When At First You Don't Succeed...

Pretty.  Not metal clay!  The three images of mine that have appeared in other people's Treasuries have all been examples of my fabricated work

Have you ever had a task to complete? Of course you have. You do your best - you think.  You start the process, whatever it is - writing a memo, creating art, filing papers, making dinner - whatever.  You finish it, make sure it's right and call it done.  You feel a sense of accomplishment and give yourself a figurative pat on the back.  Then a while later you look at it again and wonder what in the world you were thinking!

I didn't use the close up as my first shot and I warmed the color up too much

This afternoon I decided to design an Etsy Treasury.  For those not familiar with this online marketplace the Treasury is a feature/program that allows a member to create a pseudo boutique using images of products that are sold by the shops that do business there.  It's fun. Like shopping; nesting; putting a look together - but not spending any money.  And other folks get to look at your selections and tell you if they like them.  And if it's a really great treasury the Grand Poobah's in Etsy management put it on the front page.

A nice shot, but I made this five years ago and it doesn't really represent my current work

I've made three or four treasuries now.  I'm getting addicted to putting them together. Today's collection features metal clay. You're not supposed to include your own work.  The polite thing to do is to draw attention to other artist's you admire, not sing your own praises.  But I thought I'd sneak something of mine in anyway.  Just one little picture. Hardy offensive. I'd use it as an alternate. But I couldn't find one I liked enough to include.

Nicely framed, but way over photoshopped and too warm

The computer takes the thumbnail from the shop's front page. When you click on the thumbnail, it gets bigger and my enlargements are pretty good.  But the thumbnails just don't rock my boat.  And a rockin' boat is important for Treasuries.

The color's pretty good, but the earring in the front isn't placed well.  It looks broken

The thumbnail is the thing that the viewer sees first.  It's what inspires them to click and find out more about the item.  If it's a bad thumbnail, chances are their eyes move on to the next image and their fingers click to get to the next shop and then you've lost them.

The focal bead is too small in the frame and again, too warm

I knew that my photos were only okay.  I knew that some of them were over photoshopped.  I knew that the thumbnail should have been a closer detail shot.  But it took all day to take them to begin with and I just didn't want to re-do all that work.

I must stop using that color correction tool.  I obviously don't know how to use it effectively

But if *I* don't want to use them in my own Treasury, it's no wonder that other folks don't want to feature them.  So I found one last wonderful piece by another artist to complete my little gallery.  I won't be able to try for this Treasury until my current one is over in two days (told you I'm addicted).

I actually quite like this one.  I just didn't want to use something with this Liver of Sulfur patina

Pictures on Etsy are verrrry important.  They should be in focus of course, well lit, not too busy with props and the photo you list first should be a show stopper.  Being seen in a Treasury and (other places on Etsy) is great free advertising.  And the more folks see images of your offerings, the more likely they are to lust after them and want to caress them in person.  In other words, a good pic gets you sales.

Nice shot.  So nice that these are the first thing I sold on Etsy

I'm too busy this week, and maybe next and then I'm out of town - but I see a photo session in my future. And I'll remember to lose the warm, sandy colored stone under the gray rock which is leading my re touching astray.