Pin me on Pinterest!

This massive compilation of the web’s most useful articles and blog posts about photographing crafts has it all: backgrounds, cameras, lighting, tutorials, styling, composition – if it’s not here, it doesn’t exist! (Okay, we’re kidding on that one – if you know of a good resource we missed, tell us in the comments!! )

Here are 50+ links to product photography tips were carefully chosen for their unique perspectives & helpful content. Nearly all of these links are beginner-friendly with no expensive equipment, software, or cameras required, and most of them come from crafters just like you!

Happy reading!

Backgrounds & Photo Styling

• How to Take Photos With a White Background – Two foam core boards make a flawless white background
• How to Make a White Photo Backdrop –  White background techniques for large objects (or small children!)
• iHeartNaptime’s Photography Tips – The secret is layering!
• Guide to Styling your Photos – where to find styling accessories plus gorgeous examples
• Expert Tips Photo Styling 101
• How to Create a Wood Background

Composition & Posing

• Feature Perfect Etsy Shop Product Photography
• Product Photography Tips – Rule of thirds and camera angles
• Better Composition and Lighting Tips – Befores and afters!
• Photography Tips for Card Makers and Crafters – Use a camera stand to produce perfectly straight and undistorted photos

Camera & Lens Recommendations

Guides on buying a new camera:

• Best DSLR Cameras Under $500 – Updated Spring 2014!
• Top Selling Point and Shoot Cameras Spring 2014 – Updated Spring 2014!
• Canon PowerShot A2300 – My favorite point and shoot camera of 2013. If I had to replace my camera tomorrow, I’d get this one.
  

  Canon PowerShot A2300 was DIYCraft’s point and shoot pick of 2013.

• Pros and Cons of Various Camera Types Compares DSLR, point and shoot, and smartphone cameras
• Features to Look for in a Digital Camera – Help choosing a DSLR
• Snapsort – Recommendations and a tool that compares ANY two cameras!
• LensHero – Tell it your budget and your preferences and it tells you what lens to buy.

Camera Guides

DSLR Cameras

Master your DSLR camera:

• DSLRs: The Missing Manual – Our pin board collects the web’s best DSLR how-to’s
• Lens Markings Explained – Decode your lens’s language

Point & Shoot Cameras

Get the most out of your point and shoot camera:

• Food Photography with a Point and Shoot Camera – Amazing point and shoot photos, and the advice applies to more than just food!
• How to Take Great Photos with your Point and Shoot Camera
• Macro Photography with a Point and Shoot Camera

Smartphone Cameras

Maximize your smartphone camera:

• iPhone and Galaxy Macro Photography Tips – It’s amazing what you can do with a smartphone camera nowadays
• Tips for Smartphone Photography
• Dropbox – Use Dropbox to painlessly transfer photos from your smartphone to your computer. Dropbox is free, and referring friends earns you even more space past the initial 2GB!

Dropbox is the easiest way to get photos off your smartphone and onto your computer’s hard drive.

Etsy Tips

Etsy.com is the web’s most popular marketplace for handmade, vintage, and supplies.

• Etsypreneur – How to market crafts, from the folks behind EverythingEtsy
• How to Get Your Product on the Front Page of Etsy
• Get Featured in Thousands of Etsy Treasuries
• How to get on the Etsy Front Page
• Create a Cohesive Shop
• Craftcount.com’s Top Etsy Sellers Chart

Food Photography

• Tasy Food Photography by PinchOfYum – This popular food blogger literally wrote the book on food photography!
• 10 Household Items that Can Improve Your Food Photography
• 5 Tips for Food Photography
• 10 Tips to Improve Your Food Photography Styling
• Food Photography 101 – In depth!
• Back to Basics Food Photography Lighting & Styling
• Food Photography Tips Gone Wrong – A hilarious look at food photography mishaps

Lighting

• Lighting Tips and Techniques for Photography
• Lighting for Product Photography – Lighting is the essence of great photos, no matter what your camera.  This is the handbook guide to lighting your products.
  

  DIYCraft’s favorite lighting book.

• Fake a Sunshine Efffect in Studio with Artificial Sunlight
• Photographing a Product Outdoors 
• Photography Secrets for Shooting in Your Home
• DIY Photography Light Studio Setup – Great tips on lighting, such as using both a CFL and an incandescent bulb
• Making your Product Pop with Bounce Lighting
• Cut, Wrap, and Make Your Silver Jewelry Shine – Easy tutorial on tinfoil bounce cards for spectacularly shiny jewelry
• Ishtar Olivera’s Photo Tutorial Part 1 – Do’s and Don’ts, behind the scenes, DIY bounce panels
• DIY Food Photography Lighting shows how SemiSweetDesigns takes great photos with a couple of IKEA lamps
• Managing Reflections with this Simple Product Photography Tutorial – Fantastic tutorial with professional results

DIY Lightboxes

• How to Rock Product Photography on a Budget – A plastic storage container + light clamps = one professional-looking photography setup!
• DIY Photography Light Studio Setup – A foldable DIY photo studio and great tips on lighting, such as combining a CFL and an incandescent bulb
• Create a White Background for your Photography – Designed for use indoors with sunlight as the only light source
• DIY Lightbox Product Photography – A novel lighting arrangement gets great results
• Product Photography part 2 – DIY lightbox made from a clear plastic crate and a 4-lamp setup

Macro (Close Up) Photography

• Achieving Clarity and Crispness in your Photos
• How to get Blurry Backgrounds with a Point and Shoot – Using Macro mode for a blurred background

Handmade Marketplaces

• Aftcra – Prides itself on American-made handmade goods (no supplies or vintage items) and charges no listing fee!
• Artfire – Vibrant craft community that offers a help number for sellers and free listings
• Etsy –  The web’s best known handmade marketplace, but each listing costs 20 cents and recent listings are given search priority
• Folksy – A UK-run craft marketplace, pay per listing or subscribe with an annual fee

Jewelry Photography

• Basic Macro Photography for Jewelry – Super clever use of Styrofoam containers to create a lightbox and plenty of post processing tips
• Do’s and Don’ts of Product Photography – Shows off a seller’s growth as a photographer, photos go from blah to WOW
• 10 Etsy Sellers Share Jewelry Photography Tips
• Photos of Jewelry in Natural Sun Light

Post Processing

• Photoshop Tutorial: Creating a White Background
• Photoshop Tutorial: Fake a Background Blur
• How to Use a Lightbox and Photo Editing – DIY light box followed by adjustments in Photoshop
• Photographing Jewelry in Natural Sunlight
• Playing with your Photographs – Blurring and greyscaling the background make the product POP!
• Photoshop Settings Tips

White Balance

• Introduction to White Balance
• Custom In-Camera White Balance Tutorial
• How to get White Balance Correct in Camera Every Time – Exhaustive and detailed guide to in-camera white balance

Note to readers:  Some links in this article are Amazon Affiliate links. Read DIYCraftPhotography’s full disclosure here.

Okay, what else is out there? The web is HUGE – tell us what we missed!!