Shop Makeover Series: Are Your Photos Frontpage Worthy?

2009-01-12T14:30:00-05:00

After hearing the many Etsy sellers discussing what it takes to be chosen for the Etsy home page, StudioCherie decided to share some helpful tips on her blog, Studio Cherie. (A great resource for Etsy sellers!) She also shared the tip in the Shop Makeover flickr group. We love to see sellers sharing their knowledge, so we're reposting her wisdom below. Check out the original post here.

We see versions of this question posted daily on the Etsy forums: "Are my photos Treasury worthy?" "Why am I never picked for the Etsy front page?" Answers abound in the form of photography tips and tricks and networking advice. In my opinion, what most of us are missing in our own photography is the vital element of perspective. How do your photos look side by side with those that are appearing on the front page? Using Etsy's Poster Sketch you can easily check for yourself and, in some cases, make adjustments to your existing photos to make them work.

First, go to Poster Sketch. (I bookmarked it, so I can click on it anytime and get to work.) Load the Poster Sketch with the item(s) of yours that you want to test, along with items you have seen on the front page. I started with the photo above because I thought it was so great and I could not understand how so many front pages featuring these colors could get posted and not one of them feature my bag. What I discovered was that while my bag was photogenic, showing it in its entirety was keeping it out of Treasuries. There was too much white space and the photo lost all of its punch. After cropping the photo closer, it becomes Treasury worthy. Here is a screen shot of the finished sketch. My bag is in the lower left corner.

[List of sellers in this sketch in order of appearance: outoftheflames, randomscraps, humbledaisyhandmade, ragnazidnar, livepoultry, petalandpink, thepaintedlily, rachel323, khphillips, debbyaremdesigns, patapri, studiocherie, studiocherie, sagegold, rachel323, elephannie]

Using this method, I have discovered that some of my bags need a fresh photo shoot. The last photo in the third row of the poster above is a detail shot of a cute bag, but I am afraid that the fabric is a lot better in person than it is in the photos. This shot might work a little better, but I am afraid it is still too washed out and small for the front page. The door and the brick wall is more interesting than the bag. Can you be brutally honest with yourself? I have to accept that this bag is not front page material and never will be.

Here is another Poster Sketch I put together with one of my bags in each row. Each row could be the start of a complete treasury. I think they hold up to scrutiny along side the most popular sellers. With this method, now I don't have to guess if my photos are Treasury worthy, I can check them myself!

Sellers appearing in this sketch in order of appearance: rachel323, studiocherie, larimeloom, LittleSparrowNest, studiocherie, makool, sherrytruitt, redrubyrose, totusmel, dillondesigns, studiocherie, maryandangelika, paintedmetal, studiocherie, livepoultry, imagesofbeauty

Are your photos Treasury worthy? What makes your photographs stand out? Leave your tips and tricks in the comments! And if you're participating in the Shop Makeover Series, post a link to your before and after shots! Check out the Etsy Shop Makeover Flickr pool here.

Seller Handbook | Shop Makeover Series

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Shop Makeover Series: Are Your Photos Frontpage Worthy?