Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Photographing Your Wares

Welcome to day three of our shop talk series!

The most important thing i have learned while taking photos of my wares is lighting. The best light? Bright indirect daylight, you don't want the sun directly on your goods, and you don't want shadows. Indoors, near a window is always easiest for me. There are some wares that reflect flash like paper, leather, seqiuns, metal, glass, and glitter -this makes it hard to tell what the product really looks like. You can also use a light box - this is a great homemade light box DIY!

Another important aspect is details. Your product details and the details in the picture with your product. Make sure there is no unfinished stitching, dried glue, dust, etc your product needs to be finished and perfect ready to deliver to your bestie or your most loyal customer (all your products should show your best workmanship every time for all customers). Then the details around your wares - do you have a vintage looking necklace to sell? Maybe place it with vintage shoes or a purse in the background. 
Maybe even simpler, a vintage lamb figurine. Just something that gives a feel to the photo. Maybe you only photograph your goods with a pretty, unintrusive fabric in the background. Other ideas: a pretty tea cup, a delicate leaf, brick wall, graffiti, glass pebbles, cork, weathered wood fence/planks, shells, a simple flower, old postal stamps, children's toys, a typewriter, a stack of books, tools that help create your product, the possibilities are endless. Pinterest is a great place to get ideas of details in the background for your photos. I also like design*sponge, a beautiful mess, and a freckled nest.

Try to experiment with different angles it's easy to take a photo of your product looking down at it straight on from above. Although it may be more interesting to take a photo of it from one corner or side almost from the same surface going across your product with the focus.
Or try only focusing on one important aspect of your product while slightly blurring the rest. Can you photograph your product in use, being worn, held by a child's hands, or with items people use it with? 
For instance stationery could be photographed with a pen at a desk, maybe even with someone writing a letter on that pretty stationery. A child cupping a necklace charm in their delicate hands. A model (or a friend) wearing your purse or maxi dress on the beach looking out at the ocean. 
Again the possibilties are endless. Look at the big guys like Anthropologie, Starbucks, or Apple - how do they get you to want? Just because you're small or just starting out doesn't mean you can't employ the same techniques :)

Ok today your assignment is to try taking photos of your goods with all the details set, experimenting with different backgrounds and angles. Choose 3 of your favorite, blog about them to share your work on our linky party next Saturday September 17th. You could even post before & after (this assignment) what improved in your photography.

See you tomorrow for recommended books :)
xoxo,
krystina

lollipops

2 comments:

  1. love this, krystina! a definite challenge for many of us. thanks for challenging me to do better! i accept. xo em

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  2. i need to make a light box... thanks for the link to the tutorial!

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