If you have your own business selling crocheted items this post is for you! Even if you don’t sell your crochet but you want to show off your work on social media or on your own blog, you will benefit from this information. You always want the photo of your product to reflect the hard work you put into it. I am by no means a professional photographer but over the past 3 years I have learned a thing or two about how to stage my crochet and I’ve discovered some important tricks to taking eye-catching, pinterest-worthy pictures. My photos are still far from perfect, but below are some tips that I think might help you in your business!
1. Choose a background. In order to showcase your product, you want to place it against a clean, clutter-free background. Get rid of personal items and avoid distracting, clashing colors and patterns. In most cases, a solid color piece of paper is best. Construction or card stock paper, scrapbook paper, or even plain white printer paper can be a great backdrop for appliqués and small projects. For larger projects like hats and afghans, you will need a larger backdrop. You can get a roll of brown mailing paper at the Dollar Store! I have used this many times in my projects (like HERE and HERE and HERE). Or how about the roll of drawing paper from Ikea? A lot of you may already have this in your kids playroom. Also, a piece of white or black poster board (also found at the Dollar Store) works perfectly. HERE is an example of a project against black poster board. But the best thing I ever did was invest $29 in a vinyl backdrop. You have probably seen my faux vintage white wood plank backdrop in a lot of my photos. It is clean and neutral but provides just a little bit of texture and interest to the photo. I also like that it rolls up without crinkling and it wipes clean. I purchased the 4ftx3ft size from Ink&Elm on Etsy. If you like the faux wood look you can also purchase rolls of faux wood paper for a lot less money! I personally have THIS ONE
and have used it many times like in this project right HERE.
One more idea is to use the inside cover of book (see picture below in list item #2). This gives you a consistent background and foreground and is easy to prop up. I’ve been taking quite a few of my pictures using different hardcover children’s books that we have around the house. THIS PROJECT was taken using the inside cover of a Curious George book 🙂
2. You NEED natural light. Unless you have some sort of professional lighting studio I highly recommend refraining from taking pictures during non-daylight hours. I’ve found that the best place to position your crochet is near a window. You don’t want there to be direct sunlight (or else your photo will be washed out) but the natural light should be filling the room. Turn off any ceiling lights or lamps. You can photograph outside as well but only in a shady spot. I’ve found that overcast days are best for indoor and outdoor photos!
that clips onto your smart phone! I haven’t used one but I like the idea 🙂 I’ve been able to create some great bokeh in my photos with this lens. HERE is a helpful article on Bokeh and some additional information about cameras and other lenses you can use to create this affect.
Try not to get discourage and keep practicing your photography! The goal is to attract people to your item. You want them to be interested and intrigued enough to click on it to see more. Make it stand out from the others and allow your handmade work to shine!
If any of you have other photography tips and tricks I would love for you to comment below!
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Wow, thank you for such a helpful post! 🙂 Marie
Thanks for the great tips! I had never thought of using paper as a background – it seems so obvious now! 🙂
Thanks for your really helpful tips!
item photography is the bane of my ecommerce site… lol
I prefer to spend my time with a hook in my hand not a camera. :0)
Debbi
–YankeeBurrow
This was really helpful, thank you!
these are wonderful tips – thank you for sharing! Definitely need to look into more "background options" for 2015 🙂
thank you very much for your tips.
Also helps to build a "lightbox", it helps me much more because I do not get much natural light and only have my phone to take pictures.
For those people (like me) who cannot devote the space to a full time lightbox or who aren’t confident in their build-your-own-lightbox skills, I was really happy to back the Foldio lightbox when it was on Kickstarter (and under $40). The version I got came with an infinite white backdrop and there is supposedly a smartphone app that will automatically handle white balance.
I, also, am limited to using my phone.
You can see completely unedited Foldio (and un-apped shots) at http://averagehooker.com/private/131524677151/tumblr_nwhv3wQfpo1ui3fye so you can see the size of the lightbox … and it folds up and can be filed right onto a bookshelf!
So, for those like me who aren’t makers-of-lightboxes, I think you can still find Foldios around on eBay. The people who created it are now pushing the Folido 2, which is larger and larger doesn’t fit my needs.
Anyway, this was a really long post to say:
I agree that a lightbox is the way to go and oh-hey-look I’m so happy with mine that I thought I’d drop a product recommendation.
Cheers!
Brilliant tip abot the foldio, thank you!!!
Excellent advice! I'm sharing on my Facebook page! <3 Facebook.com/1RueVogue
Thank you SO MUCH! This is very helpful and very informative. I am going to use your advices. Thank you!!
I love that trick with the book covers!
Any more tips on positioning afghans for photographs? I find it so hard to get a good shot of an entire afghan.
Lay your afghan out on your bed, and put pillows that coordinate with it. Make sure the room is tidy! You want people to look at the afghan, not the laundry over in the corner. Stand a good ways back so you can get the whole bed in frame, or take 2 shots and use the “panorama” feature now included on most phones. Get a tripod, it really helps steady the camera, i got a cheap one at the dollar store it is only about a foot high but I place it on a tv tray and sometimes stack books under it.
Thank you for the tips!
Oh – I agree natural light is the absolute best! I photograph cowls/scarves wrapped around a plain white or black velvet hanger, hanging on a plain white door in my house in a room that gets good natural light. I'll wrap the scarf/cowl several different ways to show the different ways they can be worn. I also like to take close-ups of the work that really show the stitches and details. I love photographing outside too. Sometimes a wooden fence will be my backdrop, sometimes even the trunk of a tree.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…. that is one of my biggest problem with my blog. I am so proud of my projects, and they just DON'T look nice when I post them. I have a couple of projects that I want to post… I am going to use your tips… thank you
You give us great tips for making our photo's. Thanks for this clear explanation full of examples and links.
I wish you a great day, Margaret
Great tips – thanks for taking so much trouble to share them! Will try to follow them in future. Still a bit of a view and click style of photo-taking myself, I fear!
Thanks very much!
Awesome tips….thanks so much!
Very good advices! Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot!!
Thank You Sarah! Thank you very much!
Thanks so much. These are some great tips and ones I'll use!
Thank you for sharing your tips with us! 🙂
What is the best way to photograph a blanket or a shawl?
idk if anyone mentioned this already or not, but if you absolutely have to use your flash, if you tape a piece of white paper over the flash bulb, it will give a softer light than if it was uncovered
Excellent tips, thank you. I didn't even know that you can buy vinyl photo backdrops – I just assumed that everyone else lived in houses with amazing old woodwork! Right, I'm off to buy some. The photos on my blog are about to get better, thanks to you. 🙂
Thank you SOOO much!!! I never knew how you guys make such beautiful photographs with wood background. I always thought that those people with those photos all live in fancy houses with nice wooden floors on the porch . I didn't even think that you can simply buy a vinyl backdrop. I ordered one wood backdrop too. Thatnk you so much for your post! 🙂
Also, about natural light- it's absolutely true. I tried playing with camera taking picture inside with different light including artificial natural light and all that, still outside natural light wins by all means…
You rock!!
Those tips are highly appreciated ☺ thank you.
really awesome tips! I would use natural light in addition to the house lights and still had problems. Now I see why! Thanks 🙂
Came across your site while hunting for free crochet patterns! Thank you for all the beautiful patterns! I need your help. No matter how much I try I can't get to crochet in neat stitches! The stitches end up wonky and wobbly! Could you please tell me where I might be going wrong? Hoping you would reply
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Thanks for the helpful post! I'm definitely sharing this with my craft group.
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Hi Sarah, I often stop by your site, I think it would have to be one of my favorite go to sites where I can pretty much find what I am looking for. I have recently taken to borrowing my brothers DSLR so that I can take some professional shots of my crochet, I thought seeing as I have some previous experience in photography. I love your tips on photographing crochet pieces, I will keep them in mind, keep up the great work 🙂
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Thanks, Sarah! I love your blog! And I definitely need to read and apply this post often!! I am guilty of nightime and indoor shots (and having to over-correct the color disasters!) Thank you for your no-nonsense approach! I can do this!
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thanks sarah for the useful tips and advice… i sell online so this is helpful indeed.
Really helpful thank you, can’t wait to put it in to practice ☺
Enjoyed this excellent article about photography! I’m always looking for new ideas. I especially like the tip of using rolls of paper and faux paper for backgrounds. Thanks!
Blessings to you,
Bonnie Barker
Hi,is it possible to ralndmoy display catalog gallery (photo and title) in the posts, each time when visitor refresh page? What I mean is, it will be changed the order of the items each time when page is refreshed.Thanks
Thanks Sarah!
I love your work and your page! It is really helpful. I found you when I want to crochet an owl hat for my first daughter (Zoé :)). So you inspire me to learn crochet 🙂
Thanks everything!
Love
Eszti
I am a newborn photographer located in Wesley Chapel, Florida. It just so happens that I have also been crocheting for 40 years so I make all my own props. I love having access to such awesome patterns so thank you VERY much for your hard work and for sharing the most adorable patterns I’ve found on the web.
Your tips are great for photographing completed crocheted items. It just so happens that I have a home studio so I do not have to depend on natural lighting. Your side-by-side comparisons were perfect and the best way to show how a great photo can sell vs. a bad photo that typically gets passed over for the next item. I too use a wine glass when I do not have a current newborn session photo to use as reference. Your detailed tips on tying the braids is another gem you offered above as well as capturing the different angles…again, and because not only the craftsmanship help sell the item but the photo does as well and is just as important as the time put into each project.
Purchasing a small 3’x4′ backdrop from Backdrop Outlet or Backdrop Express is a great investment as well, inexpensive and when stored properly, will last for many years. For the bonnets I make, I really enjoy using a nice, bulky, muted toned ball of yarn, slide the bonnets over it, then tie the braids as you’ve mentioned. I like to lie on my stomach and get an image of the item as well as it adds to the dimension of the image and captures a nice depth of field behind your featured items.
Thanks again for the great post!
Kelly Dykes
http://www.kellydykesphotography.com
Tkank you so very much..
As a professional photographer, I would say you are absolutely correct in all counts EXCEPT for #5. Having a better camera isn’t going to give you better pictures. Following step 1-4 and using a smart phone or a cheap digital point-n-shoot would yield the results one is looking for.
Thanks!!! Helped a lot, especially since I kept getting yellowy pictures. Now I know why.
My problem is I can never find a nice spot for pictures! We move a lot (military family) so currently our walls aren’t painted yet so I can’t use those. I LOVE the inside of the book idea! I will have to give that a try on my smaller projects!
Thank you for these ideas on some inexpensive ways to create background for crochet photography. I’m ready to re-work my entire etsy shop now, like right now, today! I appreciate the help!
Thanks for the great tips, Sarah!
Thank you for sharing your tips!! I have been wanting to improve my photography of my crochet projects. Definitely going to get a backdrop, and hopefully one day get a DSLR camera 🙂 luv your stuff and your creativity! Keep doing what you do!
Wonderful tips and ideas for better photography. I must try out some of these ideas so my crafting photos are nicer looking.
This is great, really helpful thank you! Especially the book idea & the hat on the glass.
This is so helpful! I’ve been knitting like crazy this winter and I enjoy sharing my projects on Facebook.