Bitch Post #3: If You Want Me To Buy It, Take A Pretty Picture!

I know I am going to catch hell for this post, but I can't take it any longer! I have to get this off of my chest! I am a lover of most (I cannot say "all" in all honesty) things handmade. One of my biggest pet peeves of a handmade artist is the crappy pictures I see of their blood, sweat, and tears. I am no photographer by a long shot, but it pains me to see a potentially great product with really bad photos. When I say bad, I mean blurry, unfocused, and ill-lit. As online merchants, we must take every measure to ensure that our product is attractive, marketable, and sellable. This means that you can use the best materials available, but if it does not come across in your pictures, how can you expect one to want to buy it?

So, what's your advice, Miss Know-It-All? My first piece of advice is to take a chill pill and not get offended:-D. My second piece of advice is to read your camera manual (using the macro feature and not using the flash on your camera) and invest in a light box. They can be made for pennies or you can buy this one like I did. I can honestly say that my sales have greatly increased as a result. My third piece of advice is to take many pictures at various angles. I usually take up to 20 pictures for one item. Of that 20, about 12 are good. I also use a photo editor like Picasa (I'm too broke for Photoshop). Picasa can be downloaded for free here. Handmadeology has a great section called Photography 101. It is well worth the read!

So, there, I said it. I feel so much lighter. I'm jumping off my light box, and I'm going to practice what I preach!