I made a bunch of zippered change purses because they seem to be selling well. Well, out of a batch of 8, 3 ended up in the garbage. Don't ask. It was stupid.
I also made my first totes for little girls. Holy cow are they ever cute!!!! I made little matching change purses to go with them. Here's my first set.
I had SO MUCH TROUBLE photographing the set!!!!!!!!! I'm sick and tired of my standard fence pictures!!!!! BUT...our house is dark. There is very very little natural light and very few places that I can take pictures.
We were having lunch with a friend today who knows a whole lot about photography. I conned him into coming over before lunch to get his opinion. He looked at my photos and looked at my set up and basically said I'm getting the best pictures I can without getting a better camera. He did offer some suggestions (which I have yet to try) to try to get a better photo. The light is gone from that corner of the house so I'll have to continue to experiment another time.
So, armed with my new crappy photos (at least they aren't the fence photos), I went to list the set on Etsy. I had NO IDEA where to put them!! I originally used "purses and totes" as the heading but very quickly changed my mind and added them to the "children's accessories" section. I have no idea where it belongs.
I did make this for my mp3 player to go with my new tote.
I'm super frazzled right now. Photography is hard. So is Etsy. :)
14 comments:
yeah, etsy/photography/lighting can be complicated. I've yet to find a good solution to photographing buntings!
I didn't know you could purchase a showcase spot - mind sharing about that? and let us know if it does generate traffic!
I like the first photo against the white door. It really stands out.
And that's an awfully cute little mp3 holder.
(And, as your non-etsying, charity-case store manager, you should seek my advice before posting on etsy ... lol)
That's funny. I always think your photos look really good. The colors and designs show up well. (I'm not good at taking pictures of any kind.) BTW, cute children's bags and mp3 case. Hang in there and good, good luck on your etsy showcase!
haha I totally forgot about my showcase! I think it did actually generate some business as I sold 2 of my items.
Good luck with yours! I hope it goes well.
I hate photographing too. My only trick is to use the close-up flower setting on mine, that has no flash.
I really like the first photo against the white door. I can totally understand your frustrations though with taking photos of your products for etsy. Our house has the same issue with natural light, we have no south or west facing windows (just east and north) so we do not get much sunlight inside. If I want to take a photo inside, I just try to take it in the late morning/early afternoon when there is enough sunlight. Of course, my new camera helps quite a bit too with that problem.
Good luck with the showcase! I hope it gets you some sales:) That child's tote is adorable by the way!
Hey, frazzlegirl - breathe!
Your totes and change purses are adorable, and I really don't think your pictures are crappy. I hear ya on how difficult it is to get nice lighting indoors for picture-taking though... keep trying! (At least we're not restricted to expensive film anymore - remember those days? Gah!)
karyn - your stuff is so cute! i like the picture on the door. it makes the whole set look "sweet" (as in the little girl way, not the '80s slang way). good luck on etsy.
Wow, like Kirsten, I didnt know you could buy a showcase spot. I hope it is a real success for you! You will have to let us all know. Although our etsy is sadly lacking stock these days.
I'm with you. Photography is so hard! I'm glad my sister talked me into getting Photoshop. It isn't even the latest version, but at least I can do SOMETHING with the pictures I'm not happy with. Btw, I've never thought your pictures were dark.
Cute, cute pink tote!
Hope your showcase gives you lots of sales...and I'm sure it will, for your new items are fantastic! Love those little girl totes! And I do think your photos are very good. Good luck! :o)
I like that blue fabric - very fun! Photography is a challenge for me, too. That's one of the reasons I've been playing around with Flickr. I want to challenge myself to take better pictures. I've been getting by all these years by putting my creations on the flat-bed scanner and getting images that way. Just one of the advantages of making little things :-)
I really like that tote against the light background. We've had to learn a ton of new skills when we opened our shops haven't we? You should be proud of your accomplishments! Best of luck with the showcase :)
I can sympathize with all of your woes! My BIL is a professional photographer and I asked him for some advice and he basically told me the same thing as your friend said to you. Too bad I don't live closer to him or he would take my photos for me!!
oh yes - and please do share - how do you buy a showcase?
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