Back in the old Etsy days, photographing your product on a white background was the thing to do. Part of it was because listings that were photographed on crisp, white backgrounds were more likely to be featured in the now-retired Treasuries feature.
Treasuries were member curated galleries that showcased different sellers to help boost awareness of the many makers who were selling on Etsy.
Now I’m not 100% sure how Treasuries were selected to be featured on the coveted Etsy front page for all to see. But more often than not, Treasuries that ended up on the main page rarely had listings that were photographed on non-white backgrounds.
While Treasuries are no longer a thing on Etsy, photographing products with a white background is still a great option because it makes almost any product look great. It’s also a requirement for many e-commerce websites, especially if you’re looking to sell on Amazon Handmade.
Whatever background you end up photographing your products on, I strongly encourage you to photograph ALL your products on the same type of background.
Why?
- Your listings will look more cohesive
- Your shop/website will look more professional
Here are a few examples of some shops I found on Etsy that have photographed their products with the same background. I also love some of the creative backgrounds some have chosen!
I love the earthiness of this background for this shop. It allows the dresses to really stand out because it’s simple and also it adds texture to the photos.
Jewelry can be tricky to photograph, but this shop has excellent photos! While the background is darker and has some color, it doesn’t take away from the product whatsoever. The surface the rings are photographed on is dark enough not to compete with the rings while still adding some texture.
While this shop chose to go towards using a white (or off-white) background, it makes the different color washi tapes pop! You can easily glance at their listings and view quickly what options you have to select from. Plus, I love how they displayed some of the tapes by rolling it out on the surface with the roll standing up.
I love this wood textured background! While some of the props I find a little distracting, all their packaging is clean and simple which makes them stand out against the wood. It gives a feeling of getting back to nature which makes sense since they sell handcrafted herbal products.
This seller decided to keep their background neutral but added a darker surface that still allows their crocheted dolls to stand out as the main star in their photos.
This shop went the route of photographing on a white background to keep it simple. Their pieces look beautiful against the white background even though their pieces are almost white too.
While this shop has some bokeh vibes going on with the background, it works because it’s not competing with the products. It also gives a more whimsical, dreamy feel which complements the products.
What I love about this last shop is you can see they’ve been going through the process of reshooting their products. The bottom are their older listings which you can see didn’t always have the same background. Their recent listings all have been photographed on a simple white background giving the shop a more cohesive feel.
There’s a lot of options when it comes to picking out what background you want to photograph your product against so don’t be afraid to do something different. Just be sure it makes sense of you and your brand.
Which shop’s background is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!