Photographing your masks

[Former_Member]

What are your thoughts on the color of background and setting for photographing your masks? Do you use the same for each mask? Which is better: a black background or white background? Etsy seems to favor the white background on the home page. Is it better to conform? What about props in your photos? Live models or manequins? In costume or head shot? etc... discuss...

[Former_Member]

Dark backgrounds can create more drama and are great for stand alone images. One reason most Etsy home page images have light or white backgrounds is that light colors expand while dark colors contract. Because a treasury page is curated so that individual images flow together as one initial impression the lighter backgrounds are more suited to that purpose. The human eye is comfortable with continuity. That being said, some items,such as masks simply demand a more dramatic setting. I would consider the audience. Yes it would be great to have your item on the front page, but how fleeting is that? And it does give bragging rights, but does it increase sales? Since the inherent nature of masks is one of drama and intrique, I opt for creating a composition where the image itself could be considered fine art. Just my opinion, I am not a professional photographer.

[ShellDanielsonDesign]

I agree with Karen. From what I've heard, it is quite a feat to get on the front page...you have to have a certain amount of hits and likes...in a way, all the stars have to be in perfect alignment...and there are teams just creating treasuries trying to get on the first page...that have thousands of hits...For masks I believe it is the mask and mood that should dictate the background...My masks are not wearable so really it may not apply...but I think of the feeling I want to convey...Gatsby's Love was all about elegant decay and longing...so I placed her on an old cream vintage shawl...The Relic is stark so a black scrap of velvet....I think go with your instinct....sometimes I shoot both light and dark backgrounds and post both so people can see different detail...I guess between dark and light...gray is always a good option also!

[artisanmaskers]

Great input! For me, I try to keep the backgrounds fairly simple and consistent (usually just a sheet...), but like Shell and Karen have both said, black or white depends completely on the mask. If I'm photographing something where the color really pops out, or where the detail is showed to better advantage, I use black, but otherwise stick with white.

On the other hand, backgrounds when I'm using models are all over the board. They'd probably be more "front page-able" if we shot against just white or grey "fashion" screens. But, how boring is that!? ;D As a photographer, I'd just get too bored; we like to theme our shoots a little bit crazily (circus tent, anyone...?), so the backgrounds fit the shoot, rather than attempting to "fit" any other given look. And, yes, drama, drama! :)

ALL of that being said, I intentionally do things fairly often that could be damaging to my business, because I prefer to be true to my artistic instincts and preferences. So. Take that for what it's worth. ;)

[Former_Member]

We use white for Etsy and our other selling platforms where possible, but for printed promotional material etc it's nice sometimes to have something a bit more interesting in there :) We noticed a big increase in views when we started using mannequins because it gave people a sense of scale and since we started doing our own modelled shots we've had a huge response.

One small point on white- magazines often prefer product shots with a white background too so it's worth switching out your backdrop to take a couple for when the glossies come calling :)