Please forgive me if this topic has come up before, but I cannot find anything on it here and would be interested in people’s views.
Several blogs etc. that I have looked at with advice for photographing clothing and jewellery to sell have said that an absolute must is to photograph the item being worn to show how good it looks on.
I make jewellery and have always avoided photos of things being worn as the message I want to send out is ‘this is new’ and somehow to me the fact that someone else has already had it on spells ‘second-hand’. In fact I saw some handmade earrings for sale recently and the fact that they were photographed in someone’s ears actually put me off - it seemed somewhat unhygienic to me.
But I guess we are all different and if I am losing sales because I am not showing things worn, maybe I should rethink.
Any thoughts/ advice?
Perhaps you might include a photo of a similar sample being worn?
Err yes you can’t have earrings that have been pre-worn. That’s not ok. You can’t return them to a shop if they’ve been worn so I don’t think they should be worn by someone else even for a photo…I guess if you did that with another pair if it was possible- but if you only make one of a kind pieces it doesn’t make sense.
Personally- I’m not a fan on jewellery being advertised on people. I don’t actually think it looks very nice. I don’t want a close up of someone’s ear or someone’s neckline or whatever. I think there are much more interesting ways to display jewellery. I wouldn’t actually be drawn to jewellery shown on other people either. I mean- I know this is all personal preference and each to their own!
I don’t make jewellery- I’m only ever a customer of. And I don’t buy costume jewellery or things just for the sake. I don’t buy jewellery for myself actually but I do every now and then for others and would never shop in a mass produced shop- I’d always use boutique type shops, shops on here or handmade shops on Etsy because then I know I’m getting something truly unique and that’s what I look for- I like things displayed in a simple bold way not on people.
Personally I would not buy earrings that are being shown worn, unless it is clearly stated that it is not the item I will receive.
I use a bust to give the idea of how things will hang etc.
Bangles, necklaces and rings wouldn’t bother me if they were worn. Earrings, yes.
I think if you can get good images that show the jewellery at it’s best, then that will sell it. I don’t personally think it has to be on a person, but things like drop earrings or necklaces do need some kind of scale to give an impression on their length.
What can work well when it comes to marketing is “lifestyle” shots, with models wearing whatever you wish to show off. Perhaps this is what they meant?
I would never buy any thing that’s being worn by a real life model. It’s then second hand not new. Who knows what you might pickup no thank you.
It’s fine when you make two of something one for a photo shoot and another to sell like large companies do.
Ear rings, underwear just it’s pretty disgusting to be receive something like this that’s been already on someone else.
Maninques are fine, 'body forms are fine along with measures next to them if needs be.
You cant’ return worn underwear or worn ear rings to a department store, you can’t try them on a a department store so no hygiene issuses.
Also hats on heads yuk who know if he model has issuses with head lice, or dandruff etc etc
I wouldn’t buy baby items that a baby has handled either or a blanket that is photograghed with your pet dog, cat, rabbit on either or something photographed on your kitchen floor or carpet no matter how clean you keep it.
It’s often USA sites that suggest live models but we have more strict hygiene laws.
I like to see some jewellery on a person, except for ear rings (unless they state that they are not the ones you’d receive) after all the jewellery has been handled all through the making process and I don’t think that taking a pic of a necklace on a model makes it 2nd hand. It gives a better sense of how it will hang etc. Rings and bangles look ok photographed on models.
I don’t show my earrings being worn! Like you I find that a bit “icky.” Lots of us show earrings being held in the hand with the whole hand in shot to give the customers an idea of the scale and how they hang. I have also seen cut-out silhouettes in the shape of a head with a small hole in the ear position to hang the earring from.
However, I do model my pendants and it does seem to have increased views and sales. I think people don’t mind if it’s just the once, after all, I’m sure we’ve all bought clothes and shoes from department stores that have been tried on without even knowing it.
Medically speaking, it’s impossible to pick up any serious disease without direct contact with blood, urine or faeces. That’s why modelling earrings for pierced ears is a no-no. But anything that does not go through the body and only rests on it is fine.
Love Sam x
I show a photo of my cuff bracelet being modelled by my daughter- I think it gives an idea of scale and how eye-catching it is. I’m not happy that some people think my bracelets are disgusting and second-hand now! I would like to see a necklace being worn by a real person, to see how it hangs. I wouldn’t regard it as second-hand any more than I would a garment or pair of shoes that had been previously tried on in a shop.
But everyone one’s body is different. For example I have tiny hands and feet. so anything held in my tiny hands looks large but in other’s peoples hands would look a lot smaller.
Some people have very thin fingers or extra long fingers or fuller fingers. So showing a ring on a finger means nothing to me as it’s not my hand. It will proberly look lovely on the correct size hand but look silly and far to large on mine :(.
It’s one of the reason I don’t ware rings or ear rings. I love pendents but I go by the size as I know what size drop is right for me. Too long and my larger chest gets in the way too short and feel like I’m being strangled when of course I’m not really being strangled.
Same with bracelets and watches, they don’t help me when on someone else as I have tiny wrists then large musclar forearms due to playing racquet sports.
Earrings would definitely be a no if they’d been worn but it wouldn’t bother me with necklaces etc., so long as they’re only worn to take the photographs I wouldn’t think of them as ‘second hand’. One thing I would say is if you decide to photograph them on a model make sure any clothing they’re wearing is a solid colour I have seen things modeled by people wearing tops in bright & busy patterns and to be honest you can’t always see the detail of the pendant/necklace.
Of course I wouldn’t buy earrings which had been worn. Anyhow it is difficult to find an attractive model to pose for free. It is the issues of disgust of other people, the presumption that everyone else is dirty, that disturbs me. I naturally try my bracelets on when they’re finished (just to admire them mainly!) but before that my grubby hands have been all over them for hours 
What about people who knit? They’re in contact with the wool for quite a while and probably try things like hats on when they’re finished- how do we know they’re made in hygienic conditions? Of course you don’t know, you just have to trust.
I don’t know if anyone on Folksy models the underwear that they make… 
I just wish I had a willing model to photograph my scarves on - I use a mannequin bust but the shoulders are too narrow to be able to show my scarves draped around them as a shawl so it is difficult to demonstrate the different ways they could be worn.
Thank you all so much for your replies. It is really interesting to hear the range of views and very helpful. However I must say sorry if I have upset anyone. I truly didn’t intend to imply that people who used models to sell things were selling things that thus looked second hand. I was just trying to explain my own thought process and my fears of the message my photos might be sending out. When I think about it I am not usually put off by jewellery on models, apart from earrings, and we seem to have a consensus on those. Christine your cuff bracelets are beautiful and it does help to see them modelled - you are quite right.
Having done a quick and totally unscientific survey of Folksy it seems that not that many things are modelled on real people. There may be many reasons for that so I am not drawing many conclusions. Most of the jewellery does look nice photographed this way however, although there are a few (very few) earrings in ears. The underwear I could find that was modelled was always made to measure, suggesting that the model was wearing a sample and not the actual ones for purchase.
So what have I learned from you lovely people? The issue of using a model to show dimensions is an important one, especially if a piece is unusually large or small. I do always give accurate measurements but it’s probably not the same as seeing the piece on someone. I think I have also learned that whatever you do, you can’t please everyone.
But wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same?
Thank you again - this issue has been bugging me for ages and you have been a great help.