Seven Tips on Better Picture-Taking: for your Blog and Etsy Shop |... 1. Use the best quality camera you can afford. Honestly, you don’t have to have a super-expensive camera to get some really great photos for your blog or Etsy shop. When I first opened my shop, I used a Kodak EasyShare point-and-shoot camera with great success. For a long time, I used a Fuji FinePix camera I bought at Walmart. With the proper lighting and settings, that camera took excellent pictures. I’ve since graduated to a Nikon D3000 digital camera. 2. Lots of items sold on Etsy are small enough that using the ‘macro’ setting on your camera is the best option. 3. If possible, grab your items, background material(s), props and handmade items and head outside on a nice day. 4. Check out various Etsy shops and you’re sure to find that many times, sellers use props in their photos. 5. A great photo has a great background. 6.
Taking photos from different angles will give your customers a better idea of what your item looks like. 7. Have a specific question? Tim here.. Like this: How to Make Shipping Envelopes | Eco Etsy. Melody of Kindercotton shared her blog tutorial about how to make your own waterproof mailers from recycled store bags. If you know someone who uses store bags instead of reusable totes, ask him/her to save them for you!
I recently ran out of the Tyvek envelopes that I had been using to ship out my orders. I liked them because they are water resistant and tear-proof, which keeps my fabric items safe in transit, but they are non-recyclable plastic, which I don’t like much at all. The plastic material also smudged when I tried to stamp my logo on the packages. That alone was reason enough to not use them!  I looked into buying recycled products, but I didn’t love anything that I found. Luckily, I’m a pretty crafty person and I came up with a solution that uses very little new material (just some thread), holds up well in the mail, is water resistant, and is essentially free.
(click on any image to see a larger version of the photo) 1. 2. 3. The inside of the package matters too! Studio Quality Product Photography With a $12 Set Up: Guest Post from Via U Photography Blog. I took this picture of a bottle of Anderson Liquid Soap bottle in my kitchen. It looks like the photograph was taken in a photography studio, using complicated lighting equipment. I was not. Here is a step by step guide showing how you can to do it too. Here’s what you’ll need: 1.
A cardboard box you can use to cut a piece from.2. A roll of aluminum foil, it’s easier with a wider one.3. This is one of those times when bigger is indeed better. 1. Now you will need to redecorate your home a bit, move a table as close to a window as you can. Is your furniture high enough? Don’t let the neighbors watch. Put a long piece of aluminum foil on the table, I used the dull side up for this picture. Fold down the foil to have a clean edge.
Use the card so the light coming in from the window bounces back to reach the bottle. Play with the angle of the card to find the position that puts the most light on your product. Now you are ready to take a picture! Via U! Starting an Etsy Shop? Here are 8 Articles You Must Read First. Gypsy earrings – handmade chandelier earrings – Gypsy, Yellow Article by: Jenny Hoople Lots of people have been asking me lately what they should know about setting up a shop on Etsy. Here I’ve gathered together the articles that have been golden nuggets of advice for me in a sea of information. Know at the beginning that making amazing products is only half the battle, the other half of your time will be making sure that the right people are aware of them. I’ve found that the marketing part of owning an indie craft business is just as fun and creative as the making part. If you start reading these articles and it all seems boring and you’re disappointed that there are no quick-fixes, then you’ll want to take aside some time to really evaluate what you want to do with your creative impulse.
The first set of articles that you want to bookmark and begin your reading adventure with is the Etsy Seller’s Handbook. Happy crafting friends, and good luck to you! Click HERE Timothy Like this: S Guide to Photography :: Etsy Blog. Beautiful, warm, crisp photos are key to selling your work on Etsy. Your photos need to convey not only the shape, size, color and texture of the work you are offering, but also the style and feeling behind your brand. There’s a lot to consider, and I always say product photography should be a continual process — no photo is ever perfect. I’ve put together a guide of the best articles on and off Etsy for you to study to help your product photography skills grow! Setting up the Shot The Best of the Etsy Blog… Etsy Success: Product Photography for Beginners Learn to take beautiful photos with this video hosted by successful seller MiniatureRhino. Give Props: How to Style Your Photos Styling is a tool with unlimited possibilities.
The Best of the Blogosphere… DIY Light Box Make shows you how to quickly create a light box for under $20. The Case for Adding Human Models Meredith convinces you to use human models and gives you ideas on how to find them. Product Photography Tips. How to Identify Your Ideal Customer by April. English Photo by Elsita (Elsa Mora) on Flickr From my last guest post on Imaginative Bloom – Why You Need an Ideal Customer Profile – I hope you realized how important it is to identify your ideal customer. Now, I’m going to tell you how to do it. Remember that Your Ideal Customer Lights You Up You can start to narrow down your ideal customer by knowing who isn’t your ideal customer. Start by making a list of the “not so fun” customers you’ve had in the past. What customer experiences have lit you up?
Physical Characteristics Now, I want you to close your eyes and imagine your ideal customer. Some people get stuck writing out a physical description, because they have clients that look completely different. Employment Characteristics In the next paragraph, describe your ideal customer’s employment status. Where does she work? Emotional Characteristics Continue picturing this ideal customer in your mind, and try to get in her head. What does she love to do? Complete this Exercise More Than Once.