It's GREAT, But It Won't Sell - Part 2 - Pictures

(image not property of Faith Works, used for awesomeness)

Glad to see you back and tuning in, but pleasantries aside let's get right down to business...

For the population that can see and uses the internet (or does any shopping anywhere really) what a product looks like is the first thing that hits you.  Really you can't help.  People are visually oriented and fixated even. We can get so caught up in how something looks that it's hard to get past it (you know this if you've made a snap judgment before based on what you saw.)

When shopping online this issue becomes difficult in that only a two dimensional image (or images) is available to communicate the appearance of your product.  Aside from the obvious, clarity of your image and true representation of color and size, there are some additional considerations when photographing your work online for sale.

Lighting
Lighting is a big deal when it comes to your work.  Bad lighting can distort the color or your work, and the use of a flash often isn't a help in alleviating this.  Some lighting is overly bright, "washing out" the color of the product.  Other lighting gives off a yellow tone to the entire photo distorting color by casting a yellow hue over it.

Hands down natural light is the best.  It gives the best and most realistic result of your worn in it's natural state.

Display
How are you displaying your work?  Do you have it set up and shown "in use"?  Do you have a model holding the item or on their person?  Is your item placed on a solid color background where it seems to "float" in the picture?  How you set up your product depends on  your style of photography (or the style you want to communicate).  All of these methods have merit, and as long as they are executed properly any of them will turn out nicely.  Other points to consider in your display.  How you want you camera to take shots?

These are just a few things to consider in taking pictures of your work.  Ultimately your style and ability will show through.  don't be afraid to ask for help or hire someone if need be.  Investment in good equipment (like a tripod and good quality camera) and just basic knowledge of your equipment (how to use your camera and it's settings) and technique (lighting, macro settings, image optimization) can save you grief later.

Do you have any other tips to share?  Leave them in the comments!

Stay tuned for our next segment...the description.