Its the presentation, the first way a shopper sees your product.
Often, entrepreneurs who start an online business arent photographers.
Theyre passionate about their businessesselling vintage clothingorrefurbishing vintage furniture, but theyre self-taught.
For many, the internet has been their teacher.
We consulted with the pros so you dont have to do all of that legwork.
What is she trying to achieve with this photograph?
What is she hoping to emulate or what kind of mood does she want to evoke?
In essence, what story is she telling with the photograph.
Is this a stylized portrait or is this simply about the clothes?
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
Find the Right Background.
The answer is probably not.
Both Han and Sara Chen of the upcycled furniture companySara Chen Designsuggest keeping the background clean and neutral.
Chen has a space in her house specifically designated for staging, a luxury not everyone has.
That got tedious because she had to steam the wrinkles out each time.
Examples ofHans backgroundscan be studied on Etsy.
Scroll through the pages to see where she used bedsheets.
Chen echoes the same premise for furniture.
Avoid a crazy wallpaper wall, she said.
Thats not for everybody and it really becomes a distraction.
You want to be able to look at your furniture and not your wallpaper.
Lighting Matters
Lighting was the first piece of advice that Chen offered.
You want to have lots of natural light.
How the light comes through your window will change by season and time of day.
Han found natural light to be too fickle.
She started out with simply soft sunlight, but that was too dependent on the weather.
She doesnt want to take attention away from the product itself.
For Chen, staging is pivotal to creating a lived-in scene with her furniture.
The important thing with staging is to strike a balance between domestic beauty and distraction.
Chen suggests simple objects like a round mirror or a couple of white or black-covered books.
She always likes to have vases on hand to hold flowers cut from her garden.
A post shared by Sara | Charlotte, NC (@sara.chen.design)
5.
What makes your piece special?
Take a photo of that.
Examples of Chens clean photo styling can be studied onInstagram.
Chen takes photos to show how deep a dresser drawer is or what the top surface looks like.
If she can add a video, she does.
Edit Your Photos
Chens photos might sound perfect from the first take.
But there is a lot of work involved.
Part of that is in the editing.
Chen uses the Adobe Lightroom editor as her image editing app.
She finds the platform easy to use.
Chens adage is: take as many photos as possible.
More photos offer more details and more chances for someone to fall in love with your item.
Photos Make a Difference
Both Han and Chen say photos have made a difference in attracting buyers.
Han will often reshoot a piece that hasnt sold after some time.
She might try different lighting or a different background to highlight the piece.
Once she posts that new photo, she can usually sell the item right away.
Chen calls taking a good photo 50% of the work.
She recently bought a dresser online for $50.
She took some well-lit and aesthetically appealing photos and sold it for $595.
She made almost $550 off of the dresser with little additional work.
Photos make such a big difference, Chen said.
it’s crucial that you take time to take better photos if you want to sell for more money.
Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
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