Pin 5 Tips for Photographing Crochet to save it for later!
High quality photography is the most important part of selling your crafts. In some cases it can make or break the sale; however, there’s no need to invest in expensive photography products. You can create your own great photos with just a few easy photography tips.
1. Natural Lighting is Best
Lighting is the most important step of photography. There are some affordable tabletop lighting setups available, but the best place to take your photos is near a window or glass door. You don’t want your item to be in direct sunlight (cloudy days are best), but the room should be filled with natural light. Turn off any other lights or lamps as they will cast shadows over your work. If you don’t have enough lighting indoors, take your work outside to a shaded spot.
2. Backdrops and Props
Plain white backgrounds might work for big companies, but for handmade items, you may want to add a little personality to your branded images. Unique backgrounds and photography props can add depth and texture to your photos and help provide scale for sizing. Vinyl wood prints, faux fur, an antique serving tray, small potted plants; these can all be used to create interest and draw the eye.
You can find lots of photography props and backgrounds on Amazon.
For smaller items, or textured fabrics, get creative with your angles. Rather than shooting a photo straight from the top down, consider trying out a more artistic angle, which really shows off the delicate features of your piece.
For my Bellissma Market Bag I used a wood backdrop, with a chair as a prop. I like the way the bag drapes on the edge of the chair back and I think the flowers add a quaint touch that fits the lace perfectly. When staging for a photo, think about setting a mood or feeling.
3. Save Time by Photographing Multiple Items
Save up your products and photograph them all at the same time for consistent lighting, angles and camera settings. I take photos every 2 weeks or so depending on how many items I need to shoot. The only exception I make are progress photos for more complicated patterns.
4. Photo Editing Software
A good photo won’t need a lot of editing, but sometimes you may need to adjust lighting levels or the brightness/contrast to really make things pop. You can also use editing software to resize and crop photos or make a collage for social media. I use several different editing softwares for my photos including Lightroom, Photoshop, PicMonkey and Canva because I find it easier to do certain things in each one; however, you could really do all of your editing in Photoshop or PicMonkey and I’m sure there are others out there too.
Most importantly, be sure to watermark every photo to protect against content theft and to help lead people back to your shop or blog, if your photo gets used elsewhere without permission.
5. Write Down Your Process
Keep track of which angles and camera settings work best, along with which actions you use while editing your photos. This will make it easier to replicate your results the next time you need to photograph items. It will also provide consistency to your portfolio.
Taking project photos is hard, so I hope these tips help you to take the best photos possible!
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