If you’ve visited my Etsy shop you’ll noticed that I tend to
always use props in my images. Most of the time, they’re handmade but there are
also times where I’ll head over to the dollar store so that I can have a few other
options for a particular theme I’m working on. Lately, I’ve been having some
trouble finding my ‘Christmas photo backdrop niche’—that’s what I like to call
it, hehe. So I’ve been coming up with different ways to showcase the new 2013
Christmas items I have in my shop. Some of you may have already noticed some
Christmas themed items in my shop already using the pine cone garland backdrop.
I really love that backdrop but I was excited to try a few new things; and, I
thought why not share my ideas and offer some seller tips on my blog? If you’re
not a seller but you’re a card-maker, you could still use these tips when
taking pictures of your creations (it’s so fun). I think adding props to photos
makes them stand out—or at least I think they do, hehe.
You’ll notice in the first image above I purchased a Kraft
bag covered with white snowflakes, a pack of green, white, and red pom-poms, candy
canes, and a small box. Those items where all purchased from my local dollar
store but the pine cone garland was purchased at Micheals (it wasn’t cheap but
I had to have it, haha).
The first thought I had when I found the pom-poms at the
dollar store was, “this would make for a cute handmade garland”, so once I got
home I just grabbed a needle and thread and began stringing them up in no
particular pattern. 1 ½ packs of pom-poms made me a 5 foot long garland!
Here’s how I used the pom-poms 2 ways:
Picture 1: I simply scattered the remaining loose pom-poms
around my product.
Picture 2: I taped the garland to the background of my make
shift photo studio.
Next is this beautiful pine cone garland that I bought at
Michaels in Downtown, Los Angeles. I’m not sure if they have these at all
Michaels’ but it was $14.99. I think it’s so cute.
Here’s how I used it: To show off the cards from my Winter
Wonderland collection I wanted a dark background in order to make the cards
appear bright, so I used some burlap fabric and hung the pine cone garland in
front of it. That garland was so heavy, though, I can’t count the amount of
times it fell, haha.
Do you remember that box in the first picture? Well
purchased that box with the intention of never actually showing it in the
images. I planned on covering it with some Kraft wrapping paper for more of a
eco-friendly vibe. I also purchased this box so I could display my handmade
tags on them.
What I did was: Cut a piece of the Kraft wrapping paper;
stamp it with a Merry Christmas sentiment. Wrap it around the box, and add some
Christmas themed twine. I think it came out really cute. I just need to find a
better spot to shoot these tags in. I wasn't happy with the yellow color I was
getting from the wooden table I had it on.
Lastly, I wanted to use this pretty snowflake Kraft bag so show
off my Yeti tag. I thought the light blue and green colors would match well
with this bag. I think using props for your items not only makes them look
great but it also shows the potential buyer different ways they can use your
item, it also shows that you take pride in your products.
Buying props for your small business photo-shoots never has
to break the bank—I certainly don’t let it, hehe. I always set a budget for
myself and I try to stick buy it. I’m always at the dollar store walking
through ever aisle thinking, “how can I use this as a prop”, or “what can I
turn this into?”. Get crafty with it, it’s so much fun and it having unique
pictures definitely separates your pictures from all the rest.
