Giveaway Reminder ✽ And Lets Work on Our Photographs Together, Shall We?

You didn't REALLY need to be reminded about this giveaway, did you? Well, I thought I'd just make sure, because you only have SIX HOURS to get in on the goodness or add an extra entry to those you have, so... what are waiting for??? Go do that!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Did you enter? I'll pick the winner tomorrow morning... I can't wait to see which of you wins!!!

Now, on to our scheduled blog post for the day :). I thought I'd share a few ideas on photography with you. Just some words of wisdom that I am currently trying to implement in my shop passed on, not really anything you couldn't gather by scouring a few posts elsewhere... because, lets face it, one look at my shop and you know that this is the area I struggle in, especially when I am eating chicken wings, and there's no way to hide it and I wouldn't try if I could. It's a huge learning curve! But photos "make or break" your listing, and it's considered the most important thing to get sales... so we really couldn't do a whole series without touching on it, could we? Even if I feel so unqualified to write it that I have saved it for the very end ;). So, just some little ideas I've heard, read, or picked up somewhere abouts...

-Photos over 10MB cannot be uploaded to Etsy. I learned this the hard way. It's really annoying to have to resize 30+ pictures... haha.
-Your first picture, which will be your thumbnail, should be the best. It should show off exactly what your product is, look inviting and worth taking another look at, and generally make the buyer have an instant interest in your item. It should also have a little bit of room around your product if it's a larger file/area of "interest", so that you can fit the whole picture in the thumbnail, because you only have that little square to work with for the thumbnail, though all the pictures as shown when they are clicked on can be any size you like (under the 10MB).
-But while your first picture should be your best picture, it should also match the following ones. I was going through my own shop just a couple days ago, wondering why people are viewing items that hadn't been very popular before, but still aren't buying the product, and I realized my "secondary" photos often look quite different than the first picture. I'm sure this is turning off buyers who don't know what the actually coloring must be. ::sigh:: Back to work we go! Remember... always work on something to improve your shop ;).
-Use as many photos as you can. Etsy has given you spots for ten photos, and they seem to be pleased when you do so, because if you don't, they let you know you didn't, haha. Sometimes there are only so many ways to take a picture or one of the ten you thought you had isn't as good as you thought. It won't hurt you to leave one or two off, but do try to use as many as you can. This will be the only real "feel" your customers get for what they are paying for until the purchase is made and it gets to them, so you want it to be helpful and useful to them.
-Let your photos answer all the questions. What color is it? About how big is it? What is the listing for? What other colors or sizes could they get? What does it look like in use? How do you hang it, use it, etc? Answer all of these questions in the description, too. But it's often said by successful Etsy sellers that you should take your pictures geared towards those two or three people who don't read anything about the item before they order.
-Let your item be the best subject. Sometimes photos can get busy, and while I like photos with flowers in the background or staged as the nursery or table the item could be used for, you do want your item to be the most important, noticeable, clear, eye catching thing in the frame!
-You can crop on Etsy's site, but no other fixes. So you'll really want a photo editing site for straightening, lightening, etc.
-The hardest part about having to post ten pictures? Deciding how to take ten interesting pictures of the same thing, haha. Etsy suggests:

• Primary (thumbnail) photo, preferably of the whole thing
• Front
• Back
• Sides
• A photo of the product in use; being worn, cooked with, crafted with, hung on a wall.
• A photo that gives an idea of size/scale (include a ruler, yard stick, or an object with a commonly known size. People who sell small trinkets usually use a quarter. People who sell clothing articles will usually use whoever would wear it.)
• A "styled" photo. This would be a "pretty" photo of your listing, preferably with it in use in an environment it would be made for. 
• The details of the product; close ups of the fabrics, ribbons, lettering, engraving, etc.
• Variations. Do you sell multiple colors? Sizes? Fonts? A bundle listing? Find a way to show that in a photo!
• You could also show it with the tools you used to make it, or add more photos of it's details or it's being used, or have a styled photo that you than crop so that it's still "prettied" but it shows more focus on your item. 

-And are you still scratching your head wondering what you could show in a picture or how to accomplish what you think needs shown? Look up similar items on Etsy and Pinterest to get ideas :)!

One more time... you did enter the giveaway, right ;)? What views do you like to see of product you buy online? Any photography tips to share with those of us still struggling ;)?