How to take professional product photos for my Etsy shop?

The initial Presentation of

your products online has a significant impact on sales. Under qualified product pictures erode consumers trust. Fortunate enough, you don’t need to spend thousands on equipment or hire a professional to create beautiful product photography that will instill faith in your online store and get results.
This article shows you how to save money on product photography and improve your store’s look and performance.

Camera

It’s important to invest in a good professional camera. Fortunate enough for you they have become very affordable.

Be sure to choose a camera

with professional grade lenses

that can capture video

.
Try out this Nikon D7000 in terms of its price vs. performance its not the best there is but it is perfect for starters. In terms of lenses a 105mm lens should give a beautifully focused shot, get one here by Sony . while a bit expensive, it is great for close-up work and jewelry product photography.
You may also use a smart phone to assist in taking pictures such as an iPhone 5 which has an 8-megapixel sensor and can produce professional grade shots. I also encourage you to explore using your smartphone after you have the proper setup before committing to purchasing a higher-end camera. You may be surprised at the quality similarities between an iPhone and a professional camera.

Lighting

You will need some good lights. Of course the sun produce great results. But the Sun is fickle. Try using the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 Kit, which includes two lights, tripods, and attachable diffuser squares and it gets the job done perfectly. While there are many photography lighting kits available, what’s most important for your setup is to get lights that operate in “continuous” mode versus flash only as this allows you to use them for video as well. In fact, It is best to shoot even still photographs with lights in continuous mode as this makes previewing the shot easier and adds depth to the result.

Tripods

Use if You need to take longer exposures. Holding your camera by hand will produce blurry images that are not very appealing to shoppers.

Photo Setup

It is best to shoot products in front of a classic continuous background often white, neutral grey or natural. It’s a simple and professional look that is often used by major online retailers. Fortunately, it’s simple to achieve by using a few rolls of craft paper.
Craft papers can make a nice do-it-yourself product shoot background setup if done properly.
Try to add complements to your photo such as a peice of which the product in scope can/may be used or worn with. (NB. Try not to overpower the targeted product with its complement. Color, size…etc) this also gives you the opportunity of selling multiple products in one shot.
Place your setup near a big, sunny window if you want natural light, or in a dark room if you want to use your photo lights.

Eliminate unwanted Shadows

Avoid harsh backlighting and other setups that cast shadows on the surface of the object. Keep the lights on the same side of the object as your camera, or slightly off to one side.

Clean Up

Fingerprint on your product or dust on your lens produce poor, amateur results. Buy some microfiber rags and polish and/or prepare products carefully before shooting.

Don’t be Afraid

The biggest obstacle to doing something new is often ourselves. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Be creative. It is ok to make a few mistakes on your way to gaining a deeper understanding of the process. Not only will your sales increase, you will learn a new skill along the way.

Leave your comments and questions

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Related Destash

What to do when you find another Etsy shop using your photos without your permission?What to do when you find another Etsy shop using your photos without your permission?


From my point of view as an expert in the industry. Just like any normal discrepancy between two individuals in the real world, it is best to first try to settle the dispute/disagreement as grown adults by trying to talk to the party at fault if proven futile then you escalate the matter to higher authorities.
Sometimes it is not a matter of the party at fault being presumptuous but it is most times due to ignorance of the fact. Hence It may save you the time and effort of reporting and following up which sometimes takes a little while to get your desired response.

According to Etsy’s Infringement Policies after reporting the faulted party, upon Etsy’s investigation if the report is of a fact, Etsy will revoke and/or disable access to the alleged infringing material, then contact the faulted party as a notification of the report and removal of the infringed material in question. In such contact notification, Etsy also encourages the party at fault to contact the party that reported the claim of infringement and vice-versa to try settling the claim considerably as situations like these are very serious and can be a thorn in both parties foot.

To simplify Etsy encourages infringement claims to be solved directly between the two parties. Which is the best option?
As a market regardless of its virtual aspect. Everyone is required to be their brother’s keeper and personally, I don’t think anyone should attempt to set their brother up for a fall even though it does happen.

As a result, it is best to first reach out to the party deemed to be at fault. In fact, talking things out first also gives you the probability of meeting a new friend or customer/client and also not limited to you supplying such party with the said materials at a cost who knows the world is round from what we know.
Please leave your questions, concerns, and comments below.

How to make a handmade gift box?How to make a handmade gift box?

A gift is one of the most significant ways to show your love and affection to others. You can give a feeling of being special to people you love. Obviously, it’s a great idea to go to the market and purchase a gift for someone but imagine the surprising expressions and smiles of your parents, friends, and love ones when you give them a gift packed inside a gift box that you made.

There is a lot of material which you can use to make a handmade gift box. Let’s explore how to make a gift box at home.

Handmade Gift box using Scrap Paper

You will be amazed at how to make a box with the help of scrap paper.

Materials

These are the supplies you require to make a small gift box.

  1. Two pieces of thin scrapbook paper of 12 by 12-inches
  2. Scissor
  3. Paper slicer
  4. Foam paintbrush
  5. Ruler
  6. Glue

Method

Here is how to make a paper gift box step by step.

  1. Firstly draw an ‘X’ on the backside of the paper to achieve fold lines. These should be in the center to get even folds.
  2. Give a diamond shape to the paper and fold every corner to the center of ‘X.’ It is essential that the edges must meet evenly that way your box remains symmetrical.
  3. Now, you have to open the top and bottom flaps while the other two ruffles into the center.
  4. The next step is to fold them into the center is a way that the straight perpendicular line of margins can match to the erect line of the center.
  5. After it, bend upright the sides, and top and bottom flaps are folded down so you can attain a diamond shape having vertical lines after every 1 or 2 inches.
  6. The top and bottom flaps are cut, and you have two triangles now.
  7. In this step, the top and bottom flaps’ tip is folded in, after opening up the paper.
  8. Tuck the side triangles in and fold the small upper triangles upon the large triangles. You got these small triangles from the notch. Here is the crease of your box now.
  9. You make triangle and square by folding the side flaps in the center. Now apply glue on the triangle tip to the center of the earliest X. There is not any special glue for this purpose. A glue stick, Mod Podge, or a standard white glue can be used. You only have to careful and organized when using glue to avoid the mess.
  10. After gluing down the tips, you have to lift the sides, and wow, here are the sides of your box. Now muffle the top and bottom flaps such a way that their tips touch the center. When you do this, it will make the four sides of the box. Just meet them together.
  11. In the last step, you will apply glue to everything that remains at the bottom in the triangle between the original X lines. In this way, you get a square box with four sides. It’s the half side of a gift box.

It is a DIY gift box with lid so this method is to create the top half of your gift box, which will be bigger as compared to the bottom part. What should you do now? You have to take the paper of the exact measurement through which you have made the top part and lowers its length and width by cutting to 1/8-inches.

After cutting the paper, you will get the exact size on which you can work to form the bottom half. Now, the same procedure will be repeated. When this process is completed, a beautiful and elegant box will be in front of your eyes. You can adorn this box with beads, laces, or ribbons according to your choice.

In it, we can use cards of different colors as well as printed cards, and wall papers can also be used. So, be creative and spread the love in the air.

Best Toddler Craft Ideas ever.Best Toddler Craft Ideas ever.

Getting a toddler to sit still can be a near-impossible feat. They’re constantly exploring the world around them. That’s a good thing, but sometimes they need some creative downtime. That’s where toddler crafts come in.

Crafting is great for toddlers for a number of reasons. It can help them develop longer attention spans. Most crafts help develop hand-eye coordination. And young children can benefit from learning how to follow simple instructions. Here are some great craft ideas that your toddler can do (with supervision).

Craft Stick Puppets
Puppets are fascinating to toddlers. Creating their own puppets is easy, and it’s lots of fun. All you really need are some craft or popsicle sticks, construction paper, safety scissors, markers, and glue.
Help your toddler cut animal shapes out of construction paper. He/she can draw faces and other details with washable markers. Glue the stick to the back of the shape, let dry, and he/she is ready to put on a puppet show. If you want to make more elaborate puppets, try cutting shapes out of foam. Glue on a pom-pom for the nose, and add some googly eyes.

Paint with Pudding
Kids love to fingerpaint, but it’s so messy. And there’s also the concern about them eating the paint. Even if the paints are non-toxic, it can make cautious parents uneasy. The solution? Let them paint with pudding!
You don’t need different flavors to make different colors. Just use one serving of plain vanilla pudding, divide it up into small portions, and add food coloring to create various shades. Give your child a paper plate to use as a canvas for his/her masterpiece. When done, he/she can eat it with no worries.

Design a T-Shirt
If your toddler sees you sewing or painting clothes with fabric paint, he/she may want to try a hand at designing clothes. But needles are small and sharp, and fabric paint is messy. What to do? Break out the markers!
Kids can have a blast decorating a plain white t-shirt with colorful markers. If you use washable ones, they can create a design, wear it, and start over after you wash the shirt. If a permanent design is desired, however, you’ll have to let him/her use non-washable markers. You can avoid a mess by covering the work area with the newspaper and putting a smock on your toddler.

Placemats
Making placemats out of contact paper is very easy. Have your toddler cut shapes out of construction paper and glue them onto a whole piece with a glue stick. He/she can add detail with markers or embellish with stickers. When done, place the artwork on a piece of contact paper, sticky side up. Place another sheet of contact paper on top, sticky side down.
Most toddlers will only have the patience to make one placemat at a time. But he can make another one tomorrow, continuing until there are enough for the whole table. He’ll be so proud to know that everyone sees his artwork at every meal!

Crafting can help your toddler learn important skills while keeping him quietly occupied. Whether it’s a rainy day or he’s just feeling creative, seize the opportunity to let him channel his imagination into something you can both admire.
We are open to your comments and questions, please leave them below.