Quick Tip Tuesday - DIY Huge Number Props

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

DIY Huge Number Props!

Cardboard is your friend!  Really!  There are so many uses and re-uses for cardboard!  I use cardboard that my lab ships orders in to make big numbers for birthday sessions at my studio!  You can paint it any color you like and they are super easy to make.  I simply picked my favorite font, used my projector to project it onto the cardboard, traced the outline, then cut it out.  Add a coat of paint and done :)

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

{ Quick Tip Tuesday } DIY Dyeing a Flokati

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

DIY and dye a flokati rug!

Flokatis can be purchased in natural color from RugsUSA.com - head to your local craft store and pick out your dye color.  Get two bottles of liquid dye - the first time I tried this, I used the powder, and I got much better results from the liquid dye.  I simply followed the directions on the bottle.  Be sure to brush and soak your flokati first, pay attention to how long you leave it, and don't agitate it too much or your flokati will get curly and matted.

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

{ Quick Tip Tuesday } think about re-purposing!

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

Buy things that have more than one purpose!

We recently promoted and shot a day of styled mini sessions featuring a live baby goat and a farm theme.  Normally, this theme is shot outdoors at our studio but the weather was not conducive to happy children the day of shooting.  We had damp, chilly weather and over 25 mph winds!  This gave me the opportunity to go ALL OUT and bring the farm INDOORS and build a barn interior set.  When shopping for the set, I kept in mind things that I could use for my set, and then repurpose or use for personal use after the sessions.  NO WAY would I spend $700 on a backdrop to use for one day of sessions, or $150 on props that won't ever come out again.

I have 6 spoiled backyard hens, so buying a couple of bags of feed that could be used in my set will be fed to them over the next month or so.  A couple bales of hay in my set will be used as mulch in my vegetable garden and bedding in my chicken coop.  The fresh potted herbs will be planted in my herb spiral and added to yummy dinners that we cook!

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

{ Quick Tip Tuesday } No-Sew Newborn Bowtie Props

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

Easy No-Sew DIY Newborn Bowties for $1.00 or less!

I love how super easy and custom this DIY prop is!  If you have a client coming in that requests a specific color scheme, you can make one of these the night before!  I'm going to roll through this tutorial to demonstrate how fast and easy it is, and if you go ahead and pre-cut your fabric pieces, you can make several at once without stopping :)  Fabric quarters can be found at fabric stores or the craft/fabric section in Walmart, or you can use fabric scraps that you already have or even upcycle some old clothing.  The possibilities are endless!

Here we go!

1. Supplies - fabric, hot glue gun, glue sticks, measuring tape and scissors.

2. Cut your fabric into two rectangles - large main piece should be around 4.5 inches x 5.5 inches, and your center smaller piece should be around 3 inches x 2 inches.

3. Tri-fold your large piece like you would fold a letter to put in an envelope and run a small bead of glue on the edge to hold in place.

4. Fold edges to meet center and slightly overlap, add a drop of glue to hold in place.

5. Pinch rectangle in middle and add a drop of glue to hold into a bowtie shape.

6. Tri-fold your smaller piece just like you did the larger one and run a small bead of glue along edge to hold in place.

7. Wrap small piece around center of large piece and glue in back.

8.  DONE!

Easy peasy!

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

Quick Tip Tuesday { white balance quick trick! }

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

An easy White Balance trick!

If you're not ready to shoot in manual mode and use a specific temperature setting to deal with your white balance, grab some index cards!  Set your white balance to "Auto" and place an index card next to your subject.  Once you open your RAW file, if your camera didn't get the white balance correct, you can adjust it by using the index card as your white point.

Easy peasy!

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

{ Quick Tip Tuesday } Make Money while Spending Money!

 Another post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to keep rolling!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

Make Money while Spending Money - it's totally possible!

This is a no-brainer!  Simply go here and create an account at Ebates, do your business (or personal, or both) shopping at the same places you already shop and get paid money back via check or Paypal for clicking through Ebates!  You'll also get a bonus $10 gift card just for creating an account!

I got back almost $90 this quarter just for buying my normal business essentials like copy paper, printer ink and packaging supplies - below is a copy of one of my previous quarterly payouts!  Office supplies are expensive, but you can get a little piece of what you spend back by shopping wisely :)

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC

Quick Tip Tuesday

 This is the first post in a fun, weekly series that we hope to get started!  Each Tuesday we'll post a new quick business tip for prop making, marketing, lighting or some other tidbit that might help you out!  Even if you're not a photographer, you might still find something to apply to your field of business that may save you time or money :)

This week's quick tip:

Less than a dollar for a new backdrop?  Yes, please!

We are revamping our studio, moving from bright colors to softer, muted colors.  I have a slew of bright colored backdrops, but I don't have $1000 in my marketing budget to spend on ordering brand new backdrops, and let's face it - I love projects.  Or more honestly, I love giving my husband projects.

Stop by your local hardware store and get a small paint sample mixed in any color that you like for less than $3 - it's the perfect amount for a 4ft x 4ft backdrop!  Also, check the rack where the paint mistints are... I got a gorgeous mint sample for $.49 that I'll be using for Spring sessions!

Come back and comment on our post with what awesomeness you find!

And that's how this purple backdrop magically turned into this creamy neutral backdrop...

Call the studio at 336.575.7088 or visit our website -

Newborn Photographers Winston Salem Fantasy Photography, LLC