Great lighting can make your products look amazing!

It’s no secret that product photos can make or break your Etsy sales.  You can have the coolest handmade product ever, but without an outstanding photo you might not be as happy with your response.

Getting beautiful photos is not as hard as you think, but it will take a little practice to get the hang of what makes your product stand out in the crowd.

Lighting is the biggest source of photo problems.  Create your own photo light box and you’ll be amazed at the quality photos you can take!

Here are 5 examples of DIY Light Boxes…

Pretty Handy Girl – DIY Photography Light Studio Set Up

Ninth and Bird – DIY Photo Light Box

Never Homemaker – How to Build a Light Box

Radmegan – Sun Powered Light Box

You’ll find one more example with some photo tips at The Dapper Toad.

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Now you know how to do it, so get busy and create a light box!

It’s time to take some fresh photos for your shop.  Don’t forget that multiple angles help show off your product.  It takes a bunch of photos to get a few good ones…so snap, snap, snap away!

You might enjoy reading this post…5 Quick Tips for Better Product Photography.

Take a look around Etsy and see what product photos for inspiration.  As you scroll down the page you’ll notice certain types of photos catch you attention and I bet they all have great lighting!

Practice makes perfect…or close to it. There’s always room for improvement when it comes to product photos, so keep updating you photos as your skills increase.

Do you have a light box?  Do you use natural light?  I’d love to hear your photo success tips in the comments!

~Kim

{August Blossoms camera straps}

Hello friends!

My name is Kristen Duke, and I am a portrait photographer in Austin, Texas.  I am also a big fan of all things crafty, some of which you will find featured on my site. I am often asked to photograph items for those with Etsy stores because everyone knows that a well photographed image is what sells.

I can offer a few tips for those of you out there who are struggling to get great images.   When photographing products for your Etsy store, think of these 5 rules:

{Onsie by The Wishing Elephant}

1.  Be as close to natural window light as possible. Don’t have the window behind the product or you will get backlight/dark product images.  Stand at the side of the window and shoot your products with the window light shining on it.  Baby is facing the window and it is behind me, but I am to the side photographing.

{The Wishing Elephant}

{3 outfits by La Tee da Kids}

2.  Have samples up close as well as pulled back along with something “average size” to compare the product to.  If it is a child’s product, have that product in their hands or on them.  Think of magazine ads, having someone use the product shows it off so much more than just a sample.

{Headband by Ruffles n Fringe}

3.  Design a background to make the product more interesting instead of just on a solid surface.  You can use fabric, scrapbook paper, tablecloths, even clothing laid out flat as a background. Below, I have a colorful quilt in the background.

4. Use a white poster board on the side of the product (but outside of view) to add to the window light, as if it is a reflector.  Anything white in the area will add more light to your setup.

5.  Always put your name, watermark, website on your images in case they get pinned (or taken without permission) others will always know to come back to you because your name is on the image.

If you try all of these tips and still aren’t getting the best results, I can help you with your photography skills as well! My book is written for the very beginner in photography, teaching steps to take your camera off of the auto and into the manual settings.  To learn more about it, click on Say NO to Auto:)

Photography help is always appreciated around here!  Thanks, Kristen!