Struggling to figure out what product photos to take of your handmade products? Well, you’re certainly not alone.
Many Etsy craft sellers struggle with product photography, especially when it comes to choosing what photos to take.
With so many people selling on Etsy today, showcasing your product’s best features can make all the difference in someone “just browsing” to hitting the “add to cart” button and buying from you.
That’s why we’ll be exploring the best beginner product photos every craft seller on Etsy should be including in their listings.
These photos will not only the quality of your crafts are but build trust and confidence with customers, making it easier to decide to purchase from you. So let’s dive in!
Recreate the in-person shopping experience online
One of the major disadvantages of shopping online is you don’t get the hands-on shopping experience you get when buying in person. You don’t get to touch, taste, or feel a product before you buy.
Instead, this means customers are relying on your photos, product description and sometimes video to help them decide whether or not to buy.
Offering just one or two photos or several photos from the same perspective doesn’t give them the full picture of what they’re getting.
Customers naturally look at your photos first and if they don’t visually see the information they want, they make take their money elsewhere.
That’s why it’s so important to give customers a variety of different product photos that not only highlight your work, but also give them details about your product they’re curious about. This is key to selling your crafts online.
Step into the shoes of your customer
Let’s pretend your customer sees your product at a craft show. What aspects of your products would they look at? What areas would stand out to them? This is your opportunity to show them what sets you apart from other sellers in your niche.
Visualizing the in-person shopping experience your customer goes through can help you better capture elements of your work and translate that experience online.
Later on, we’ll get into more resources to help you come up with ideas for product photos, but for now, make note of what shots come to mind that you’ll want to capture.
Remember, the goal is for customers to feel confident and excited when buying from you and it all starts with thinking about what you’re visually showing them about your products.
Now let’s explore what photos I’d recommend every Etsy craft seller to include in their product listings to increase their craft sales online.
Front Angle
This is probably the most common product photo you’ll see. The thing that’s great about this photo and what makes it so popular is it’s a basic straight-on shot of the product primarily taken at eye level.
It’s clear and direct, making it an ideal photo for the main image of your product listing image.
Profile/Side Angle
Does your product have some cool features on the side of your product? Is there an embellishment or detail you can’t see very well from a front angle? If so, this makes for a great photo to include in your product listings.
This is also a popular shot you’ll see because it helps show the shape and dimension of a product that could be difficult to see from other angles. It’s typically shot at eye level but it’s not required.
Back Angle
This is a common angle that a lot of craft sellers miss taking when photographing their work.
Do you have instructions or ingredients for your product? Are there any unique, cool features that you want to show customers? Highlight this area!
Customers will at some point look at the back of your product so photograph and show them.
45-Degree Angle
This type of shot can give a product a more interesting perspective. It’s a way to show multiple sides of a product.
This may not work for all products, but you may want to try it out to see if you can create a more visually interesting photo of your work.
Top/Bird's View Angle
This shot is normally taken from the top down as if you were looking straight down at your product. It’s a great shot to provide customers because there may be details for features of your product that may be difficult to see from other angles.
This particular bar of soap had beautiful dried flowers on the top that were difficult to see from the side or the front, so photographing it from a top angle helped to show the beautiful details that customers would appreciate.
Bottom Angle
This is another shot that a lot of sellers forget to photograph. People are naturally curious about all aspects of a product, including what’s on the bottom.
If you make pottery for plants, photographing the bottom of a pot can provide information to your customer about whether the pot has a drain hole or not.
If you’re selling vintage shoes, photographing the bottom can be important so a customer knows how much wear and tear the shoes have before purchasing.
Whether you have product instructions or your signature on the bottom of your product, don’t forget to photograph this perspective of your product.
Closeup/Detailed Angle
Customers LOVE seeing detailed shots of products! Does your product have a unique detail you want them to see? Maybe your product has an interesting texture or dramatic feature that makes your product special.
Taking close-up shots can bring attention to beautiful details of your product that can help a customer understand the quality and uniqueness of your product.
Scale/Size
Understanding scale and size online is really hard but incredibly important! That’s why every seller needs to provide at least one shot showing how big or small their product is.
People have a hard time visually understanding size if there’s nothing to compare the product size to, so give them something to help them get a good sense of the scale of your work.
Depending on your product, you can use a ruler or even use your hand to give some reference of scale. You can also use currency like a quarter to show the scale of jewelry or other small objects. Get creative when taking this photo.
Finding inspiration for your product photos
There’s nothing more annoying than picking up your camera to take product photos and thinking, “What photos should I take??”
Not only does this waste valuable time, but may result in you getting repetitive shots that don’t show off the beauty and quality of your work.
So let’s explore how you can get inspiration when it comes to photographing your work.
Replicate the in-person shopping experience
As we talked about before, think about how your customers would interact and look at your product in person. What would they notice? What would you point out that makes your work different?
Use these insights to come up with product photos to highlight your work.
Learn from your competition
Rather than try to come up with photos on your own, why not find out how others in your niche are photographing their work?
Browse their listings and notice what photos stand out to you. What backgrounds, lighting and props do they use? This can be a wealth of inspiration so take time to research and take notes!
Explore outside of your niche
Don’t limit your ideas to just those in your niche. Look at what other brands (big and small) are doing when photographing products.
Are there certain brands that resonate with you? Why do certain photos catch your eye? Is it the lighting?
The perspective they took the photo from? Incorporate these influences for a fresh perspective that you can apply to your own product photography.
Create a library of inspiration
Start collecting product photos that inspire you. This is a great way to get the creative juices flowing and guide you towards creating photos that get the attention of your customers online.
Take screenshots and dump them into a folder on your computer or phone so when you’re preparing for a photo shoot, you’ve got lots of ideas to inspire you to take your photos to the next level.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of other product photos you can take, but this is meant to help you get started in thinking about how to better photograph your work so you get more views that convert into sales.
Product photos play a big role in a customer’s decision to buy, so taking the time to think about what shots to take can make a huge difference in your sales.
Now, I want to hear from you. Do you have a difficult time thinking of what product photos to take? Comment below and let me know one thing you’re planning on doing differently moving forward.