Hello everyone and welcome to our first blog post. Today's topic - Taking Product Pictures
This week I have seen SO many posts about what someone can do to get more sales in their shop. The number one answer is almost always - PHOTOS!
We are humans are VERY visual creatures and shop with our eyes all the time. If you have subpar pictures you will get subpar results. This is most important when offering a final product to an end consumer (For example - earrings directly to the customer).
So how do we fix that? Implement these three simple techniques.
1. LIGHTING!
This is the most important part of taking a picture. Trust the woman on her 4th round of photos for 300+ products (LOL)!
Find a large window in your house that has bright but muted sunlight. Direct sun bleaches out your item and doesn't show its true colors while shade casts shadows and dulls your product. A muted bright window is the PERFECT setting.
In winter or on those very cloudy days where muted sunlight just isnt an option invest in good LED studio lights with diffusers or just wait. You will need at least two to make sure shadows aren't cast which can make your product look odd. Set these lights up over your staging station on either side (Left and Right) and play around with the height of the lights from your items for best photos (so have your camera/ phone handy while adjusting so you can "see through your lens")
Let's not even talk about just using overhead house lighting - DO NOT DO IT!
2. Background
Choose something and stick to it. Many times I see someone with 25 listings in their shop with 23 different backgrounds of their photos. DO NOT DO THIS!
Choose something soft and simple that really makes your product pop. You can get expensive "backgrounds" online but honestly, I got $10 background fabric (the stuff for photo shoots) and glued it down to a thick whiteboard from Michaels.
You will want two pieces because you will create an "L" shape with your boards so you have the underneath and background of your product. Total cost $20 - $25. This method also allows you to easily store flat your background and then bring it back out when it's time to take more photos!
3. Staging
This can be hit or miss depending on your product. Remember people shop with their eyes (and many DO NOT read descriptions) so if you include a lot of staging props in your photos you may have customers that expect to receive those items with their purchase.
I like to keep it simple - a sprig of leaves, a flower, a rock to rest your product on. Something that gives a little flair but does not take away from your product which as amazing as we both know it is deserves front and center!
That's it, folks. Ideas for taking the BEST pictures you can of your products while keeping it simple and budget-friendly!