Etsy photography tips

For Etsy sellers, good photography is essential. I've spent a lot of time reading others' advice on the subject, and a lot of time trying to improve my photos. Comparing my current photos with my earliest, I think I've improved quite a bit. Today I'd like to share some of the things I've learned. 1) Know your camera, and what all the various functions and settings do. Get at least a basic understanding of white balance, exposure, ISO, and all those other photography things mean. You don't need to be an expert or know all the technical details, but you should at least have some idea of what you're doing when you adjust your exposure value. 2) It's ok to have wasted space in your raw photo. I don't know if every camera does this, but mine at least has trouble focusing properly if I zoom in to fill the entire picture with my subject! I've found it's much better to get a better photo and have to crop it than to fill the picture and get a blurry photo. 3) If you're photographing something small like jewelry, invest in a small tripod! I don't know how much it matters for larger items like clothing, but I know that my photos come out much clearer when I use my tripod than when I photograph by hand. 4) Natural lighting is generally best, but if that's really not a viable option for you, get or borrow something like an OttLite. These lights are very bright though, so to soften it and cut down on glare, cover the lamp with some tissue paper.