First, I have to tell you that I took Hallie to see ALICE IN WONDERLAND 3-D on Friday, what a super awesome movie! She loved it too, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be....for a Tim Burton movie anyway. Ed & Jesse were gone this weekend so we "hung" out, we stayed up late on Saturday chit chatting in bed, talking about school and teachers and making plans for the Summer. It was perfect :-) It was nice to slow down for once and enjoy the moment, something that's very hard for me to do with my type "A" personality!
I wanted to share some of the things I've learned about Etsy and selling on Etsy over the next couple of weeks. I believe in passing along good info, sharing with the masses and helping others be successful.
When Etsy was becoming popular a couple years back, I excitedly signed up for an account. At that point I had been doing very well on my website and wanted another venue to sell at besides eBay, which was horrible in my opinion. I felt "fee'd" to death at eBay and buyers wanted everything "cheap". Anyway, that's anohter story. My Etsy store sat empty and lifeless for a year and a half before I finally had the time to give it the proper attention it needed and start listing things. I had no idea of all the in's and out's of Etsy, I knew that it was easy to list an item, the fee's were low and the exposure was great. But beyond that I was clueless. I've done pretty well so far regardless of the spuratic nature in which I list things, I try to keep it stocked with all the latest beads sets I'm making but that too is difficult somethimes, there never seems to be enough time to get evrything accomplished that's on my "TO-DO" list.
Photography is something we all struggle with regardless if we sell on Etsy or our own website/blog. The tricky part with Etsy is that it's basically a colony of artists, all of us doing the same thing , striving to make money selling our craft. We only have ONE chance to make a first impression, so picture taking is of the essence. Yes, you may have a clever name or a catchy description but it all ends with the photo! So how do you set yourself apart from all thousand and thousands of other Etsy stores?
Part I in a Series
Tripods
I am a firm believer in using a tripod! I have a table top tripod that I use every time I take pictures. Tripods also work best in low light situations where the shutter of your camera takes a little longer to process. It makes for consistent shots without shaky hands to add a blur. You get a cleaner crisper picture!
Use Natural Light
I said it on Friday, let me say it again...use NATURAL light! No flash! I have to physically turn off my flash or it will take the picture with it. I use natural window light for almost all of my pictures. I've posted some pictures below of a set of Flower Tiles I took with the flash on , the next is with the flash off, and the next is with soft natural light that has been bumped up a notch with aluminum foil strategically placed to bounce the light around. Makes a huge difference huh? Look what it does to the color...ug. Which set would you buy #1, #2, or #3? That's an easy question!
Time of Day & North vs. South Light
The back of my house faces the South, although I prefer North light, I use South light since it's the easiest to access (for me that's the kitchen!) and the "time of day" fits into my schedule. Let me explain. The South backside windows work best for me in the morning light. We have no trees near these windows to make it shadowy, there's no covered porch that could further filter the light and the sun is directly overhead so I don't have direct sunlight to contend with. The light in this window is the best for picture taking from 10:00-3:00. After 3:00 the window is full of direct sunlight which casts shadows on my beads and makes for lots of frustration when I go to edit the final shot. North light is softer, it makes for easy, super easy photo editing. All I have to do is whiten the background and viola...I'm done! I wish I had a north window.
Direct sunlight can be good if you have a photo tent. I swear by this thing, it takes the most beautiful pictures in direct sunlight. I purchased it on eBay and have included the link below in case you're interested in purchasing one. The only drawback is that your object is enclosed so you can't take pictures from all angles unless you physically move your object. I place my beads on a plain white sheet of copy paper and move the paper around. I also cut a hole in the top of the tent so I can take an overhead shots if I have to. I've included pictures of "photo tent" beads, what do you think? You can further adjust your lighting by taking an ordinary piece of paper and moving it around the tent to displace or place light in certain areas. Try it, you'd be surprised how easy it is! On the flip side, if you dont' have enough light you can reflect it to and around your object with just a normal piece of aluminum foil.
Backgrounds & Styling
It seems as though almost everyone on Etsy uses some type of background to distinguish their craft. I think this is a great way to set yourself apart and identify/promote your Etsy shop. Use objects that don't distract from your jewelry or beads. If you've made a Jungle Theme Bracelet try using a bamboo place mat. Pier One Imports has tons of placemats in a wide variety of styles and textures. For an Organic style bracelet, use organic materials...rocks, tree branches or even a piece of slate purchased from your local Home Depot or Lowes store. Instead of using a plastic arm to show your potential buyers what your item looks like in "real life", use your own arm or a friends arm to take a candid shot. I'm always drawn to objects on real "people", it gives a clear picture of what the item will really look like on your own arm. Bottom line is be creative!
Some fabrics also work well but be careful not to distract from your object!
I like a white background to photograph my beads, my beads tend to be colorful and on the detailed side so white doesn't compete with them. I'm branching out with my new website though! I have some fun things in store!
Multiple Shots
For Etsy this is the way to go. The more pictures you have of your item, the better. This is something I'm working on. It's not hard to be creative with "styling" 6 beads in a photo, it's just time consuming, but the effort pays off. You can up load 5 pictures to Etsy, so why not show your inspiration or your process? My plan is to have an actual picture of my torch as one of my pictures. You'd be surprised how many people have absolutely no idea what a lampworked bead is. Why not show them your tools? For a lampworker that would be a graphite paddle, glass rods, presses and a kiln. For a jewelry designer that might be your round nose pliers, a bowl of the beads you used to create your piece, or even your work station. I'm using all of these tactics going forward! I think we'll surprised what a difference it makes!
Ok, I've said it, part of it anyway. I could talk forever on this subject. I challenge you all to take better pictures and "style" your pictures. Share what YOU'VE done here on the blog, let me know what you think in the "comments". Link to this post, share it with others, by all means pass it along. Your feedback is important to me, I need to know I'm not waitsting my time here! I could be making beads lol!
I'll be talking about SEO for Etsy later this week......you won't want to miss it!
Sources:
PHOTO TENT KIT ON EBAY If this link expires the seller ID is "apluschoice".
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 This all you need! It's runs between $80-$100 but worth every penny.
Infranview This is FREE software if you're on a budget!
Photoscape Amazing FREE software that will help you make pages and photo montages like the ones I use.
o focus on with the new website. This has always been about you, the wonderful ladies that I've had the chance to meet over the past 6 years, I thank you for supporting me and allowing me selfishly indulge myself with bead making lol! 
