How to take product shots for large items. No Light Box.

[Former_Member]

I make and sell dresses. I hate my photographs. They are not the worst but they are not good enough ether. I have looked and looked for advice on taking good photos and I keep getting the light box tutorial, and advice on how to take product shots outside.

I live in the mid-west and it is cold, the snow melted recently but it is still gloomy outside. Taking outside shots are out of the question, and building a light box big enough for dresses is also out of the question. What do other people do?

Help.

My other photography issue is in regards to models. I make dresses do i need models, or do you think it is OK to shoot the dresses on a mannequin?

[MightyBunny]

I bought a lighting kit off eBay. I have the tall standing lights with umbrellas. It really helps with the lighting.

For the views and hearts I get in my shop, I can say that clothes shown on a live model get the most attention. I mostly use my daughters for models, but sometimes I make a custom dress and want to add it to the shop, so I will shoot those either on a hanger or on my mannequin if it fits.

[Former_Member]

I actually looked through etsy and found some shops that have photographs from professional photographers and contacted one

If you look at my shop, a good portion of my hats (but definitely not all) are from a photographer.

Alot of them will do a product swap - meaning you send them your product, they will take pictures for you, you get the pictures and they keep your product.

My pictures have definitely helped to increase my sales.

my shop is www.babybuttontops.etsy.com

Hope that helps!

[KinderKouture]

I studied photography for about a year before I opened my shop again, and believe me the pictures make a world of difference.
Here are a few suggestions, that you may want to follow.

Try and find the north facing window in your house. Put the model in front of that window, or even a mannequin. There are several very good ETSY shops that take pictures of clothing on a mannequin. Just make sure your composition is nice. Make sure the background is perfect for the clothing you are offering. Not busy. A nice wall, and maybe a nice painting.

I agree with the light sets you can buy on Ebay or Amazon. I bought background material at Joann's and Fabric.com. Try a marine vinyl that you can throw over a large stack of boxes. Here is a sample of my marine vinyl over my clothing rack http://www.etsy.com/listing/67154239/preorder-for-spring-2011-the-felicia. Make sure you use your editing program to white out the vinyl and give you a nice bright background. It is tricky but there is all kinds of tutorials out there on how to set up an inside photography studio.

Another popular idea is to set it up in your garage. Just open the door, and viola natural light. Believe me snow is a wonderful background. I also do some boutique photography for shop owners (http://kinderphoto.etsy.com), but I did not want to force that upon anyone. I know what it is like to be frustrated with your shop pictures. Thank goodness I have a good friend who is a photographer, and while my husband was in Afghanistan I had lots of time to study everything I could find on photography.

Hope this helps,
Jeannine

[Former_Member]

I do natural settings with my niece. She's a great baby model...and free :-)
Please check out my site: www.cgcdesign.etsy.com

[Former_Member]

I would at least do the mannequins because they allow the buyer to see how it fits better. But all in all a good photographer is worth it. I didn't start getting sells until I did it and there are quite a few people who will take product for service
Barbara

[Togs4tots]

I know of a shop on here that has sold tons of clothing and she just lays them out flat and only takes 1 picture of an item. Her pcitures are great but she has no model or manekin. I wish I had sold as many as she has. I think it is having the right fabric and prices along with godd pictures. I have recently starded using a different fabric prints that I think are more appropiate for children and my sales and hearts have really picked up.
I have a manekin on a stand ordered to use so I don't have to use the flat backed one that I am using now.

[Former_Member]

Great advice everyone. Thanks so much. I have a huge north facing window, but I have always used my southern facing window. That could be huge. A light kit sounds great but I have no space in my home. Does it take up a lot of space?

I have contacted a photographer and she is going to set up a whole photo shoot. She is even doing my logo, and web-design. She is an old friend I grew up with. What an amazing suggestion. Now I owe her so check out her pagehttp://www.andrealarsonphotography.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone!

[SewFrivolous]

Great advice, I really need photography help:)

[Former_Member]

Photography is my biggest challange here on Etsy. Well, that and finding the time to sew, but that's a different story!

I wish I had a north facing window, but I don't. Nor do I have any white walls. Nor do I have any cooperative models or mannequins for that matter.

I came up with the clothesline shots out of desperation. They aren't perfect, but they show the colors pretty well. The problem comes when I'm making a set: skirt/top, baby shirt/hat....it doesn't really work on the clothesline too well. I'm still learning!

One suggestion a friend of mine here on Etsy made to me was to get a friend with a fancy camera to take a modeled shot of one of your items. Then use that picture as the last picture in your listing of a *similar* item. That way, you can use it over and over and the buyer has an idea of what the fit is like on a real kid. I thought that was a good suggestion.

carolyn

[monkeyandfriends]

Carolyn the clothesline is really cute! I'm considering the hanging mannequins since the are approx. $7 ea. and there's a place nearby that sells them so I can pick up instead of shipping. Photos are a sticking point for me too. The similar item is a great idea! I just need to borrow a kid here and there. I manage editing with Photoshop fairly well but the setting and backround are difficult. I guess we'll all keep trying!

On another note, I was checking some dept. store sites and they show one pic and really no description to speak of. Frustrating!