showing item size with universal props

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Original Post

jillhannah says

<<Thank you www.etsy.com/shop/KathyPanton and www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6464727 for inspiring this! I'm starting it as its own thread>>

Giving customers a real sense of item size is HARD. We give dimensions in (whatevertheheck you call our crazy US system), in metric, and we take photos with rulers and coins.

I'm not a fan of the ruler shot, and only people who know the currency you use will understand that as a reference.

What items are you trying to photograph in a way that demonstrates their sizes? What have you come up with in the past? Have any suggestions for anything in my shop? What is or isn't universal that surprises you in some way?

Posted at 2:06pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

Responses

jillhannah says

on a tangentially related note, does anybody have items/photos I could use in my blog (with proper links and credit, of course) of any of the following:
-squirrels
-mailboxes
-artichokes
-currency
-silverware
-sunrise/sunset

Posted at 2:19pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

I have used both the ruler and coins - but you opened my eyes to these not being as universal as I thought.

I, like you, put hats on mannequin heads, but they are not at all the same size. I use them more to see a hat as dimensional rather than lying flat in a picture.

I've used pop cans(or soda, as it is known elsewhere!) for size for baby hats, as I don't have a little styro head. I also use pop cans for color contrast. As in, compare this green scarf to the green in a Mt Dew can to determine if there is color variance due to camera, lighting or monitor. But again, I don't know if that is valid in other countries - is your Pepsi blue the same as in the US?

Good topic.

Posted at 2:25pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

Hi Jill, I'll send you links to a couple of items you might be able to use (not mine, but other sellers I can think of).

Posted at 2:30pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

kmcgiveron says

I just give dimensions in both versions, best way I know. I dont want to take away from my pictures...

Posted at 2:32pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

willowdawn says

a golf ball?

Pretty much the only thing that I can think of that is universally sized that is recognized the world over.

(soda cans are not universally sized either)

Posted at 2:32pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

jillhannah says

Thanks flandersfield!

HollyhockAlpacas- So I did a search on flickr for pepsi cans...holy crud!
www.flickr.com/search/?q=pepsi+can&m=tags

Posted at 2:33pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

dragonchow avatar
dragonchow says

From the previous thread, here is a photo with an egg!
mousch.tumblr.com/post/448038025/i-hope-you-enjoy-this-photo

Posted at 2:36pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

rtbfFirstName5988650 rtbfLastName5988650 avatar
rtbfLoginName5988650 says

I give measurements in inches and centimeters...don't know what else i can do...rulers in a nice photo suck...

Posted at 2:37pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT

jillhannah says

It's much more graceful if you can come up with something that fits in with the product you're selling...if we can sell something everywhere, we should be able to show its use everywhere, right?

willowdawn- we've been on an egg kick today any I love this photo
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40830942
what if you showed it in the frame by another carton of eggs? or is that too corny?

Posted at 2:38pm Mar 14, 2010 EDT