alawoodman
Member
I've never jumped in here because some of you guys are so good that I'm reluctant to compare notes. However, as I've upgraded my setup a big, with a nice SLR and tent, I've started forming an opinion or two I wanted to float.
Big one is use of props. Like a lot of other folks, I've used a lot of the standards like shells, stones, etc., and I can't hold a candle to the way a lot of you pull those off. I've done lots of different backgrounds etc. too. But I'm taking photos not to impress my fellow turners, but to sell pens. And I've found that I sell more pens by doing a couple of things that break with established wisdom:
Big one is use of props. Like a lot of other folks, I've used a lot of the standards like shells, stones, etc., and I can't hold a candle to the way a lot of you pull those off. I've done lots of different backgrounds etc. too. But I'm taking photos not to impress my fellow turners, but to sell pens. And I've found that I sell more pens by doing a couple of things that break with established wisdom:
- Using "real world" props like mugs, wine glasses, eyeglasses, PDAs, books etc. rather than things that look prettier but are objects you rarely see on a desktop except maybe as paperweights. People seem to respond better if they see it presented the way it'd likely look in their world.
- Using direct light, shadows be damned. Not always. Sometimes diffused light is perfect when I'm trying to pick up a 3D curly grain, for example. But placing the lights where I get just a little direct shine without impeding the woodgrain or washing out the color seems to get a better response. I know it's crass, but it sells.
- Not always tilting or standing up the pen. This goes with my "real world props" notion, but I don't know anybody who actually tilts a pen or balances it on a pebble. They lay them down ... sometimes open, sometimes closed. When I use photos of a pen just lying there, they seem to be better able to envision it in their own had.