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Post by Michele on Feb 1, 2012 22:07:56 GMT -6
I have a lot of pictures in my AF shop that need to be retaken. A lot of them were taken when I first opened my AF shop. The listings have expired on Etsy and I've neglected to do anything about them on AF. I don't have many sales on AF and it is neglected.
I think my pictures have improved, but they're still a work in progress. Pictures have to be good for something to sell. This got me to thinking about what makes a good jewelry photo. Here are a few elements for a good jewelry photo:
1. A good close up picture. The macro setting is a jeweler's best friend. Crop out the bare space around your jewelry. I see a lot of pictures on AF and Etsy that are so small you can't tell much about the piece. First impressions are important and most people won't click on pictures that are tiny.
2. Neutral backgrounds are best to showcase your jewelry. If the jewelry gets lost in the background, you can't see it.
3. Make sure pictures are bright. A dark picture isn't a good picture.
Feel free to add to my list and to offer tips for taking good jewelry photos. We have a few members who take amazing pictures of their jewelry.
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 1, 2012 23:21:19 GMT -6
Looking back at my early photos, they are embarrassingly bad. I think they've become much better since I opened my AF studio and I got serious about taking decent photos, but there is still room for improvement. Adding to Michele's list: Blurry photos are not your friend. If people can't tell what it is, they are going to click right on by. Read your camera manual and read articles about how to take good pictures. Experiment until you find what works best. If you like props (I love them, but understand that many don't), make sure the prop doesn't end up stealing the show from your jewelry. 'k, I'll admit that in the past I was guilty of this. Do not use a flash - wait until you have a source of natural light or access to a light box. Impatience was the biggest reason I used to do this. I'd finish a piece and it would be dark out, but my excitement in wanting to share clouded my judgment about how it would be a really good idea to wait until the next day to take pictures. Not sure about etsy, but on AF make sure your lead picture is square. Otherwise stuff that you really want potential buyers to see gets cropped out and you only have one chance to make a good impression. Save the rectangular photos for the other nine photos you can provide in the listing. Not really about photo quality, but AF provides 10 photo slots for each listing - use them all. Great idea for a thread, Michele! Dawn
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Post by beadorigami on Feb 2, 2012 3:04:41 GMT -6
Yes yes, this is all excellent advice.
Etsy's thumbnail dimensions are 170 by 135, so if your shop is there, make sure your lead photo is cropped to those dimensions.
Other things to consider:
Make sure your light balance is set to the correct type of light source, otherwise a white background can look yellow or orange. You can also correct this in Photoshop, but it's best to set it before taking pictures.
An advanced method: if your photos are only in focus at one point of the piece, and quickly become blurry behind that point, narrow your aperture (smaller aperture = higher f-stop value) to increase the depth of field. This will increase the area that will be in focus in the photo. The trade-off is that you will require a longer shutter time, and therefore more light. Plus, with a long shutter time, you're more likely to cause blurriness in the photo from "camera shake" from depressing the camera's shutter. Therefore, I use this method with a lightbox, tripod, and a remote shutter.
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Post by j3jewelry on Feb 3, 2012 2:22:44 GMT -6
Great advice and tips. I only have one thing to add... if you don't have a remote shutter, you can try using the 2 second delay, or 5 second...whatever your camera, has and that should help remove any possibility of that dreaded camera shake. I use the 2 second delay, and it works great.
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Post by Michele on Feb 4, 2012 11:38:22 GMT -6
I think a tripod is invaluable too. I leave my camera set up on it in my office.
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Post by beadorigami on Feb 4, 2012 14:39:48 GMT -6
Also: for a light box, use daylight-spectrum light bulbs; they give off a whiter, ever so slightly-blue light compared to regular light bulbs, which are more yellow. You can get them at the hardware store.
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Post by j3jewelry on Feb 4, 2012 15:05:19 GMT -6
Oh yes the tripod... I thought it was already mentioned... but anyway, definitely a must... 2 second delays won't help get rid of that camera shake unless it's perched on something stationary, like a tripod.
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 4, 2012 22:47:34 GMT -6
A friend of mine gave me a gorillapod for Christmas last year and I love it. joby.com/gorillapodNo more big, awkward bulky tripod to lug around - the gorillapod can fit in my purse! I have the hot pink and black model. Dawn
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Post by j3jewelry on Feb 5, 2012 1:03:04 GMT -6
Oh I've seen that, Dawn. Kinda been wanting to get one, partly because it has such a low profile.
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Post by caeterle on Feb 5, 2012 2:07:14 GMT -6
That looks cool!
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