So speaking of patience, I am completely impatient and frustrated with my jewelry photos. I spent all day yesterday trying to get good pics of a plum bib necklace and to be blunt, all 100 photos sucked. I am really not please with the majority of pics in my Etsy shop and I am impatient for perfection. Can you say Type A, lol.
I have much to learn about photography but my biggest issue right now is lighting. Up here in the north we may have lovely greenier because of all the rain but we get virtually no consistent sunshine until June.
I was planning to hit J.Crew tomorrow with my red card. On my shopping list are the Medallion shorts, tea rose bouquet cardigan, a couple of corsage scoop neck tees, and a convertible dress. I am realllly wanting a lavender or mint corsage tee.
But due to my photo frustration, I am thinking of bagging JC shopping altogether and instead spending my money on this fancy jewelry photography set-up. Of course the photo kit is about $100 more than my planned JC purchases. So I will probably not be doing any other spending for a few weeks if I go with that. What if my coveted corsage tees sell out in the meantime, eek.
So, what do you think? New J.Crew goodies or photography set up plus mini shopping ban?
Hmmm…good photography makes all things look more appealing (J. Crew is pretty good at this)…so I vote for jewelry photography set because more appealing pics=more sales=more money for J. Crew purchases.
That said…I like your pics of your jewelry…they are so nice! (But if you want them to be more professional, the set may be the way to go!)
I have nothing to add – Dina’s logic is spot-on. That being said, I did just get the bouquet cardi today and I love it. Sorry, I’m no help!
Oh yes, I agree with Dina! Those items don’t seem to be going anywhere at the moment so if you invest now you’ll be able to get even better stuff later!
I hate to sound like a parrot, but…I definitely agree with the girls above. And Jcrew will always be there. The pics of your jewelry look really really good. I actually thought you had replaced your camera you had been complaining about.
I’m going to vote the opposite. You could repeat that photography setup pretty easily with a cardboard box and a couple of adjustable lamps from Target. Plus your photography is already pretty great! My vote goes to clothes shopping.
You need to ask whether you can make that money back from your Etsy shop. If you are considering spending THAT much money just to increase the quality of photos…you needs to ask yourself if you think that quality photos will boost your jewelry sales to make up for it. My personal guess is that it won’t. If I were you, I would work with the tools you have (maybe rig some desk lamps) and spend your money elsewhere…and to me, J.Crew sounds pretty good
Honestly, you don’t need the set. Just get yourself a better camera/lens (if you haven’t done so yet). Lighting is a big part of photography, but if you’re just going to do jewelry for your shop, save the money.
Interesting! Thanks for your opinions every one, you got me considering more carefully.
Now I am thinking about buying just the light cube, for $75 and using my own lights with updated bulbs. I’ve been having big issues completely covering the background and diffusing light from above. So, I think just the cube would make life easier.
I went to JC today and all of the lavendar and mint corsage tees were gone except for 1 or 2 in size XL.
I vote with roxy for DIY cube. You can get a collapsible cube like this:
http://www.target.com/Whitmor-Collapsible-Cubes-Set-Purple/dp/B000LRDTSW/sr=1-2/qid=1239420693/ref=sr_1_2/184-5421964-0953135?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Afabric%20cube&page=1
That one is faux suede, but they have canvas ones. A lot of times they are on sale for $9.99. Wal-Mart would be a good place to look.
You can cut a hole in the back for lighting. But I would probably start with a cardboard box and play with that. You could line it with white posterboard paper. I would definitely experiment with DIY before buying the cube if you're getting it online. I purchased a lighting setup and wasn't impressed. Not the same one. Later I saw some DIY instructions so you can get some ideas online. You're creative!
I agree w/others that your current photoography looks really good.
check out makingitlovely.com she had a post on an inexpensive way photographing small objects ( she sells stationary and pocket mirrors, etc) this way you can photograph and shop at JC
I have tried to photograph jewelry outside in the grass on a cloudy day and it also looks interesting…
good luck!
I think you are way too hard on your photos! I have always been impressed with the quality of the photos on your Etsy shop!
I would look into the homemade versions as they can be more flexible.
Photographers , and even Ebay sellers make them to sell their wares better
In the mean time have you tried taking the photos outdoors or by a window?
I take 99% of my photos outside or buy a window.
Around 3-4 outside here is perfect lighting
There are a lot of free sites that teach photography skills online too.
Does your camera happen to have a Yahoo Group for it?
Mine does and that really helps and is free too
Then there are always great books for this too.
With all of the above you can learn many things for way less than the items ($) your considering.
I vote for photography package as that will make you more money to spend at JC later. Better return for your investment and you know JC will always have something else you'll love later.
Not to tempt you but I rec'd a free shipping email using code CREWCUTS on $100 or more. It works on non-crewcut items. It expires Monday night. Not much of a temptation for those of us with a red card with access to a b&m.
Thanks for the links and tips everyone!
I managed to get some great earring pics today but my bib necklace refuses to cooperate lol.
IRL_ ty for the code!
Those corsage tops are irresistable. Why don’t you buy a couple of those and then save up for the photo kit? Besides, I think your Etsy photos look great!
I think you’ll save time for sure by buying the photo package, but I doubt the sale will increase as a result of better photo quality. I believe it’s mainly price that makes people hesitate.
which dress is that?