Jump to content

Giving Shoppers A Sense Of Scale


Recommended Posts

I don't plan on staging stuff until I am making repeat made to order stuff. Until I start doing that it will be the same thing I'm doing now. The only exception is I am going to put a scale item on the last picture.

 

I agree with u all that staging isn't worth it unless you making a fortune per item or making duplicate items.

 

Lots of good discussion on this topic.

 

I am going to be loading up my store in the next few months and I will report back on my scale A/B testing if it made a difference or not. I hope it does, but only time will tell.

 

Edit. One thing I forgot to mention is that I finally figured out my camera settings where I do not edit them for light and color. Before I was spending a large amount of time tweaking them. In the end I was more happy with the raw photo not having brilliant color but being more true to the actual color of a room lighting pot. My pictures used to be much more bright, but I realized that since I don't make repeat ware at this time taking 300 pictures and editing them once a week wasn't a good plan. So now I just take pictures and use as is. They are not the most brilliant pictures ever but so far sales have been fine after I changed. I also had no one message me about color being slightly different after I stopped editing photos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 89
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Excellent tips!

 

I was making the mistake of doing an entire table setting as if for a dinner party using a!l the pieces from that design line. My thought process was to use the same lifestyle image as the 5th image for all the item listings of that design line. That way people could see how everything looked together as a set but after I took the pictures was worried people would think they were getting it all even if in the description I said this was for the mug or the plate or what have you.

 

I will have to try it again but using just the piece in the listing with other items to compliment it but no other pottery.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that whatever you put into the picture should compliment the piece and provide the scale desired.  for instance, a bowl that could be used for fruit may have an apple next to it.  or a mug could have a spoon resting next to it and a tea bag.  it creates a story for the picture as well as the scale.  hope that helps.  my husband and I also dabble in product photography so I've been reading a lot about it.  lighting is also very important!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think if I start selling on the web I would put a plastic Godzilla in the photo for scale. That way its clear to all that the lizard is not whats for sale and it must be the pot.

Someone beat you to it, Mark!

As a side note, my former teacher, Mariko Paterson of Forage Studios is in this upcoming edition of Cermaica Monthly. Her Instagram and Facebook pages are a lot of fun.

post-63667-0-09005500-1463551649_thumb.png

post-63667-0-09005500-1463551649_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I think if I start selling on the web I would put a plastic Godzilla in the photo for scale. That way its clear to all that the lizard is not whats for sale and it must be the pot.

Someone beat you to it, Mark!

As a side note, my former teacher, Mariko Paterson of Forage Studios is in this upcoming edition of Cermaica Monthly. Her Instagram and Facebook pages are a lot of fun.

 

No plans on starting to sell on the web for me-just saying if I was to Godzilla's my man

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I think if I start selling on the web I would put a plastic Godzilla in the photo for scale. That way its clear to all that the lizard is not whats for sale and it must be the pot.

Someone beat you to it, Mark!

As a side note, my former teacher, Mariko Paterson of Forage Studios is in this upcoming edition of Cermaica Monthly. Her Instagram and Facebook pages are a lot of fun.

 

Well, Mark is known for his huge coffee mugs -- but T-Rex size? How many ounces is that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty good! Definitely a sense of scale, and of lifestyle. My only comment (as a former advertising photographer) is the lighting needs a little attention. You're right to not have the sun on the front of the object as it would be too bright and lose the modelling. But because the sun is so bright, the front of the mugs is in deep shadow. So you need a fill light. The easiest way to do that is to use a piece of white card held or propped up on the side you want lightened. You can see the effect immediately and move it around or angle it to get the modelling and brightness you want. A cheap, very effective, and highly professional solution to the problem.

Wel done!

 

Girts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they are overall very nice! I would make two suggestions:

 

The checkerboard pattern of the table is too busy/contrasty. It's the first thing I see. Cover the table with a solid-color piece of fabric.

 

Some of the plates have too much food on them, therefore I can't really see the plate. Also, I wouldn't use partially eaten food, and I would eliminate the butter, because those photos make me feel like I'd be buying a "used" plate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the starts of it all. I would remove all the food and place the silverware like it was setup fancy at a table or something. I don't particularly care for the food crumbled on the plates, makes me think I have to clean up a mess. Maybe this defeats the purpose though. I dunno! It looks really good though as a start, way more than I have gotten to. Some of the top etsy sellers stage all their pictures in a similar manner, although the food is never crumbled or anything. You are off to a very good start for the first attempt you blew my pictures out of the water, I didn't even save them they were so horrible.

 

One of the Japanese potters I follow recently had a blog post about his light setup. When I finally figure out my glazes and nail down product lines I will probably setup something like he does. It is very simple and just uses a few berries, or chopsticks to show size, and still keeps the pot being the most important part of the picture.

 

http://tenstone.exblog.jp/25813633/

 

b0022655_22144071.jpg

 

b0022655_1933269.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just saw these terry, and i agree with all comments.  the lighting is too dark.  i know everyone seems to light their homes today with one 25 watt bulb in one fixture in the whole house but i need to see so i do not trip.

 

the outdoor table is a little distracting.  a bright cloth might help.  the cheese board looks good with just the cheese, not the crackers.  put the crackers on a separate long plate and have a 3 piece set.

 

i do not understand the reference to the lagoon "pattern".  is their a design on the work that i do not see?  thought it was simply a color.  if an actual pattern, it needs more emphasis.  

 

the fruit is an orange?  i thought it was a tangerine because of the thin peeling.  the muffins make me hungry.

 

hope you sell them all as fast as you can get them online!  :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are definitely a good start. You've got the right idea with the layering and the "dots," you just have to minimize them a bit so the emphasis and the primary subject of the photo is your pottery. There are some background details in a few shots that are trying to steal the show, and if you can fade/burn out/ blur/desaturate them in post, that would help. Snapseed has a few selective tools that let you single out areas like this. It also lets you save copies of your image, so you always have the original to work with and try a few different approaches to see what works best.

I was going to say most of what Girts said about the light. If you're shooting outside on a bright day like that, you might alternatively try working in the shade. If you have a patio umbrella, I'd just put it up over yourself and your setup. Then you don't get hot spots. Or work on an overcast day. Bright, diffused light is best.

 

Edit: another tip that helped my photography enormously was to not mix light sources. Daylight +artificial=yucky white tones. If you use artificial light, make sure the bulbs are the same if you're using more than one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for the input, I have been thinking through all that has been said and really appreciate your suggestions.

 

I plan to simplify by removing some of the staged items from the pictures and will try cutting out more of the backgrounds (though this goes against the lifestyle needs according to etsy which you can read below). I plan to set up a pre breakfast shot with some of these changes and see how they look. I purposefully did not use any table coverings as I as I want to convey a casual relaxed atmosphere. Nor do I want to add any additional colors with a tablecloth to the images preferring to keep the background stuff as neutral as possible with the only color being the pots, it's also why I chose the golden colored napkin, it's got color but isn't bright like say a red or blue would be. I made sure the backgrounds were out of focus on all the outdoor images so I am assuming it's the inside images that are thought to be distracting?

 

I should have stated to begin with that I shot all the pictures with my iPad using natural light on purpose. These shots need to be as simple and quick as possible to do. It took me HOURS to set up those images and about another hour to edit them on my iPad.

The problem is....

My studio is on the ground floor and my interesting home decor locations (aka the breakfast nook and deck you see in the photos I took) are on the second floor. I don't want to haul all the pots up the stairs AND studio lights AND camera with tripod, and reflectors, etc etc etc. I can't have a photo studio set up all the time and hauling all this up and down every week is just too much. I know Photoshop but don't want to spend tons of time photographing and editing a $25 plate image. I already spend a day each week photographing stuff for my various online and festival needs, adding a whole additional day is simply not feasible.

 

I am struggling with "Lifestyle" images of my products in use in a normal situation. How much detail, how much background, how many support items, etc. Everything I have come up with either looks so staged as to be fake or like this time much too casual and used appearing. If you go to etsy and see their front page the editors and such put together collections of stuff and they almost always use the Lifestyle shot for this. I only have detail item pictures in my listings and if I want to get to the next level I need to figure out what exactly is a Lifestyle shot is and how to capture its essence with my pots in use in "normal" life. I would also like this lifestyle image to show scale in an interesting manner without using a coin or ruler. Not sure if I am explaining this at all well.

 

Here is what the etsy website says that a "Lifestyle" image is:

Lifestyle Pic

What: Your product looking good in its element.

(They show a photo of a gorgeous rocky coastline and a tiny figure of a woman in a bathing suit, it doesn't show the details of the suit at all but gives you a sense of the adventure you could have if you wear it.)

This photo, which features a model in a high waist bikini by 1979 Swimwear, helps buyers imagine what it might be like to wear it.

Why: The main reason to include a lifestyle photo is so that when someone sees it, they can imagine just what they’d do if they owned your amazing product. You want them to imagine your item in use to help sway them to make the purchase.

How: If you’re selling prints, take a photo of each one hanging on a wall, so your shoppers can see just how great it looks incorporated into home décor. Show them just how cute that salt and pepper shaker set look on a cozy dinner table. Pick the cutest spot in your house (or your adorable friend’s house) and take photos of your creation in use.

 

Maybe that helped a bit?

 

I am happy with my detail product pictures on a simple white background and would like to add on this final type of image to try and get my stuff promoted more and to give people an idea of what it looks like in use and scale. Thank you again for your help and I will edit some of the pictures in the gallery and re-take the others keeping in mind the suggestions given. Learning a whole new style of photography isn't easy! Give me a human model, a Greek ruin, or a light box based image any day and I'll knock it out of the park but hand me a bowl and tell me to shoot it in use in a beautiful way and I'm struggling.

 

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay here goes Try Two!

 

I added the new photos to the same gallery as the first.

 

I rephotographed some of the items keeping in mind all the input I was given. I decided to take all the pictures inside since it was easier to control the light. I also gave in and hauled 1 studio light upstairs along with 1 reflector and my tripod for my iPad, I might have to bring up a second light but haven't quite decided whether it's needed or not. I decided to try again with using the ipad since it cuts a couple steps out of the process making it quick and simple to take, edit and upload the images. Told my husband that until I got a handle on this he was eating in the living room because I didn't want him messing up my layout just to eat! He said he could do that for a few days if it would help. Think I might be driving him a bit crazy muttering and fussing to myself over these images.

 

I simplified everything as suggested. I went with 3 orange slices rather than whole fruit hoping this would give that spark of contrasting color I want but not take away focus from the dinnerware. For the mug shots I used sliced bread rather than a muffin to give it the human feel but not draw attention away from the mug. I also moved the tea bag tag behind the handle so it's there for scale but not front and center.

 

It actually took a lot less time to shoot these than the first time. It also took less time to edit the images since I used color correct lighting and was able to get very close to the exact framing of the products by using the tripod.

 

I think they are wayyyyy better than the first try, still not sure I am capturing "lifestyle" but might be getting closer, what do you think?

 

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are better-they show the pots better with less food.

I personally never show food in my photos  of pots and never have but I'm working with photos in a different field that you (art show applications) and these days I'm not even doing that as I'm not looking for new shows anymore.

I assume your market is web based and you want to show the set in use?Like etsy or like minded uses.

I think they will work fine for that use.

I am not happy with your backgrounds as they are busy and are of two or more colors but its not a break it deal for me.It shows a table and I get that.The color shift is odd on the table.

 

As far as exact framing you will find a zoom lens on a quality digital camera will work great for that. I pads are harder to control than a camera on a tripod.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are a big improvement.

 

I'm going to be very nitpicky, because we are aiming for excellence right?

 

People don't slice oranges like that in order to eat them. That type of slicing is just for garnish. But people DO cut oranges into WEDGES for eating.

 

I agree with not having the tea bag tab front and center. But putting it behind the mug handle is a step too far. Because they are now obscured and shadowed, I can imagine someone not being able to figure out what it is.

 

I agree that the one cheeseboard disappears into the table top, because they are nearly the same color. I'm going to reiterate my suggestion of a tablecloth, and I would use white or cream. I know you don't want it to look formal, but I guarantee it will not read as formal. It will be clean and non-distracting and put all of the focus on the pots instead. When you see lifestyle photos that read as "casual" and then consider them from a real-world perspective, you'd say "who has time to be that fussy?" But from a marketing perspective, it still reads as casual. "White tablecloth" doesn't mean the same thing in a photograph as it does in real life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much less cluttered! You are well on your way.

You seem to be getting some kind of green or blue reflection onto your dark brown wood table. Fix that, and I think you have something respectable to work with. White foam core propped on a chair to block things, maybe?

 

I can get better results with my dslr, but for the Internet, I take the photos on my IPhone and edit them on the ipad (bigger screen). I have them set up so they talk to each other. Once you figure out your light and your prop "formulas" it goes a LOT faster.

 

 

If it's any consolation, my husband likes to poke fun at me, and the absurd things one does sometimes for pretty photos. He is also willing to eat in the living room to keep his beloved wife happy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone,

 

Mark C - this is for online listings in etsy. For festival photos I use simple white backgrounds. Don't care for the shaded gray backgrounds as it always seems to be the wrong shade at the wrong spot on the pot so white works and shows the hand painted colors nicely. The backgrounds are kind of busy because these are for the Lifestyle shot in the listings. Some sellers actually have people, decorated tables, flowers etc in the backgrounds. My other I images in each listing are just the piece on white. Don't really want to add on using my DSLR camera since it means a few more steps in the editing process (camera, memory card, desk top, iPad, then upload to listing. I have my iPad on a tripod for these shots and then I can easily edit them on my iPad and upload them straight from there, since I do all my listings using my iPad it works for these "quickie" type shots. Quick? Yeah right!

 

Joseph - Thanks! Just wanted something acceptable to use for the lifestyle shot and it's taking longer to get that than I expected but I'm learning a lot.

 

GEP - Okay... Am I the only one that slices their oranges to eat? It's less messy and you can easily remove the seeds without fishing around in your mouth for them. Also, a restaurant I order a fruit plate from slices the fruit like this and does Apple, orange, peach, overlapping around the plate with the yogurt in the middle. I will have to think on this. I'll have to see how else to hang the tea bag tag since I am using that along with the fruit to give an idea as to scale. I can add more light to the tag maybe. Will look at this as well. I might try a table cloth even though I HATE them. Have a few formal ones in colors but no white. I never use them and have a red holiday one that would simply not work. Might try a white sheet that had been ironed... Ironing UGH. Also if I'm putting down a white tablecloth why not just use a standard not lifestyle shot done in my light box setup? Much easier that way but doesn't look like a lifestyle image. sigh

 

Diesel - The table IS brown AND blue AND green color washes. It's a rustic table with many colored stain wash layers over one another. The legs are actually orange, red and yellow. So no green reflecting light just the actual color of the table. Can't really do anything about that. The colors of the pottery pieces are correct though no color cast to them what you see is what you get. So unless I go buy another table (not happening) not much I can do about that except add a tablecloth (ugh). I am trying to take the lifestyle shots for etsy using my iPad so I don't have to take down my light box set up and mess up the placement of the tripod and camera settings. I've actually got a program on my iPad that does a pretty good job of doing simple edits.

 

Lots to think about!

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.