It's All About the Cover Photos

One of the best ways to increase sales and followers is to take well composed, brightly lit, clean, and beautifully styled cover photos!

After a lot of practice, I've discovered the following tips to achieve the best cover shots:

• Bright Lighting. Bright lighting is the key to a great photo. Take photos near the window during the daytime, or shine some bright desk lamps at your item. I use photography lights that you can buy on Amazon. You can also use white cardboard as reflectors, which reflects white light, which is great for photos. Don't use yellow light bulbs because the yellow tint will look unflattering. I use fluorescent lights, which creates a brighter, clear, flattering light. The more lightbulbs used, the better the photo will look. Try to avoid taking photos on cloudy days, or in the late afternoon because the white background will have a blue tint.

• Clean Backgrounds. Use a clean white plain wall as the backdrop, or buy some white foam board or cardboard for flat lay photos. Try not to have anything in the backgrounds to distract from the item. I hang items against  a plain white wall, and flat lay items on a white foam board with a second white foam board leaning against a wall so the background comes out uniform white.

• Flat Lays. Flat lays are great ways to style your items. I style on white foam board from a drugstore or a craft store. I look at fashion blogs and Pinterest for inspiration, which helps a lot. Take the photo directly from above, straight down, because it's more flattering than angle shots. When you take the photo on your phone, put it in the "square" setting, because this is the size Poshmark uses for its photos. That way you won't need to crop them in Poshmark.

• Hang Items. Some items need to be photographed hanging up because they are unflattering when laid flat. Use nice hangers, and just hammer a long nail in the wall to hang them on. I like to use black velvet slim hangers or nice wood hangers to make the items look more expensive. You can also hang them on a cute wall hook if you have one. 

• Style Items. Use cool and trendy items you have in your closet to enhance the style of the item in your flat lay. I like using clothing with prints in the same color family as the item, fresh flowers, and accessories (books, postcards, photos, jewelry, sunglasses, perfume, makeup, bags, shoes, fur pillows) to make boring or simple items more exciting. You can also style a less expensive item with your personal designer pieces to make it look more high end. 

• More is Better. Always include the maximum number of photos allowed, and take photos from all angles. If I flat lay the item in a cover shot, I like to add photos of the items hanging up. I also try to include a modeling photo if possible. I also like to search online for the item to see if there are any stock photos online from the store or website I originally purchased the item.

• Update Cover Photos. If an item isn't selling, or getting any likes, I like to change the cover shot. I try to change the look completely, or I will hang an item that was in a flat lay, or vice versa. Changing the cover photo really helps gain more attention from different viewers! 

• Edit Photos. I always edit my photos after I'm done shooting. First, I like to use the HD setting on my Iphone to get a higher quality photo. Then, I use the PS Express App (It's Free) to edit the photo. I like adjusting the Shadows, Clarity, and Highlights. If the photo's white background turns out blue tinted or dark, then I use the Snapseed app (Free) to whiten the background. Just use the "Selective" Tool, click on the white background, and increase the brightness. This will whiten the background!