Linda’s beautiful peppermint cold process soap.

How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I came across a soap making book back in 2000 and decided to give it a go. So I made my first batch and I’ve basically never stopped. It was very much a hobby at first and I gave away my soaps to friends and family as gifts. When my son started school in 2009, I realized that I wanted to be at home for him. I wanted to be at the school gates, I wanted to be there when he did his homework… I worked in broadcasting at the time, with a long commute and some traveling to faraway places. So I gave up my job and set about starting my own business making and selling handmade soaps. It turned out to be the best decision for me and my family.

What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
Well, what works for me is that I love what I do. Even when I work long hours it never feels like work and that keeps me going. To those starting their businesses I would say: Believe in what you do and go for it. You will make mistakes along the way. We all do but we can learn from them. And try to find the balance between being artistic and being consistent. When you’re running a business it is important be able to recreate the exact same product time and time again. I have many repeat customers who keep coming back to buy the same soap. This means keeping meticulous notes all the time.

Left to right: Rose clay cold process soap, Vetiver cold process soap, turquoise and gold cold process soap

What is your favorite type of product to make?
I make bath bombs, bath salts, body butters, liquid soap but cold process soap is what I love best.

What inspires you to create?
It took me years to realise that I was creative. When I was at school I couldn’t draw or paint as well as my friends so I grew up assuming that I was not artistic. Soap making unlocked my creativity; it made me believe in my own ability. Everything around me inspires me. My husband says ‘Look at that beautiful sunset!’ and I see an ombre soap! I see soap in everything around me: in the colors of nature, in the walk by the sea, in a painting on the wall, in food… I think about soaps pretty much all the time and have been known to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to write down an idea that has just popped into my head.

Linda’s stunning Obsidian Cold Process Soap, made with charcoal. 

How did you come up with the name for your business?
I use my own name as my business name.  I thought long and hard but did not come up with a name I liked enough, a name that I felt comfortable with. In the end it felt natural to go with my own name. My Instagram name (mimi_and_boo) came about by accident. I noticed last year that my son was showing an interest in photography. So I set up an Instagram account so he could post some pictures. Mimi is my nickname for him and Boo is my husband’s nickname for me. Of course being a child, he soon moved on to other things so I started to post pictures of my soaps instead.

Your product photos are absolutely stunning! What advice do you have for taking great pictures?
Thank you, my photography is a work in progress! It is an evolving thing. I can’t afford a professional photographer so I had to become that photographer. I am very conscious that when you look at something on a screen you can’t pick it up, you can’t touch it and you can’t smell it – bad news for soapmakers. My advice would be: get as close as your lens will allow you, swap your flash for natural light, and steady those hands (I often lean my elbows on a pile of books!).

Top left to right: Rose Oudh Cold Process Soap, Triple Milk Cold Process Soap, lace cold process soap

What is your favorite Bramble Berry product and why?
I love, love, love your Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oil. Oh how I wish you were in the UK!

Tell us something unusual or unique about yourself!
I don’t know if I am unusual but I am obsessed with details and I think that comes across in my soaps, my photos and my packaging.  I am not happy until I get things just the way I want it and I will keep at it until I get there. Oh, and French is my first language, not English, but even I seldom remember that these days!

Ylang Ylang Cold Process Soap, scented with a blend of lavender, geranium and ylang ylang essential oils.

 What are some of your other hobbies and interests?
I really enjoy baking. Sadly my waistline doesn’t. My family and I travel as often as we can. We love the excitement of being somewhere new, discovering a new culture, trying new food etc. And I’m pretty sure there’s a potter in me somewhere. One day I will take up pottery.

What is your number one soaping tip?
Be prepared!  Plan the process in your head and lay out everything before you start. Always have a Plan B when working with a new fragrance oil.

Top left to right, clockwise: Toasted Coconut and Coffee Soap, Anise Orange & Lavender Cold Process Soap, a collection of over 180 cold process soap bars, textured lace cold process soap

Have you ever experienced a horrible soapy fail? How did you work through it, and what did you learn?
Oh yes, there have been plenty over the years! In my experience, soapy fails are often related to fragrances. The first time I got ‘soap on a stick’ I dumped the whole lot in the bin. Now I know that I could maybe have let it gel in the pot and then poured it. These days I tend to trust my instinct. I was working with a fragrance recently that, according to the supplier’s website, was not supposed to accelerate on me. I couldn’t find any reviews but I could detect a familiar floral note in it that made me proceed with caution.

I split my batter into different portions, adding the color I wanted to each portion. Then I stirred in a small portion of the scent into the first jug and poured it. I could see little lumps forming at the bottom of my jug so that gave me a good idea of how long I had before things went pear shaped. No time for fancy swirls. Sure enough, the whole lot was almost rock solid by the time I had finished pouring. It’s not the prettiest soap but I am pleased that it has no air pockets.

Linda’s beautiful cold process soap!

 What do you love most about creating bath and body products?
I love the alchemy, the magic of transforming oils and raw ingredients into sumptuous, fragrant products.  It makes me feel like a magician.

Find Linda O’Sullivan
On the Web
On Instagram

The post How Leaning on Books Improves Product Photography appeared first on Soap Queen.

One of the first things people notice about my soaps are the photos. I have enjoyed taking photos since childhood and got my first “real camera” for my 7th birthday, a Minolta X-7. Since then, I’ve gone through quite a few cameras and countless rolls of film. I currently enjoy using the Nikon D7000 and Canon 70D. With the right equipment and a little bit of know-how, you too can take your soap photography to the next level! Here are my top five tips for taking photos of your soap.

A collection of Zahida’s beautiful soap, and a great representation of her stunning photography. You can find Handmade in Florida’s soap on Facebook, the web, Youtube and her blog.

1. Equipment: You can certainly get by with using your smartphone, but chances are you will not achieve the look you are going for, particularly when it comes to depth of field (when the background is blurred and your subject is in focus). To achieve this look, you should invest in a dslr (digital single-lens reflex) camera and a 50mm lens (others work too, but this is a good starting point). There are several reputable brands out there including, Nikon, Canon and Sony. It is not necessary to get a top of the line model, a midrange model and a 50mm lens will work wonders for your soap photography!

2. Lighting: Sure there are lots of fancy photography lights out there, but the best (which also happens to be free), is natural light. Time to turn off that auto flash! Take your photos in soft natural light near a window. With a little practice and experimentation, you will soon discover what area and what time works best in your home/studio.

3. Composition: One of the best guides to determine good composition is the “Rule of Thirds”, where your image is divided into thirds (like a tic tac toe diagram). The four center points that connect are considered to be the “power points”. You can stage your soap or soaps in such a way that the main area you are trying to showcase (a botanical top or swirl etc.) falls on one of more of those points. Most cameras and even phone apps (like Manual, ProCamera, Aviary etc.) have a Rule of Thirds diagram built in, so it should be easy to experiment with your composition.

Experiment with your angles too, try holding your camera at a 45 degree angle and taking a variety of shots, including overhead and up close and personal shots. Be creative and think outside the box!

4. Backgrounds and Props: Simple is safe when it comes to backgrounds and props. The focus of your picture should be to highlight your soap or a certain feature of your soap. Busy patterns or bold colors may detract attention from your soap, the same goes for props. If it’s relevant or adds interest to you picture, include it, otherwise save it for something else. Simple poster-board backgrounds and lightly textured scrapbook paper work well. In addition, Professional photography paper rolls/background paper are relatively inexpensive and will last you quite a while. These are readily available online at most photography retailers like B&H Photo etc.

5. Post Editing: It’s a must. Yes, it would be great to take perfect pictures with perfect colors and perfect lighting, but the reality is, perfection is hard to achieve (even for the majority of professional photographers out there who also edit their photos)! There are numerous post editing programs on the market. My favorites are Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. The goal of editing your pictures should be to enhance them, not to change them. You want the colors on screen to be as close to the real deal as possible. Editing will also allow you to adjust your lighting, contrast, tone etc. as well as crop and rotate your images to make them more visibly appealing.

Photographing your soap is a lot like making it. With a little research, the right equipment and practice, you will be taking beautiful pictures of your soap in no time! Good luck with your soap making and with your photography!

You can learn more about Zahida by following her on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram  or www.handmadeinflorida.com

The post Soap Photography Tips from Handmade in Florida appeared first on Soap Queen.

Lighting: Lighting is the most important aspect of taking a photo. It helps to bring the entire composition to a whole and really helps to sell your product. Favorites in this category were chosen for their well-lit photos, from clever use of light and dark to excellent natural lighting and everything in between.

Top Row: Ksenija Celner, Bubblina’s Soap Boutique, Patti Johnson

Bottom Row: Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps, Vilma from Tree Essences, Debbie from Soapylove

Closeup: Macro photos are always fun to take and getting close to your products can really highlight the luxurious ingredients that you used. My favorites in this category exhibited excellent close-up photography skills and really helped to call attention to the important details of their products.

Top Row: Marisa from Soaps Temptation – Sabonetes Artesanais, Gabriela from Beleco, Kelly from Sudsie Q Soaps

Bottom Row: Sensual Scentsations, Kristi from Life Soap Simple, Hayley from Paintbox Soapworks

Props:  The use of a prop in a photo can bring a photo all together and make it pop. Favorites in this category were chosen based on their use of props with their soap. Anything from paintbrushes, tea kettles and berries helped to make these photos stand out.

Top Row: Jill from Calise Soapworks & Such, Iulia Pascanu, Lisa Morlan

Bottom Row: Sisi from Heimatilbúnar Baðvörur, Roseanne of Monument Soapworks, The Carberry Soap Co.

Backdrop: A backdrop can make or break your photo and there were incredible ideas submitted to this Make it Monday. These faves were chosen for individual and creative backgrounds that really made the soaps come to life.

Top Row: Audra Weisenberger, Sally Bain, Darlye from Handmade by Cladar

Bottom Row: Emily from Suds by the Sea, spumis, Δωράκι- Σαπουνάκι

Soap as Art: The photos in this category were based on how artistic they looked. From the setup to the camera angle to the products, these winners made us want to hang their photos up in the office.

Top Row: Karen from Astara Studio, Katie Walker, Amber Reddinger

Bottom Row: Ashley from Aqua Blossom, Carla and Garreth from Scent Cosmetics, Emily from Shieh Design Studio

Thanks to everyone who entered! Have you seen the Find the Love giveaway that started today? Check it out for some fun treasure hunting. And stay tuned next week as we reveal our latest Make-it-Monday style contest (for now)…with a twist!

The post #Photography Winners appeared first on Soap Queen.