I was advised to make the background to photos for my listings plain & clear. After all, clear pics are what sell your products? I had started to add country scenes - trees, lakes, woods etc behind my listings for dog collars or dog harnesses etc. I was told these backgrounds were distracting so have changed most of my listings now to a plain clear background.
Wow! My listing pics of dog collars, bandanas. dog jackets & more stand out a treat.
What I don’t understand is that many of Folksy favourites have some quite complicated backgrounds to some lovely items being listed.
So, which is correct - a plain, uncluttered background to photos of listings OR include items related to the listing added as background?
I think it depends on the type of thing you are selling ie if what you are selling is a plain and simple shape then it can take a more complicated background. From a personal point of view I try to use a mix of plain and in situ backgrounds for my pieces, as showing a ceramic piece in a home setting helps the customer envisage how it might look in their own home, and helps give the scale of the item. Also using a mix of backgrounds gives a more interesting look to your home page if someone looks at your shop as a whole. Otherwise row upon row of the same type of product on the same type of background can be a bit uninviting (my personal view that is). You could try a mix of plain and complicated backgrounds and check your stats to see which gets more views.
There isn’t really a correct. Both can work, but I think it’s a lot harder to get a complicated background right where the focus is still clearly on the item and the background details aren’t distracting from that.
Although cluttered never really sounds good, you don’t want a detailed/patterned item on a very patterned background with lots of different props, or it’ll be overwhelmingly busy. If you’ve got a very plain/solid coloured item, you might get away with a more patterned background, or if you have a solid white background, you might get away with a prop or two, I think it’s just trying to find the balance and making it look natural.
I think it can also depend on someone’s photography skills, someone might be able to take a photo where the item is clearly in focus, and a busier background is out of focus so it’s not distracting from the item, but the same photo where it’s all in focus might look too much.
The photos which really stand out for me are ones with one or two beautiful items alongside the listing. Maybe somebody has used a stone or a piece of driftwood or placed something on a wooden table. Not cluttered but not stark either It’s a skill I think
Hi kim @konyskiw
I have taken some photos as we discussed on the other thread, thought perhaps that may not be the right thread for them as it was about cut outs.
Anyway…spent this morning taking pics in the lounge, even tried portable lighting, no amount of editing could give me the clarity I get form taking them in the conservatory so I have tried a few shots with little changes to the backgrounds in my usual setting. I have also included some previous photos just using the fleece background.
The last set of 4 are my usual photos.
Looking at them now I dont think i like the fleece background, I havn’t taken any on the whiteboards either as not sure i like those.
I quite like number 2 and number 5, this is a cardboard background which came between the whiteboards. Number 2 does have the fleece on the bottom.
This bear works well with the chair, dried roses etc as she is a large bear, i need to dry some smaller flowers for smaller bears…what do you think, do you think the books work on number 4? Thank you Kim
I’m glad it worked out! My favourites are the same as yours so the cardboard definitely seemed to be a good choice. I think the books work too, but I don’t know if maybe it might look better with the blue one on top, just because the colours on the top one are really similar to the bear so it’s maybe not as clear where the bear finishes.
Definitely a day well spent though, it it looks like you’ve got a lot of good feedback in Instagram too
Thank you Kim, definately worth the time, I agree about the books, I have hundreds so I’m sure next time I could choose a contrast colour. The cardboard worked well, I’m ordering some A1 mountboard in a 5 different colours so I should have good choice for future shots. I was surprised how many people stopped by to comment on instagram and the majority favourites seemed to be 2 and 5 . Thank you again
It’s a skill I think
