Over the past few years, I’ve gotten back to my design roots. And my design roots are decidedly maximalist. (Don’t believe me? Check out my MFA thesis or scroll down on this post to see some of the “jewelry” I made in my first year of grad school.)
The reason I say “gotten back” is because as my jewelry line, which was inspired by my MFA thesis, evolved after grad school, it got more minimal in design and construction. This was partly a feature of trying to build a more commercially viable line and partly a feature of challenging myself to design jewelry that was efficient for production.
But as I’ve found my way back around to my more maximal roots, I started designing jewelry that was more complex and intricate. (Or, as I like to think of it, decorative AF.) But I’ll be honest with you, that line has not been the most commercially successful thing I’ve ever designed.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Well first, because I think it’s important to be transparent, that even after 16 years in business (and 20+ making jewelry) I still don’t always get it right. Sometimes, I make things I love that my audience just isn’t that interested in buying. It happens.
But second, because it’s made me recognize that my jewelry itself isn’t the only place in my business I get to flex my creative muscles.
Recently, I’ve been focusing on creating some new staple jewelry that is more minimal in design, but indulging my maximalist side in my product photography.
Because yes, product photography can (and should) be part of your creative process.
Why?
First off, if you’re trying to sell your products online, your product photography matters more than anything else!! Yes, seriously.
I like to say that when it comes to getting products into your online store, you should be spending 90% of your time on your photography and 10% worrying about your product descriptions. (Because honestly, most people don’t read on the Internet anymore.)
And while video has certainly come to dominate social media, and it can be a great addition to your product pages, it’s still through photos that you’re doing the majority of communication when it comes to your products online.
But that brings me to my second point. Your photos need to do more than just communicate about your work. They need to make your customers feel something. They need to have a vibe and tell a story.
And that’s where the creativity part comes in.
Your product photography is an opportunity for creative expression, one that tells the story of your brand and shows your customers why they need your product in their lives.
For me, that means using myself as a model while wearing my jewelry. (Something I teach in detail in my class Market Your Selfie.) I’ve been having so much fun creating images with styling and plants, whether that’s at home or while traveling.
But I also know that not everyone wants to model their own work or even makes works that needs to be modeled. That’s why I’ve been hard at work on a new class – Poetic Product Photography!
I developed this class because your product photography needs to do more than give your customers information. It should make them fall deeply, madly in love with your products.
So often, artists and makers get too bogged down in getting their product photography “right” without thinking about the vibe, the story, the emotion, or the visceral connection they should be making with future customers.
That’s why Poetic Product Photography covers not only the technical aspects of product photography (regardless of whether you’re shooting on a smartphone or camera), it will also take you through a process of creative discovery to develop distinctive images that make people fall in love with your products.
For the first round of Poetic Product Photography, I’m making the course available exclusively to members of Artists and Profit Makers, my online mentorship program.
Every Tuesday in September, I’ll be dropping several new lessons, so you can get through the course with a single month of membership. And, you’ll have the full support of the A&PM forums, plus access to lots of other great trainings and resources!
Yes, I will eventually be releasing Poetic Product Photography as a stand-alone class. But if you’ve been anxious to improve this aspect of your business, you’ll want to join Artists and Profit Makers this week so that you’re ready when the first lessons drop on Tuesday!