From the Forums: Best Photography Tips

Ooopsi-daisy! This was supposed to be a post for Friday, but I published today by accident. Lucky YOU!

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Light...lots and lots of light. Lack of said light is the biggest cause of most photo problems, and one begets the next. It causes slow shutter speeds, high thermal noise, high ISO settings, poor depth of field. It's the single most important ingredient in good photos. bomobob

Light is so important. Natural light is best unless you can afford expensive equipment. Once you have enough light, you need a good background. Busy backgrounds are not pleasant to look at, and typically swallow the item you're trying to sell. I opt for plain white backgrounds, but I've seen some lovely photos with other neutral backgrounds as well. Another very helpful thing is lowering your fstop. This widens your aperture, which also lets more light in. But the best part is the fuzzy background effect you get by doing this. There's just something about having your item in perfect focus, and having everything else slightly blurred or fuzzy, that really makes items look great. Photography isn't something you can learn or perfect overnight... I'm still learning and changing my photos, and have gone through many rounds of photos with my items. Creek Bed Threads

Study some photo basics instead of flailing in the dark...or buying a new camera. Strauski

My answer is simple....edit your photos! re-size, crop etc. L F Jewelry

Outdoor photography will give you the best lighting but it can be a pain in the butt depending on what you are taking photos of. I like to take mine indoors that way I don't have to be concerned about the sun position, wind, rain, bugs, etc. I use a photo tent box to soften the light and reduce shadows. Two adjustable desk lamps with daylight bulbs. I had to refer to my camera manual on how to change the white balance setting. This will make a big difference in the clarity and coloring of the photos. Also in my opinion you should stay away from busy backgrounds. You will also need to use some type of editing software to correct color and lighting. Every once in a while I take a photo that needs no editing but in most cases I have to edit them to get the best photo results. Majestic Pieces
I like playing around with perspective (i.e. where I am focusing, shooting from the side or above the product, etc) to get interesting and compelling images. Joy Rebel Images

Its essential to use the macro option on your camera and a tripod. Also make sure to set the camera at the right shutter speed and ISO (depending on the light). Alina & T

Use photo editing to adjust contrast, light, and saturation/color. If you're Photoshop savvy but can't afford it, there's a great free download called Gimp. Moody Girl Aromatherapy

If your camera has an aperture priority, use it! Don't be afraid to get up close to your items. If need be, you can crop and rotate your pictures using picnik.com (it's free!) to get a visually appealing angle, and format your pictures to fit Etsy's suggested 1000x1000 pixel guidelines.If you sell clothing, use live models! I love to see what clothing will look like when it's worn :) Most of all: Keep playing, and don't get discouraged Pictures are something you can always work on...and you don't need a huge fancy camera to get results :) Rock Fern Designs

If you have items that are difficult to photograph in a light box, use a window! Find a window in the house that has lots of sunlight streaming through, and cover the window with a white sheet. The white sheet will give you a great diffused effect for your photos. I used a coffee table next to the window, and poster board for the background. I turned the table so that the light from the window hit the front of the items (you don't want the window directly in front of you.) Also, make sure you cover any other windows in the room with white sheets, so all the light in the room is the same color. Joyous Treasures

I did a blog post about this in my blog. I found a fantastic website that I decided to share with all my followers. It explains the best way to photograph artwork in particular...but the rules really apply to many different mediums. Dirksen Dabbles

Check out my complete etsy photography tutorial! Green Heath Treasures

Luck, lol :) andreacreates