Lucky has set up a Photoshop template ready for you to drop in your finest bit of artwork. His post mentions mainly illustrations, but you and I both know there is no way an illustration can truly convey the myriad of qualities contained in a hunky hank. You also know the knitblogs are infested with truly crappyass photos of excellent fibers. You know of what I am typing. Look! I picked up three hanks of Outter Mongolian Silk from the almost extinct One Eyed...and what do you see? 3 blurry lumps on a bed or even worse, on shag carpeting.

The road to better pix; Know Your Tools. I do not believe to fine Yarrrrn shots one needs to have a pro camera but one does need to know how to use it. Dig out that owner's manual, don't just read about all those settings beyond the "idiot point & shoot", try them out for yourself, see what that button does. Your camera has a macro setting? Get to know it, use it, love it.

Know Your Lighting. Avoid the flash, it washes out details and distorts colors. Notice the light around your casa. What time of day and where you get the best natural, diffused (not direct) light, make note of it. Spring/summer I tend to shoot on the terazza from 9 - 11am, winter, near the bedroom doors leading out to the front balcony.

Know The Yarrrrn. Depending on the yarn over or under exposure will definitely cause distortion. If you are getting too much reflection off the sheen of that cotton/rayon blend, or the reds in that hand painted treat are way over saturated, move your shooting location. Try another window, other side of the yard or what have you. Work towards taking great pix that require NO touch ups, cropping perhaps, but keeping it real.

Have Fun. That's it. Have fun with it. Put on some music to get both you and Hank in the mood. (;

UPDATE: Elizabeth has posted the following tips for those of you having issues with natural lighting, i.e. there isn't much to be had where you are at the moment.

BTW, for those who lack access to natural light (shooting indoors at night in the long dark winter), try turning on a lot of lights around your objects. If you have an Ott light (or similar) use that. But also any other small lamps you can bring. Point some up to the ceiling (if it's white) to reflect a diffuse glow. If you must use your flash, it helps to have a lot of other light in the area. Stand back a bit and use your zoom, so the flash won't hit the yarn quite so hard. Put your yarn on a neutral gray background and put a white sheet around the area (not in the picture) to reflect some light back in.

The calendar template is set up in Photoshop layers and has editable text fields so you can change the copyright to your name. Lucky will be hosting a gallery thru the year of the illustration calendars and excellent Yarn Pr0n. If you wish to play along using the template, send me your calendar, I can host it for you to download as well as forward it to The Man to be displayed with the "big boys and girls". For details check out his 1/1 post - Calendaring for 2oo6.

If you are interested in workin on your Yarrrn Pr0n groove and do not have Photoshop and would dig doing a calendar for your desktop and/or to offer thru your blog and whatnot, email me. No, can't get you a copy of PS but I can copy and paste in your pic for you.

Zcal Jan - 1024x768, 1152x864,1280x1024, 1280x800, 1440x900. And what I'm actually using since solid flat space on my desktop bothers me for some reason - current.

Oh yes, if you are into illustratin', it doesn't have to be a photo. It's just, I'm in it for the Yarrrrn.

This year's Flash Your Stash Day (April 1) will have a Most Excellent Yarrrn Pr0n prize, something silk, something from HipKnits.

What a nice way to start off the year. I got the Kindred Sprits award in the Second Annual Knit Blog Awards. Tis quite an honor ladies and I must say, the feeling is mutual. You two rock! Nothing better than telling it like it is. I must confess, I'd read you two for over a year before I realized there were actually two of you, must have been that single brain part.

Am off to update The Garter Belt, Elizabeth has a new mosaic scarf for us. Then it's back to the lacy cap to go with the Primo scarf I'd posted a bit back in blob form.

Alla prox.