This is Part 2 of the Product Photography series and for this post, we will review the concepts that were covered in the Part 1 with examples from shops on Etsy.
Just to recap, in the Part 1, we covered the following:
- Camera
- Composition and Background
- Light
- Focus
- Edit
- Review
- Size
- Number of Images
- Consistency
I hope you had a chance to look at your shop and analyze how you address these factors.
For this post, we will look at a few shops to see if images work for the shop and what can be tweaked. But first, let’s look at the front page that was on Etsy last week. Do you see a recurring theme here?
Etsy Front Page
In my opinion….
The composition and background on all of the images are mostly white, clean, and solid. If a prop is used as a background, it’s subtle and complimentary to the item. The photos are sharp, crisp and focused. The lighting is brightly well lit and brings out the item being photographed. The products are properly sized and you can clearly see what they are in each square. When I clicked the items from their shops, I was able to see them larger for better detail. They also used all 5 spots.
What does that mean? That means, Etsy picks items for the front page that are not just based on the items themselves but photographs of items that look pretty, well presented….that yells, “WOW!”. And whether that’s fair or not, you have to admit, that makes sense since we are looking at images when we shop online.
Let’s take a peek at some shops.
*The following shops owners volunteered to have their shops to be reviewed. All images are used with permission.
MarianneLoMonaco
I LOVE this picture. I just came back from apple picking and maybe it’s the subject matter but this photo really spoke to me. It’s crisp and sharp. The organic background, the depth of field is great and the lighting is wonderful. And who doesn’t like a heart?
Then, I clicked the image to see the details. But it didn’t enlarge. This image size was it! I wish it was bigger when I clicked on it. The listing page shows just 3 images but they were useful.
The image #2 tells me how the photograph would look in a frame. The image #3 gives me an idea how it would look on a wall. The only problem is, the image is only 5″x7″ and seeing it on the wall, above the kitchen table in a bare empty wall doesn’t give me the right perspective. While I can see how it would look on a wall, I probably won’t hang it above a kitchen table but maybe above my desk where I can see more clearer since the size is smaller. But that’s just me. Others might hang it as a solo picture on a larger space like that. Nevertheless, at least it gives me a perspective. The image #2 is great but I would have liked to see an additional framed image…maybe more of a neutral color than a black frame. I also would like to have seen how she packages the item for shipping. It’ll show how I’ll receive it when it’s delivered. But overall, the first image is clean and crisp enough that it drew me into clicking it. That was a first important step and she did it successfully.
AWordFitlySpoken
What attracted me to click on this image was the color of the item. I love pink and green and this color combo immediately made me click on the image. And the fabric design screams “vintage” and “homey”. The size of the image was large when I clicked on the picture from the listing (as is from this image). Yay! It made me see the details which was great! But I thought the background and composition was too dark and dated. I know I said ‘vintage’ but I think a complete and brighter table setting for tea – with tea bags, spoons, maybe tea biscuit, etc. – would have been really cozy and telling of this pretty item and how it would be used.
She uses all five images which is great. But the image she uses for the spots could be a little different. I’d like to see a close up of the craftsmanship – the edges, inside, and the back panel. I can tell she is a professional seamstress so she should flaunt it! I’d also like to have seen how she’s packages her pretty things. These tea pot cozies would make a great gift and I’d love to see if she gift wraps them.
Image #3 could have been written in the description and I don’t know if image #4 is as valuable as the suggestions above. And the tea pot cozy in the image #5 looks like a a different from the main image. It’s a bit confusing. The coordinating mat is a valuable information but it’s hard to tell what it is from the image. Creating an actual setting on the mat could be more descriptive than written words of what it is.
Well, that’s all for today but we will look at more shops in Part 3.
Do these tips help you with your item photographs? What have you changed since the series on Product Photography Tips?