Take this great photograph by TippleandSnack. When I spotted it, it was in the middle of the page. It caught my eye immediately because of the color contrast. Then I cracked up when I saw those little chicks peeping out of an egg cup. What a great way to sell egg cups! It not only draws the potential customer in, but it also shows them that egg cups can be display objects in their own right.
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| Vintage Egg Cups by TippleandSnack |
There are lots of vintage clothing sellers on Etsy with fashion must haves. I know many people use their daughters as models, which is practical. The key to a successful live model is their facial expression. I find a lot of models have the "I'd never be caught dead in this" look on their face, which is odd. Have the model ham it up. Show them having fun in it. Sell it! This photo by Unionmadebride illustrates my point perfectly:
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| 1960's Full Length Slip by Unionmadebride |
The item itself doesn't have to be funny. Humor can be added by the angle you take the photo from, the way you position your item, or the lighting. This photo by TheFancyLamb shows this point. Most of us take a shot of a doll sitting down-at least I do. This shot taken up close really captures the dolls whimsical expression and draws my eye to it.
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| Vintage Poland Heidi Doll by TheFancyLamb |
Props can really help bring a whimsical element to your otherwise rather practical item. As long as you're clear that the prop isn't for sale, use them to your advantage. People tend to be rather opinionated about them, so I don't recommend them for every item, just those that could benefit from a substantial visual boost. Take this shot from Calloohcallay for example. Without the horse, the cup would be rather lost. It adds just enough whimsy to make a viewer ask "what is horse doing next to a coffee cup?"
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| Vintage Fire King Cup by calloohcallay |
Sometimes, the front isn't always the best angle. The playful motion used in this dress photo by Alexsandras is really eye catching! It doesn't just grab attention though. It also tells me about the fabric and how it hangs. Perfect way to convey elements of the item without using words. In addition, it shows the model having fun and that makes the viewer smile!
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| Vintage 1960's Tennis Dress by alexsandras |
The more we think out of the box with our photos, the more we will stand out from other sellers. When a sea of small thumbnails is staring a shopper in the face, you want your photo to pop. Once they click on the next page, it's too late. So grab their attention. Humor, whimsy and just plain fun are a great way to do it!
11 comments:
As always, a great read and very informative.
Those little toy chickens are so cute. That would totally catch my eye too!
Love this post.
A bit of whimsy always makes me smile!
Love the photo from Alexsandras - I always struggle with demonstrating how fabric flows (or doesn't flow).
Nice job as always Heidi!
DebB
When you're selling online, photography is just as important as the item itself. Great examples to inspire us to keep improving. Thanks Heidi!
Great examples, Heidi! I'm always drawn to the humorous or unusual, as long as the item isn't obscured. Thanks!
great examples. i have the opposite approach...and i'm not always sure it's best approach for some of my stuff.
Fabulous ideas! Gotta have a bit of humor sometimes, now you have shown me how to inject some.
always love the ones that make me giggle
Thanks for all of the positive comments! I love modeling for AlexSandra. She plays music and we laugh and in general have fun.
A sense of humor always "gets" me especially when it's unusual or quirky! These are wonderful examples. Items like these show me the fun, clever person behind the shop.
Wow, you really found some great examples of humor. Now you have me thinking about how to use it myself. Thanks.
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