Monday, May 25, 2009

Etsy how-to's! Build your prop closet!

Hi! Thanks for reading the first post in my new series of crafty business tips. I am no expert, but I want to share a little bit of my knowledge with the blogging world - I hope it heps some of you out!

One thing that I have learned is that the styling of your shop really matters when it comes to building your brand name. Continuity is important in your photos, as is the background or props you use in your photos.

I experimented with various props and backgrounds for my photos, and eventually found something that works well for me. I take my photos on top of a little wooden desk near a window. I use a painted snack tray as my prop... that's it! I got it for $1.50 and paid $5 for a can of aqua paint :)



Frames, pretty cups and dishes, suitcases, books, old paper, cake stands, and old bakeware are all great ideas. If you want to go all out.. you could find an old table and set up a little display. Experiment and see what you can find!

You should be able to find some great photo props on a really small budget. Check thrift stores and garage sales for items - don't overlook something if all it needs is a quick coat of paint! I purchased a can of high adhesion primer for $15 and a few cans of $5-10 spraypaint and I have painted *so* many things! :)

Don't forget about your background... try to find an interesting background like a colored or textured wall, window sill, eldger paper, table top, or even some grass (fake, or real!)

Examples of shops who's styling I love:

Janesays


Amy Hatch


Modish Vintage


Japonicas


Shabbyvintagemom


Tenthings


GreenBriar


Jennysbakeshop


SeaUnicorn

11 comments:

Steve Haskamp said...

Your blog always looks so good! It really has a certain look and everything goes together so well.

Julie - On the Dot Creations said...

A wonderful post! Staging items for product photos is so important. I'll tweet about this!

Megan Duarte said...

Thanks for the great tips, I will be trying them out for my next photos.

Jasie VanGesen said...

I still have yet to find the perfect prop-styling style for my shop. I switched to a creme colored flokati rug about 4 months into my shop, and while I LOVE it, I'm not sure it's interesting enough, visually. I really need to set up a display that would showcase my stuff, without taking away from it. It's hard with sewn items... you can't really hang them from something or drape them without distorting what they are. Your only real options are to lay them on something...

I used to use a WWII era ephemera book as my backdrop... each page was fun and colorful and gave off a certain vibe, but it didn't evoke softness of coziness... which is kind of what http://softandcozy.etsy.com is all about.

Shannon said...

Great post with beautiful example images. Inspiring!

Michele Mallory-Davidson said...

Great post & advice!! I am still trying to brainstorm a ideal showcase for my purses! It's killing me!
~Michele from By Your Side

Chelsea Van Tol said...

It's harder than you'd think, isn't it! :)

She Can't Decide said...

oh! seaunicorn's set ups are great! thanks for sharing

Sasha Vintage said...

oh the ideas are great~
is there any way we can style up the background for clothes modelling? coz one of the problem is that we'll have not enough natural lighting if it's inside the room..

another thing is that the background props might be too small to be seen..

hope you can do a post on how to set up props for vintage clothes biz..thanks dear!

Geri said...

Wow that really gives one something to think about, It not something I thought made a difference, I try to just take close ups with a solid background. But, I see it does make a difference. Thanks so much for the information.

Mitzi Curi said...

I'm working on staging right now, and I'm partial to Seaunicorn as well as your wonderful backdrops. Thanks for the helpful tips!