Taking Great Pictures For Etsy Listings

Chainmail Hacky Sack from Tangled Metal

We've been discussing taking photos for Etsy. The photo, of course being the foundation on which your entire listing is built around. Looking at the above photo note that the Chainmail Hacky Sack is 100% in focus and the shoe is slightly out of focus. This is a somewhat artsy photo without being over the top or the background being distracting. This item has been in 37 Treasury Lists.

It was taken with a Canon Rebel DSLR camera. It was set to defocus the background. It was taken in a light box with lights that emulate outdoor lighting. Notice how the background is as white as the page. This almost gives the illusion of floating. This technique has been a tried and true staple of jewelry photography for many years.

If you had no idea what a Hacky Sack was you'd at least get a clue that it had something to do with a shoe or foot. The Converse shoe should give the idea that it is a trendy or hip thing and the colorfulness of the shoe shoes that it is not your ordinary past time.

As you can see, a lot of thought has gone into taking this one single photo. Now, I could have used a photo of several people playing Hacky Sack, but the focus would be on the people and the actual Hacky Sack would have been lost. Though, it would be a good idea to have a picture of people playing in your listing. Personally I would put that picture last in the listing.

The point is, your main photo should tell a story, evoke a feeling, give understanding of the product and be clear- at least have a clear focal point. It should convey what the item is, what it is for and still have a bit of an artsy nature to it. My photo may not be perfect and I am sure plenty of people could critique it to death, but for me and my listing it seems to do the job.

Creating Great Etsy Listings - Part 1 - The Perfect Photos

Lightbulb Airship By Tangled Metal

Creating the perfect listing for Etsy is the biggest challenge you can face for your shop. For me it starts with the perfect set of photos. Well, it actually starts when I create the item but that isn't what we are going to talk about today. Today we are talking about photography.

Chances are you are not a professional photographer. (If you are that is great!) The first image is always the hardest. You want to have an image that will represent your item and be somewhat artsy, especially if you want people to put it into a treasury. Just remember to try not to get too artsy. Your item should always be the focus of the pictures. If the customer has to guess what the product is by the image than you have done something wrong.

The four subsequent images should try and get the item from each direction and be clear and concise so that any question the customer has is answered. Remember, your customer cannot touch the item so they do not know how it feels. Of course some questions have to be answered in the description, but we'll get to that later in this series.

I personally like white backgrounds. Some people have good results with dark backgrounds. (Not me. I just cannot seem to make them work) Using props is acceptable, too, as long as they do not distract from the item. For small items a light box is about as necessary are it gets. You can pick one up on eBay or build your own from a cardboard box. I will work on a tutorial for you on how to build one soon.

Lighting is also very important. Remember that hard surfaces need soft light and soft surfaces need hard light. I will get more into this soon as well. Nothing is worse than a dark blurry photo with a lot of distracting props. Maybe that is why I am so fond of plain white backgrounds.

That is all for now. Sorry I wasn't around yesterday, I was getting over being really sick. I am much better now and back on schedule.

7 Tips To Spice Up Your Etsy Shop

I know today was supposed to be my First Tuesday Shop Review but time got the better of me and I am not prepared to publish that post until next week. So, here are some tips on how to spice up your Etsy shop. Enjoy!

1. Run A Sale - Running a sale can provide a quick boost to your views and even your sales. Unusual sales seem to catch people's attention better. Try having a Summer Blowout sale in the middle of winter or a Christmas in July sale. Make it outrageous!

2. Change Your Photo Order -  Hopefully by now you have all five of your photos looking great! Rotate them around so that your first photo doesn't get stale. This will also help you find out what type of photo works best for your products.

3. Renew Your Items - Don't just renew your best selling items. Renew some of the items that aren't selling. Bring those items to the front of your shop and mix them into your best sellers! This works wonders if you have a lot of items for sale!

4. Change Your Banner - I am not saying go out and buy a new banner design every week. I am just saying change it up a little! Add hears to it for Valentines Day, a 4 leaf clover for St Patrick's Day, etc. Keep your theme but make it reflect seasonal changes and Holidays and special events.

5. Change Up Your Shop Announcement - Don't let your shop announcement get stale. I am not suggesting using it for a blog. Changing your shop announcement also gives the search engines an indication that your page is active.

6. Rearrange Your Shop - Make sure you set your shop so that it defaults to your rearranged view. Try to put a representation of all that you do on page one of your shop. You can then set up the other pages how ever you like. I suggest a mixture of items with similar themes such as colors or shapes. There is no need to put all of the like items together on the same page, that is what your sections are for.

7. Don't Be Afraid To Try New Things - If something doesn't seem to be working, try something else! I usually try something for 3 days to a week to give it a fair chance. Photos are a good example. Every item does not need to be photographed from the same angle! Try strange angles that make people want to look closer.

That is all for today. If you have some ideas you'd like to add to this list please feel free to leave a comment.