Stories from Readers 39

HOW TO TAKE A GOOD PHOTO!! - from the view of a buyer

(really useful!! )
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I can't speak anything for their service or products, but some blogshops deserve props for their efforts in taking good photographs of their items. I think a lot of us overlook the fact that photographs are a form of service provided to buyers, and so blogshops with well-taken photographs should be given brownie points :)

My idea of a "good photo":

1. Lighting - I personally believe that natural sunlight is the best lighting for photos. It gives the least distortion of colour and reduces the graininess of the image, so we get a good representation of what the item is really like.

2. Angle - Where you position your camera really matters. Photos shouldn't be taken from an elevated or lower level than the body, because it makes it difficult for us to tell what the proportions of the clothes look like. We should be able to see from neck to thigh (for short tops), from neck to shin (for mid-length dresses), from neck to ground (for long dresses), from waist to thigh (for shorts/short skirts), or from waist to ground (for trousers/long skirts).

For this, it is best to get someone to take the photo for you, or use a tripod/something tall to prop the camera up. Some of the worst photos are those taken by posing in front of a mirror, with a camera in hand. The angle is sometimes terrible and the camera blocks the view of the item.

3. Pose - Photos should not be over-posed to a point where it is difficult to tell what it looks like. Poses like sitting down, lying on the ground, body tilted sideways make it hard for us to see what it looks like. The best way to model the clothes is to stand upright and keep the hand gestures and hip swivels to a minimum. And don't forget to keep that long hair out of the way.

4. Camera - The quality of your camera does matter. This is not to say that everyone needs to use a SLR or 10 megapixel camera. Even phone cameras can take decent photos (though I would not recommend anything less than a 3 megapixel camera). Grainy and blurred images make it difficult to make out the detail on the item.

5. Size - It's okay to put up minimised photos to reduce the load time, but always provide links to larger, higher resolutioned photos. Sometimes we need bigger, clearer photos to see certain details, especially on dark-coloured items.

6. Additional detail - If a particular item has anything worth noting (e.g. patterns, ruffles, lace, special collars, buttons, ribbons, zips) it would be good if a seller could provide close-ups so we can get a good look at it. Just switch your camera onto Macro mode and take a nice close-up.

My picks for the best-taken photos:
Shopaholics Unite!, Oh popsicles!, Fashion Gossips, Clothes Bucket, A Model Studio, Trendy Confessions.