Locked
Discussion interactions are currently paused.
Etsy Insights: Photographing vintage pieces
Hi there! I'm Christina, solo treasure hunter and shop owner over at The White Pepper Vintage. I've been selling vintage furniture, housewares and home decor on Etsy since 2011 and I still love it! I have no formal photography education, but researching product photography, reading the Etsy blog and sharing tips with other sellers has been a big help over the past 8 years. Please allow me to pay it forward! I've partnered with Etsy to offer some insights on how to photograph your vintage treasures. Hopefully this bit of advice will help those who are on a journey to becoming a better photographer.
1. Be consistent in all ways possible: Lighting, setting, photo style, etc. Whether you use natural light or studio lights (both are good options!), consistency is key. Your shop photos reflect your brand and being recognizable is always a good thing. You want shoppers to scroll through a sea of photos and know which one is yours. This means choosing an accessible, uncluttered, well-lit spot in your home or studio to set up and shoot. The more identifiable your brand, the better.
2. Choose props wisely: The goal is to highlight your product, not the items around it, so do your best to minimize distractions to ensure that your product stands out. If you do use props, choose some that are universally recognizable in scale. Shoppers often need a reference point to get an idea of an item’s size. For example, if shooting a small brass seashell dish, set some rings or a tube of lipstick in it. Or, lean it against a minimal, yet eye-catching set of books. If you want to go the extra mile, choose a set of books that are similar in topic, like the ocean or shells. Whatever you do, keep your aesthetic consistent.
3. Be efficient: Vintage sellers often deal with many items at once and photographing them can be a daunting, time-consuming task. Once photo editing is added into the mix, the average dealer is looking at several hours of work. Don’t be afraid to keep it simple, ditch the cumbersome equipment, and take advantage of the most convenient piece of technology you own – your phone! As time goes on, phone cameras will only improve, but even now, their quality is fantastic and special features like Portrait Mode can really add interest to your shots. Additionally, there are countless editing apps to choose from (my current favorites are Snapseed and Lightroom) and you can list items right from the Etsy app. Talk about efficiency!
What are some vintage photography techniques that have worked well for you?
VintagePanacheStore
·4 years agoThank you for the post. Love your shop.
- We choose to use outdoor setting to show items in natural light, can make for some mad rushes to photograph when the weather breaks but like you said it has become part of our brand.
- Flaws and damage absolutely need to be shown even when it seems like a waist of one of your 10 photos, our goal is to do our very best to show the warts as well as the beautiful possibilities in every treasure we sell.
- Finally, we found that the best way to get size and perspective across to our customers is to always have one picture where the piece or a part of the collection is being held. The hand is a common reference, and we then charge manicures as a business expense
Again, great thread. Thank you for the prompt. Vintage seems to get very little attention in the forums by comparison.
ShabbyVintageChateau
·4 years agoReally useful post - thanks 'thewhitepepper' for sharing the info. I try so hard to get my photos looking good! I like to show all angles, including any imperfections or anomalies!
RetrospectiveHome
·4 years agoHi Christina,
Thanks for the valuable tips. I, too, sell vintage on Etsy and love your “keep it simple” product photo philosophy. I will be rethinking my set up.
Favorited your pretty shop
Best,
Ellen, Retrospective Home