{"id":1173,"date":"2015-04-20T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=1173"},"modified":"2016-09-08T12:03:26","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T16:03:26","slug":"photographing-jewelry-for-etsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/photographing-jewelry-for-etsy\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOGRAPHING JEWELRY FOR ETSY"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/div>\n

Etsy<\/a> is such a HUGE Market for Handmade Jewelry!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nThey have some Incredible Artists<\/strong>, who make the Coolest and Most Awesome Pieces!<\/p>\n

\nI Love Etsy<\/strong> (if you’ve never taken a look at Etsy<\/a>, do so!), I’m always searching the Jewelry Galleries for Neat, Crazy, Bracelets, Rings, Earrings, Pendants, Tie Tacks, Cufflinks, Watches, Belly Button Rings, Charms and the such. It’s Pretty Endless!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nBut one thing that I always notice (since I’ve been in the Jewelry Industry for over 25 years, and am a Graphic Designer and Create Jewelry Ads), are the PHOTOS!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nSome of the Photos, Oh Heck, a GOOD PORTION<\/strong> of the Photos are Blurry, Dark, Grainy, and don’t do the items Justice. That’s SAD!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nTake a Peek (Not pointing Fingers here<\/strong>, just Giving Examples)…<\/p>\n

\n\"Bad<\/p>\n

\nSee!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nPhotos like those probably won’t sell a lot of Jewelry<\/strong>. People would just Scroll by them without taking a closer look…<\/p>\n

\nIt really is Sad, because some of these items are WONDERFUL items<\/strong>, but without a Great Photo, they will probably Lose out, and maybe Never, Ever Sell the Piece.<\/p>\n

\nIt’s true!<\/strong><\/p>\n

PHOTOS SELL!<\/h2>\n

\nTaking the time to get a Great Looking Photo, that’s Crisp, Clean, Bright, and Detailed, is PRICELESS!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIt can Make you Money!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your Sales will Increase for SURE!<\/h2>\n

\nI know!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nI Photo Jewelry and make Advertisements almost Daily. I know how Difficult Jewelry is to Photograph. They’re Small, Reflective, Sparkly, Translucent, and Detailed. <\/p>\n

\nWithout the Proper Equipment, and even some Photoshop Skills, the Pictures just don’t stand out.<\/p>\n

\nIt is almost MIND-BLOWING<\/strong> how different a Piece of Jewelry can look with a Good Close-Up Photo<\/strong> and some Enhancements<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Good Lighting is KEY!<\/h2>\n

\nFor Example… Look at the images below that show Before and After <\/strong>of some Items I’ve Cleaned up for Ads…<\/p>\n

\n\"Before<\/p>\n

\nSee! Which items do you think would Sell more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nThere’s no Question…<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, how do you Photo Jewelry for Etsy?<\/h2>\n

\n(or Ebay<\/strong>, or Craig’s List<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

\nWell, you start with the Right Camera<\/strong>. That’s the FIRST STEP<\/strong>. Now you don’t need an Expensive High-End Camera<\/strong>. You just need to get one that has a Good Optical Zoom (Note that’s “Optical Zoom<\/strong>” and not “Digital Zoom<\/strong>“).<\/p>\n

\nTo be able to get Close to the Gems, Diamonds, Rings, etc, you need a Good Zoom<\/strong>. I use 7x<\/strong> (which was HIGH at the time) and I would recommend that, or higher, like 10x<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAn Optical Zoom brings the item Closer without Distortion<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\nThis gets the items Big enough and close enough to photo for Print Ads<\/strong>, and certainly big enough for Web Images<\/strong> (which are actually low-res).<\/p>\n

\nThe Camera I use is an older Camera (probably 10 years old<\/strong>), it’s a Minolta Dimage 7i 5MP Digital Camera w\/ 7x Optical Zoom<\/a>. Nothing Great, Nothing Fancy, just enough to get the job done RIGHT!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nOnce you get a Camera that has a Good Optical Zoom<\/strong>, along with a Telephoto Lens<\/strong> (My Lens has an Aperture of 28mm-200mm), then you need to get yourself (or make yourself) a Photo Light Box<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nWhen I started Photographing Jewelry ten years ago, a Light Tent with Lamps<\/a>, like the one shown below, was Recommended…<\/p>\n

\n\"Jewelry<\/a><\/p>\n

I tried that. I didn’t like it!<\/h2>\n

\nIt had too many parts to transport<\/strong>. Too much to set up. HOT Bulbs<\/strong> (you bump the LAMP and the Light Breaks), and lots of Equipment to move (since I needed a Studio that was Portable, this setup just didn’t work). So I decided to get something much, much EASIER<\/strong>… A Photo Light Box<\/a>! (Mine’s about the size of a Small Microwave<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

\nLike the one shown here…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"Portable<\/a><\/p>\n

\nAnd here…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

THOSE WORK GREAT!<\/h2>\n

\nThey have Daylight Bulbs inside the unit that removes Shadows and Background Color<\/strong> from your Jewelry. And, they have Openings in the Top and Side of the Unit for Photographing Straight Ahead, or from Above. You’ll LOVE it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nA Light Box will change your Jewelry from Yellowy, Old, Antiqued Pieces<\/strong> into Bright, Clean, Detailed Items<\/strong>. It’s a Day and Night Difference!<\/p>\n

\nAnd I do suggest that you use a WHITE Background<\/strong> (Versus Black, Blue, or something totally Crazy). White makes Jewelry POP!<\/strong> Especially if it’s a Colorful Item with Gemstones! WONDERFUL!<\/p>\n

\nIf you do use a Background, that’s also fine<\/strong>, but don’t make it Distracting<\/strong> or something Too Busy<\/strong> that the item gets LOST<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Simpler is Better!<\/h2>\n

\nAlso get yourself a Tri-Pod<\/a> for your Camera, unless you buy a Photo Box that has a Tri-Pod attached like the Photo eBox<\/a>. This makes taking Photos even Easier!<\/strong> (A Tri-Pod keeps the Camera from Shaking and Taking Blurry Photos<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nWith Close-Up Items, even your Breathing is enough to throw the piece out of Focus<\/strong>. Not Cool! Get a Tri-Pod<\/a>, it’s a MUST!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nTurn the Lights on, put your Camera on the Tri-Pod, set the Timer for 10 seconds<\/strong>, and stand back. That way your Photos will turn out Crystal Clear every time.<\/p>\n

\nJust make sure you take MANY Photos<\/strong>, focusing on different areas of the item, so you get the Exact Photo you want. <\/p>\n

\nMove the item around and take it from different Angles and Levels<\/strong>. Plus, I also highly recommend Holding Wax<\/a>. Holding Wax<\/strong> is where you take a Small Piece of Wax, and stick it underneath the item, such as a Ring, and it will HOLD it in place<\/strong> so you can Photograph it. That way you can Prop up the item at the Right Angle and it will STAY<\/strong>… So you don’t have to lean it up against something, or hold the item with your Fingers! <\/p>\n

It works, and it works well!<\/h2>\n

\nKeep in mind, when you’re taking Close-Up Photos, only one section of the item is in Focus at any given time<\/strong>. Like the Top of the Ring will be in Focus, and the rest of the Ring (the Band or Shank) will be Blurry. This is normal when taking macro photos<\/strong>. There’s not much you can do about that except concentrate on the best area and make sure that’s in Focus. Me, I’m tricky when I make my Jewelry Ads<\/strong>… I photo the Top of the Ring AND the Bottom of the Ring separately, and then SLICE them together<\/strong> to get one image that’s totally in focus. It’s more work, but it pays off. :)<\/p>\n

\nThat’s if you’re Familiar with Photoshop and how to do such Imagery.
\nNOW…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nTake a Good Number of Photos of the item: Top, Side, Bottom, make sure you get any Stamps<\/strong> in the item as well. Close ups of the important areas… so the Buyer knows exactly what they’re buying (Etsy allows you to put many photos online to show off the product). DO SO!<\/strong> The more Photos you have, the more chances you have at selling it<\/strong>… There’s nothing more frustrating then seeing a really great looking Bracelet, but there’s no photo of the Clasp or how it Hooks. Don’t be this person!<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Photo Everything!<\/h2>\n

\nOnce you take all the photos you need. Transfer them to your Computer<\/strong>. Look at them one at a time and move the GREAT photos into a Folder on your Desktop<\/strong>. And then, if you need to, or want to, open them up with a Graphics Program<\/strong> (I use Photoshop<\/a>), and Crop <\/strong>the item, Resize <\/strong>the item down – Usually around 1000 pixels<\/strong> or less is sufficient for the web), adjust the Brightness, Contrast, Hue and Sharpness<\/strong>… And you’d be AMAZED <\/strong>at how much better you can make them.<\/p>\n

\nOnce you have the Photos, you still have LOTS of work to do<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nYou have the Descriptions<\/strong>, Titles<\/strong>, and Specifics<\/strong>, which are all VITAL to selling on Etsy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThe Title needs to be Detailed… Which means, you can’t just say “Lady’s Pendant<\/strong>“, it needs to be more descriptive like “Lady’s Stainless Steel Daisy Flower 22″ Pendant<\/strong>“. That says a lot. That tells the viewer what to expect, PLUS<\/strong>, it also tells GOOGLE <\/strong>what to expect (so you show up in Search for that item<\/strong>). <\/p>\n

Now fill out the Description WELL!<\/h2>\n

\nThis is a Bad Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n“Lady’s Ruby and Diamond Ring, Size 7.”<\/p>\n

\nThis is a Great Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n“Featuring one Ladies Stunning Ruby and Diamond Ring. The Mounting is Two-Tone, combining both 14kt Yellow Gold and White Gold in a Custom Designed Band. The Beautiful Ruby is Tension-Set in the Center of the Mounting, 2.00 Carats Total Weight, with MI Clarity (Medium Included) and Strong Vibrant Hues of Deep Rich Red Tones. Prong-Set in the Mounting are also Two Single-Cut Diamonds totaling .20 Carats Total Weight, SI Clarity, G-H Color. This Ruby Ring is a Size 7, Solid and Heavy, but very Comfortable to Wear. The Mounting Weighs 4.5 Grams and comes in a Cute, Little Gift Box. Ring is Pictured, and there is only one of them, so Order Today!” <\/p>\n

\nI would suggest you Add as much Detail, Story, and Personality as you can<\/strong>. Make sure you hit all the key points like:<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n