it up or laying it flat on the floor or bed.
- If using a digital camera, use a camera with 3 megapixels or better. Work in the best setting your camera is capable of taking. Only use an optical zoom.
- If you don't have a digital camera, a 35mm camera with a manual focus gives the best results. You can take regular film to your local film developer and have your photos converted to digital format and put on a CD. See the "How to Enter" section of the rules for specifics. These places can also scan slides for you and put them on a CD.
- Non-flash photographs taken outside on an early morning work well, but remember that the light should come from behind you and over your right shoulder to reflect on the piece. A calm, semi-cloudy day is also good.
- Make sure your full view actually shows all edges of the quilt/garment. Likewise, make sure your detail shot shows the technique that you want to draw attention to and relates to the category entered. Be sure to include some quilting stitches in the detail, as well.
- Double-check your images before you send them. Look with an objective eye. The jury may eliminate images that are out of focus, too dark, too light, or too small to see.
- Make sure you have actually written the images to the CD. You may want to see if someone can open the CD on another computer.
- Make sure your CD is marked legibly as requested in the "How to Enter" section of the rules. If you have a computer and can label your images, be sure to label them as requested in the same "How to Enter" section of the rules. Send your CD in a protective paper sleeve or cardboard CD mailer to prevent scratching of the surface.
DIGITAL PHOTO ENTRY TIPS
We would like to offer further clarification and tips concerning our digital entry requirements.
For the required photograph (in addition to the digital images):
Typing weight paper is acceptable, but not required. You may send a regular photograph on photo paper if you like.
Updated info for the digital images:
Don't change the proportion of your image.
- If your quilt is rectangular, make the longest side 1800 pixels or (which translates to the same thing as having the document 6" on the longest side at 300 dpi). Note that the shorter side will automatically fall into place at close to 4".
- If your quilt is square (or round), make the image 1200 pixels x 1200 pixels (which translates to he same thing as a 4" x 4" at 300 dpi image).
For those who want to know how to put a square image into the rectangular format:
Question:
The specified image size is 1800 pixels wide by 1200 pixels high. The rules also state that the size should be 6" x 4" at 300 dpi. I understand how to set the image pixel sizes in Photoshop Elements, but do not understand the 6"x4" requirement, because it distorts the image of my quilt, which is more or less square. How do you achieve the 6"x4" 300 dpi requirement AND maintain the required pixel dimensions?
Answer:
- Create a new document that is 1800 pixels by 1200 pixels (you can set a white background, black background, whatever color you want).
- Open the image with your quilt (you'll have two document open; the new blank document and the quilt).
- Drag the quilt image directly onto the new document (or select the quilt image, copy it, and paste it to the new document). Don't worry about how large the image is compared to the document size.
- Click the magnifying tool. Then, while in your workspace, hold the alt or option key (which reduces the magnification - or zooming out - rather than increasing the magnification - or zooming in) and click until you can see the entire quilt image.
- While on the layer with the quilt image (which you'll be on unless you clicked the background layer), go to Image>Free Transform (or Command-T on a Mac). Handles will appear around the quilt image. Grab a corner handle, and while holding the shift key (which constrains the proportions) drag inward until your image fits within the parameters of the document size. Once it does, click the return key.
- Then save the image as a maximum quality jpeg.
Important to understand is that 1800x1200 translates to exactly the same thing as a 6x4 images at 300 dpi. Thus, if you start with 1800x1200 document, and place whatever size your quilt image is onto the document, scale the image to fit within the document size, and you're all set.
IQA would like to thank Gloria Hansen and Jim Lincoln for their expert assistance on this subject.
Other Helpful Instructions
Quilt artist and teacher Libby Lehman generously shares instruction on:
- How to make a quilting sleeve
- How to bind a quilt.