Karma's A Bitch, Aint It?

I really believe this because I've seen it happen to others, and I've experienced it on occasion myself believe it or not. Oh, about a few bitch posts ago, I complained about crafters and artisans who took ugly-ass pictures and expected people to buy their stuff. Boy, did that remark bite me in the ass because my pictures lately have sucked! I blamed it on the lighting, the weather, the soap....Now, that I've conceded, my pictures have gotten remarkably better. Here's a sampling. They're not magazine-worthy, but a vast improvement.

Brown Sugar Baby-Before

Brown Sugar Baby-After

Sloshed-Before

Sloshed-After

Sophisticated Lady-Before

Sophisticated Lady-After

Big freakin difference, right?

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!