Get Featured Hint, Hint

Etsy says jump, you say how high? I mean this in a positive way. Etsy tells us what they want to feature and how they want to do it. We just need to stay plugged-in to the Storque, read and respond. Here is your next high priority assignment straight from the horses mouth (or maybe it's more of a squirrels mouth.) 2 words: Self Portrait. Now here are some tools you can use to accomplish this effectively - in a way Etsy can use. Read the original article in the Storque. I read it as a cry for help from Vanessa for more people to put themselves in the picture. Look at the archive of featured sellers, and take note of the self portraits you like the most. Join the EtsyOpenStudios Flickr group, and add your portrait (in your work space) there. Now you know Etsy Admin will see it because they approve every photo that gets posted there.

Some notes on my photo in case you need more tips. What did not work:

1. I tried taking it myself with the timer on my camera, but I could tell from my expression that nobody was there. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. (No maybe. I am a bad actress. I learned that at the U of W School of Drama. I also learned that some people happen to like bad acting. That is another story.)

2. I tried it without makeup and wearing my reading glasses - like I really am, everyday. I felt that in those photos, the glasses were a barrier between myself and the viewer. I did not like that feeling.

3. I tried photographing myself actually working, but those didn't really seem to tell the story.

What did work for me:

1. A person behind the camera. In this case it was Rory, and he knows how to get a genuine expression out of me.

2. Styling the shot. Moving stuff in the background a little so there were no purple scissors sticking out of my head. (I guess we are okay with the white ones and the orange.) Styling the foreground to make it interesting and not distracting. Turning the sewing machine at an angle that I would not actually use, but puts it more in the photo.

I think the first impression of the portrait is that I am there working, but if you examine it closely, you will see that the angles are staged.

3. Make up and hair, like I want to make a good first impression with someone who really matters to me.

I know it can be a daunting process and time consuming, but doesn't your business deserve it? I look at the hundreds of photos in the OpenStudios group and think of how many of those would be absolutely captivating, if only the person were in them. Show yourself to me. I will be watching the Flickr group too. I can't wait to see you in your studio!