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Has anyone ever had someone compliment your work and then say "I might even make one!" It feels horrible! So my product is nice enough to tell me it's nice.. but not nice enough to pay for. I just think that's so rude.
Sometimes I take inspiration from my fellow artists, but never deliberately rip off someone's original design or idea. And if I did I would not tell them "oh hey I'm ripping your design"
I know how many of us sellers are faced with difficulties taking high quality photographs for our stores, but I cannot stress the importance of having high quality photos.
WHY HAVE NICE PHOTOS? Not only do descriptive photos help prevent unsatisfied customers, but they enhance your product, making it artwork on display! Don't settle for second rate photographs, keep trying until you get it right, practice makes perfect (or at least close!)
CHOOSING YOUR CAMERA You can have beautiful jewelry photographs without an expensive camera! -It's true! All you need to know is how to access it's features. You can even use AUTO mode if you aren't comfortable with manually configuring your camera settings.
USING YOUR CAMERA'S FEATURES If you learn to master your camera, your pictures will need minimal editing on the computer. This saves lots of time, and you will be especially pleased with the outcome of your photos.
MACRO The first most important feature is the "MACRO" setting. It is often represented by a tulip-looking flower.
Once MACRO mode is enabled, it allows the camera to take close up shots with stunning focus.
WHITE BALANCE Next, you must set the white balance. This feature is usually found under the menu / white balance. You can choose the auto setting, but it is recommended that you check to see if it is the most accurate depiction of your product. The goal with setting a white balance is to maintain a pure white and closely accurate coloring throughout your photo.
LOCATION Next you must choose a location. Without blinding your subjects and avoiding using your flash, choose a place by a sunny window (but not in the direct sunlight). This location allows your products to be illuminated without being washed out or too dark. Experiment with different places and see which fits you best.
It is also important that you use a location that is fits the nature of your product(if you choose to do so). For example, if you are photographing an item of clothing, it is often recommended that you have a model or something that resembles a human body (a mannequin, a jar, or something of a similar form).
However, a plain colored background never hurts. I always use a tan colored table cloth which is a nice neutral background that suits the majority of my products.
Avoid using patterened or distracting backgrounds because it often distracts your potential buyers from your product. Remember: You want your product to be the main focus of your photo, not your backdrop.
HOW TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS For example purposes I will be using ADOBE PHOTOSHOP, but a similar and equally effective for editing your jewelry photos - GIMP is availble for FREE from this website: http://www.gimp.org/
FIRST You will want to crop your image so that it leaves no distractions in the background. Make sure the focus of your image is the product.
SECOND Adjust your image using LEVELS
This funny looking picture is called a HISTOGRAM. It represents the lighting of your image. For a perfect image you will want it to look something like a triangle, preferably toward the center of the histogram.
To adjust the histogram, move the arrows to make the image lighter, make sure you do not change anything too dramatically or it will negatively affect your image.
NEXT You will want to adjust the contrast. Again, do not make too many changes or your image will be negatively affected. Slight changes are the most effective.
LASTLY You can increase the saturation if your product is shown as dull. Again, only make slight changes. Even if it seems nothing has changed, sometimes that's a good thing.
Now your images are ready to be uploaded and shared for the world to admire!
