Product Photography - Why It Is Important For Your Business, Some Advice, And Free Product Photography For Your Shop

Introduction. If there is one thing I can do well, it's photograph things. I am able to work with subjects of many kinds--including flowers, landscapes, toys, animals, and even food (my favorite). If you look through my flickr page, it is full of food photography. Why? Simply because I love food. If I didn't have my professional Canon camera, this love would have possibly waned. If I couldn't indulge in the photography of my food I wouldn't love it. I just know I wouldn't. It would get boring and odds are, I wouldn't have the interest in creating more food (or any items for that matter) to photograph.

What does this have to do with product photography? Well, it has everything to do with product photography. Notice what I said before. Without my professional camera, I wouldn't enjoy the work I do and therefore wouldn't enjoy the activities and products that I photograph. True, you can photograph the things you don't enjoy or have interest in...but who does that? Perhaps to convey the message of disgust or loss of interest. Honestly, I have no idea.

The Importance Of Photography. Extremely important. Before I opened my photography shop in July of 2010, I actually began by photographing my sister's flower clips for her shop using my simple pink Sony Cybershot. I knew nothing of professional DSLR cameras and quite frankly, had no interest in them. I was so happy to have the camera that I had (which was a gift to me) that I didn't care about anyone else's camera. So I went along photographing her products and had so much fun doing it that I began photographing every single item in her shop as a hobby. I didn't get paid--though I wanted to. I just did it anyway because I knew she wasn't the best photographer in the world (sorry sis). I felt like a pro. She used to always request my photography service and I was there for her--for a while at least. Shortly after, I grew bored of the photos I was taking because, quite frankly, I wasn't getting paid and the camera just kept bugging on me. The picture quality wasn't always good and I longed for macro shots--something that just couldn't be achieved with my little guy. She began doing her own product shots with the camera and she got really good at it. She definitely learned well from me. ;) The truth was, I just wasn't happy with my Sony Cybershot. It just wasn't giving me the quality that I wanted and the large-scale image sizes. I wanted murals and canvas art sized to 20x20"! Sony stopped short at 11x14". :(

The Blooming Of A Business. All of those beautiful photography shots of my sister's products that didn't appear to be product photography shots influenced me to open up shop in July of 2010. I instantly received sales upon opening due to the depth and beauty of my photography. I thought to myself, if this Sony camera can do all of this, what can a professional DSLR do? On top of that, what if I offered product photography? I couldn't do that with a simple point-and-shoot! After a year of landing in a depression from the lack of increasing sales and loss of hope and enjoyment in my work, I decided to take the risk and buy the professional camera I had my eyes on for a while. I bought it on my mother's credit card because I didn't have a credit card and have never been happier. The photographs were so much brighter and clearer--everything was different. I'll show you.

"Strawberry Oatmeal Crunch" Before...

"Strawberry and Blueberry Salad" After...

Now you can see what I mean.

I'm not saying that one cannot be successful with a point-and-shoot. I'm just sayin...look at the difference. Customers can and will respond more positively to the second picture than the first. This positive response is an extremely important factor in the increase of sales.

So What Should I Do? Well, you have 5 options. 

1. Get yourself a professional camera. The one I have cost over $1800 including the insurance/warranty and accessories. Calculate the lenses that you want into that cost as well. Right now, I don't have a macro lens but as you can see, the photo is still pretty good. :)
2. Get a professional photographer or a friend with a professional camera to take the pictures for you. This is always the option I recommend--especially if you don't have the time to take the photos yourself. 
3. Rent a camera. Yes, you read correctly. Rent one. I've seen this online and thought it was extremely interesting. I didn't try it because you do have to return the camera after a certain time period. So, I said no and bought my own. Besides, the camera would be "used" and not new.
4. Ask a friend for their camera to practice with or steal one. Sorry, I had to be honest. Though I don't advocate theft in any way! 
5. Learn Adobe Photoshop and get really good at editing your current photos with the program. 

Product photography is so important for your shop because it allows customers to inspect the quality of your work and craft. If you sell online only then this is something that is extremely worth investing thought, time, and even money in. Besides, I'm a photographer. I need a nice camera.

Will You Help Me? Of course! I understand that product photography isn't everyone's strength because of the lack of tools needed to do the job or time in learning the product. So....(drumroll please)  

I'm giving away free product photography (not including props and to and return shipping) to 3 Etsy shop owners! 

3 Winners Will Receive:

• (5) photos each of 3 items in your shop --> your choice of items = 15 product photography shots total
• Your choice of backgrounds/settings
• Your choice of props
• Free promotion on my Twitter and Flickr accounts

How To Enter:

1. Follow this blog and leave a comment below with your e-mail address, shop name, and shop website address.

U.S. entries only please!

4 More Ways To Enter:

1. Visit the Dreamery Photography shop and comment here with your favorite item.

2. Follow us on Twitter, Like this giveaway on Facebook, and share this giveaway on your blog. Post your links here. For Twitter please use this tweet:

I entered to win free product photography on @dreameryphoto blog! http://t.co/60KcN7T

3. Grab one of my buttons in the left column and share it on your blog. Post a link to the page where the button is located here.

4. Add us as a contact on Flickr and comment on your favorite photograph. Post a link your comment here.

This gives you a total of 5 entries in this giveaway! The contest will end in one week so be sure to leave an additional comment for each additional entry option! I will announce the winners (which I will hand-pick) next week! Good luck!