Natural lighting is key. If you want to create a cohesive look and let your product shine, naturally, use natural light. There is really no way to recreate natural light and our eyes can see it. It’s unique, it’s bright and it doesn’t hide anything. When you shoot with natural light you’re making a bold statement and creating a naturally cohesive look that your audience will be drawn to.
Grab attention by nailing the correct ratio. For Etsy, product shots should be wider than other pictures, translating to a 5:4 ratio or else you run the risk of cutting off parts of your images. Additionally, customers usually won’t engage with your listings if there’s unnecessary space surrounding your merchandise. Let your products fill the photos entirely and shine as the stars of Etsy’s showcase!
We learned how to take great product photos through research, and trial and error. The most important factors are the background, and the lighting. Creating a plain white, or plain black background and renting or purchasing a photography light are the fastest, and easiest ways to achieve professional quality photos for an Etsy store owner. Name: Robert Burns Website: https://nuleev.com/ Title: Chief Marketing Officer of Kaskaid Hospitality & NULEEV
Taking different types of photos is a great way to stand out from the crowd on Etsy. Even if you are selling the same types of products as other sellers, giving shoppers a variety of images to look at will help them decide to visit your shop over another. You can do this by creating visual interest in your photos by shooting different angles and backgrounds. You can also try shooting at different times of the day to take advantage of natural lighting.
Clear photos give shoppers more confidence in their purchasing decisions. In order to take pin-sharp pictures of products, the camera must stand still. If you hold the camera in your hands, you will likely move it slightly while shooting, making the photos blurry. One way to stabilize the camera is to place it on a hard surface such as a stack of books, for example, or–more professionally–on a tripod. Although any hard surface provides stability, a tripod offers a wider range of adjusting the camera’s angle option. Get a tripod, get shoppers.
Do a quick Etsy search for the product your photographing to gauge what kinds of images draw your eyes. If the market for the product is saturated, looking at other example photos can give you a good idea of what most people are doing. If you notice that most people are staging them a certain way, you can choose to avoid that method in order to ensure your product photos stand out against the crowd.
One tip for anyone looking to photograph product for their Etsy page is to look at other shops on the site and see how they are photographing their products. See how they light and frame their products and see how you can accomplish the same kind of shot with your resources at hand. Angles are also important to show off the different aspects of what you are selling so also check out your competitors and what kinds of angles they show customers. Do not worry about pulling off super-professional looking photos right off the bat, it's all a learning experience.
When selling anything online, ensure that you use proper lighting to portray the item you are listing. Natural light works best; however, you do not want to set the object in the direct sunlight, because it can be difficult to capture the colors correctly with the sun overhead. Instead, find a slightly shaded area that allows enough light without it being too blinding. For certain items that have labels or codes of authenticity, it helps to include a closeup image of that information as well.
Make sure that all your pictures for similar products are consistent. Consistency in direction, lighting, and angle of the picture will give your products a clean and organized feeling in your page payout as opposed to having low quality and randomly assorted images. Give your images a professional look by having consistency on your Etsy page.
Clean visual demonstrations are the best way to promote engagement with your Etsy. For photography, this first means a well-lit subject. Without proper lighting, rarely will a picture communicate effectively. Natural lighting is generally preferred, so generate as much natural light as possible. Pay close attention to lighting glares on the subject, especially with artificial lighting. If the subject is outdoors and directly illuminated by the sun, be sure that the subject isn’t blown out by overexposure to the light. Beyond lighting, simplify the background as much as possible to reduce visual noise and distractions. A picture's focus should be on the subject, which is why it needs to be well lit to draw the appropriate attention.
Use natural light to capture the perfect picture for Etsy. Avoid sunlight, though, as this can cause unwanted reflections and harsh lighting in your photos. Instead, do so shortly after sunrise and sunset, when the lighting is just right. Also, you can use shade on cloudy days to get naturally filtered light. Furthermore, you can place an item by a window in the early morning or late afternoon to capture some wonderful natural light.
Natural light is one essential element of a great product photo. Harsh flashes or artificial light tend to make products look unprofessional and tacky. Shooting beside a window, or outdoors under a porch, can be an ideal way to find natural light which you can manipulate with your camera settings. One tip is to avoid direct sunlight, because like a flash, it can be too overpowering to the final image. Seek out natural light and your Etsy photos will look professional in no time!
The right background makes all the difference. Negative space is important in any photo composition. It can accentuate the main subject of the image and can keep an audience focused on what the photographer wants them to see. The right background is vital to creating successful images on Etsy. Backgrounds should be clean and simple with neutral colors like white or gray. Seamless rolls of paper and smooth sheets of fabric are easily available background materials. Light colored walls are an additionally favorable option. Brands can create a cohesive look with a few neutral and consistent backgrounds for pictures on Etsy.
Showcasing the subject of a picture with high contrast is critical for photos on Etsy. Quality lighting on the subject and a distinct background will provide the best visual contrast. Lighting is the most important aspect of any photography. Isolate light to the subject if possible. After lighting, a plain background that is a different (but not distracting) color from the subject is best practice to attract the right kind of attention for a picture.
The one good tip I have is to make sure you have good lighting. The room lighting often isn't enough and good lighting in 70 percent of a great picture. Sometimes, natural light isn't even good, depending on the time of day and the shadows. Take a light with you to do pictures. It doesn't have to be professional lighting and can be just a standard house lamp with a 60-watt bulb. Reading lamps work well. Angle the light in different positions and look through your lens to see how it looks. Take a few test shots. You will eventually figure out which picture you are most attracted to and go with it.
Director of Communications at RoseSkinCo
Answered 4 years ago
Clean images and video is key to selling on Etsy. Make sure that your product is getting 360-degree views on product pages so that customers are able to know exactly what they are getting when purchasing from you. Hire a great photographer and videographer to get the best shots of your product, it is always worth the extra costs.
The selling point for items on Etsy is that they are handcrafted and have that personal touch. To attract attention to your product pictures and make them stand out, use a natural backdrop that helps to accentuate the product images once you post them on your Etsy store. The backdrop you choose, whether of the horizon or the surrounding nature, ensure that it does not overpower your product, especially on matters of color scheme. A green background for a green product will not make it stand out hence the need to choose appropriately.
Head of Customer Acquisition at MitoQ
Answered 4 years ago
Having a clean background is key for taking product photos. It is important to have it clear to make the products pop and be the focal point. Invest in a backdrop to assist in keeping everything clean and add some color based on the backdrop. Amazon sells many different types.
If I were to only give one tip I'd say that good lighting is #1. Furthermore however you want to ensure that you have a uniform, unicolored background (ideally some shade of white). The fewer distractions the better, as you want the shopper's attention on the product itself. Don't use filters, so that the photos are as accurate as possible. Moreover, consider having a photo "in use" so that the potential buyer can imagine how it looks like on a person in "real life". Thus, it pays to have at least 2-3 photos from different angles and ideally one with a person wearing it too.
The one mistake I see on Etsy pictures is people take them from too far back. This isn't a picture for your grandma. You need to see product details so get a closer shot. It needs to feel personal with no obvious background behind it.