I've been taking new photos of my work. I've got some new designs and I've also been printing some of my favourite designs. If I thought printing was the hard bit, then I was WRONG! It's the photography bit that is the most painstaking for me. I just don't know.... My husband Ben who is a web developer, has been giving me lots of tips. He makes e-commerce websites for people as a living so, he knows what sort of photos work best. But I'm just not sure. Ben says simple photos. A cushion on a white background is what we want for thumbnails. I think I agree with that for photos on my own website where I intend on having a slide show of my best products on the homepage. Products in situ, not just on a white background. But what about Etsy & Folksy when you get a page of thumbnails as your homepage? I don't know. I'm not totally happy with the photos I have on my Etsy or Folksy shop at the moment. So help!
For my Etsy and Folksy shops, do I go for:
This? .........................or This?
And finally....
This ................
Or, are they just too different to even compare? I could do without this dilemma....
The person who gives me the most contructive comments/suggestions/criticism will win a bag of their choice from my shop!
I like the cushion on the chair and the bags the way you have them on something...it ads to the appeal
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recomend all the pics on the right side, because there is an added character to the products, making it look more real and more appealing!!
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with Ben about the photos for your web shop. But I like the last photo which shows your cushion in a setting... and I think that's good too, as it would give your web site a life-style look.
ReplyDeleteCould have both types of picture on Etsy/Folksy - I think that 'shoppers' like to see the product in use as well as just an item on a white background.
Celia
x
Hi Kiran, i agree with Celia, regarding Etsy and Folksy. You can add up to five different photos on each site, so you could have a combination of the two. All the photos look great though, and show off your products beautifully.
ReplyDeleteAmanda x
Hey Kiran!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I must tell you that I love your products. I myself have a shop on etsy (please don't judge my photography :D) and I agree that photography is a pain especially in my case since each product by natures is unique, one of a kind piece.
Single product shots and closeups on a plain white background works best for giving product description and details and has a great visual impact. To me somehow it makes the product the hero and allows the user/customer to visualize it in his/her own space and end function. It leaves the setting to ones imagination and thus increasing the audience in a way.
At the same time it is important to show that the given product will fit in well in a real setting/home/office. For this your right hand side pictures work. Props also allow the end user to gauge the scale of the product.
So in my opinion I think you need more of the left side pictures for product description and perhaps one or two of the right side compositions for a "click to view it in a room" option.
Happy Clicking!!
Kiran, having looked at both sires I think I would go for the white back ground. The lifestyle ones are beautiful, but the shopper side of me want to see good large clear pictures of each item (which you can as you currently have it) but I do like that you include the artier ones in the selection of product shots.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the best way to get around this... but I did notice that your hessian and cream products stand out loads better against the white back ground and the white bags have a tendancy to disappear. Given that the images have a border around them is there any mileage in having a different colour? I think I'd stick to lifestyle shots for websites as banner type images and next to general text to sell the idea and let the product just be themselves.
Hope that makes sense.
Also (now this is the uber picky photogrpaher bit of me) there is a slight white balance difference and if you could even that out you up the professional look even further.
Love all your stuff clever talented lady!
I've been struggling with exactly the same thing; so many cushions printed and I just can't seem to get decent pics of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying the plain background tomorrow, light permitting. I searched for 'cushions' on Etsy and clicked through page after page of thumbnails to see what I responded to best as a potential buyer, and the plain white background shots won by a lot.
Cushions don't display very well when in use. Crowded together in a page of thumbnails, the ones with backgrounds become even more lost.
Perhaps the ones with props can be additional, or for use as press shots for submission to blogs, but the plain background ones are definitely the best for a shop.
i liked all your pictures.its perfect as it is..i think it will give a clear idea about the product..when seen single...and it will give an idea about the product when seen with accessories and also they can visualize where that particular product fit in their house....:)
ReplyDeletesmitha
I think both too - but I am drawn to the ones in situ. You are not alone ~ I struggle with this too! Nic
ReplyDeleteI would choose all the second photos with the bags in actual spaces rather than the first ones which look a little too white.
ReplyDeletePlacing them with actual objects appears to make the bags more interesting as well because you are giving them a sort of 'personality'. It is as if the bags belong to someone who owns these objects so as a buyer I would identify with these and want to 'buy' into this kind of 'lifestyle' as well.
The neutral colour of the bag fabric contrasts really well with the wood of the floor or chair. The ones that are just on a plain background seem to be washed away by the pale background.
Hope that helps
Jacqui x
I say both. As a consumer looking to buy something, the in situ photos give me the best idea of how something would look in the house, or in use.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I pulled up printed totes on etsy and the images I seemed most likely to click on are the ones that are as close up and show as much of the actual print as possible. Especially where your designs are so intricate, I think putting that face forward is more likely to make me click on the thumbnail than anything else.
After all, if I've searched on "cushion cover" or "tote bag" then I know what I'm looking at in general and the design itself is going to be what distinguishes the product. But I do also think that taking advantage of the multiple photo capability and showing some of each is a great idea.