I have read a TON of good advise on taking great online product photos. I don't claim to have any magic solution that will suddenly transform you into a world class photographer but perhaps I can share with you some of the tips that will lead you in the right direction.
Number one seems to be learn your camera. I've had the same camera for 5 years and learned more about it in the past month than the 4 11/12 years I've been struggling with product photos. Cheapo or pro quality cameras are both capable of good online photography IF you know how to work the camera, or at least how to work around it's limits.
#2 Seems to be lighting. Daylight or equivalent bulbs are very helpful as are led flashlights to create some controlled highlights. Play around with different angles of light and camera placement.
#3, Get artistic. Whether with props or camera angle and or zoom in on a detail. Try for at least one photo that does more than just show the product. The more you experiment the sooner you'll find something special to pull in those customers. Sell more than the item itself, sell a look or mood. Go look at professional advertising photos with an eye towards how you could stage the scene similarly for your product. Watch your view counts for what works.
#4 learn whatever photo editing software you are using. I've used PhotoShop for years and thought I could manipulate my images fairly well.... HA! My 15 yr old daughter has been helping me clean up my photos and between the two of us (and advise from several online forums) we both have learned a lot. ALL photos need SOME editing.
#5 (my own lesson) Don't be afraid to retake your photos. Yea, it's painful and time consuming and we all would rather be in our comfort zone of working on our chosen art/craft, but we all know a few photos and words are all our customers have to use to decide to click on that all important "add to my cart" button.
My photos come a long way in the past year, and I still have a ways to go. It's all about time, but all the inventory in the world is not going to help me if I can't sell the stuff.
Here's some links to some very helpful posts:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=11188
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6194715http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6497042
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6498439
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6516971
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6563885
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6602461
I'm sure there are more tips out there, but these have helped push my photos to a higher level .Hopefully some of these tips will elevate your photos too.
No comments:
Post a Comment