For handmade work the photograph has a second job: it has to show that a person made this.
The shot that sells
The piece on a plain surface in soft daylight, three-quarter angle, with one detail shot of the part that took the longest.
The shot that prevents the dispute
The flaw-level close-up — a chip, a crack, a repair — and, separately, the intentional variation, so a buyer can tell which is which. Describing handmade work.
The list
- Whole piece, three-quarter and straight on
- The surface close, showing tool marks or weave
- The underside or base, including any maker's mark
- Scale, with something ordinary beside it
- Any fault, deliberately framed
- The piece in use or in a hand, which sells function better than any description
Light
Soft and directional. Side light shows texture — which is the point of the category — and flat front light removes it entirely.
For glazed ceramics and lacquer, diffuse the light or you will photograph the window instead of the glaze.
Variation across a batch
If you make a series, photograph two or three together so a buyer can see the variation and understand that it is intended. Then say which exact piece they are bidding on.
What goes wrong
Shooting on a busy cloth, shooting under a yellow bulb so a glaze colour is wrong, and apologetic captions. Explain, do not apologise. Common mistakes.
Questions people ask
Should I photograph my workshop?
One frame of the work being made is worth a lot. Buyers here are buying the hours.
How do I show size?
Something ordinary in frame, plus measurements in the listing.
Video?
Yes — turning the piece slowly in daylight is the best single asset you can make.
More: selling handicrafts, pricing it.