*sigh* Photography, for me, is an ongoing learning experience. I’m still working on improving the pictures I take but here’s some observations about pix for Etsy:
1. No blurry pictures! I cringe when I look at Etsy items sitting on someone’s floor or sofa, blurred with no detail--and only one picture!
blurry
2. Dark or bad color. I’ve re-edited or totally retaken photos when I’ve realized that the image is either too dark or the color is too blue or green. Maybe it’s just my camera or setup but sometimes it does that odd color thing and I don’t notice until it’s on the site.
blue tint
3. Different viewpoints. I try to include one “artistic” shot--an interesting angle or close up of a detail--sometimes to use as the primary shot to draw attention to the item when they’re being seen in listings.
close up
4. Use as many pix as possible. With some of my simpler items, 2 or 3 can suffice. But buyers (me included) like to see lots of angles, details and even the backs of items. I never understand when someone only uses one picture.
back of the pin
5. Consistency. This one I get very low marks on. I’ve tried to come up with a consistent background for my photos-neutral colored fabric, different papers--and I haven’t found anything that works for me as a signature “look” for my shop.
I love the new feature on Etsy, that allows you to upload all 5 pictures at once, like Flickr, instead of one at a time, like we’ve had to. And it’s also easier to arrange them in the order you want them seen since it’s now a drag and drop system as opposed to clicking arrows to move pictures individually. Hooray, Etsy!
Are you going to go look at my Etsy shop pictures now? I blush because some of my older items are not as good as the newer ones. And, like I said, I’m still working on perfecting the images every time I post a new piece of jewelry. All I can do is Keep on Tryin’!
Do What You Love!
