Photos to capture one’s attention

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bearded weirdo

bearded weirdo

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Jun 5, 2023
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Orlando FL
Been playing around with props and backgrounds for something that makes people stop when scrolling through for sale posts. I know a nice white or black background shows the work beautifully but scrollers just see a pen and keep going. Also wanted to make sure the pens were still the focal point. The feedback I am getting from the public is great, what do my crafter friends think?
 

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Been doing photography fornine9 years, IMO, the background pullss attention away from the pen. One professional photographer takes photos of flowers and uses a black background with only the flower as the theme.
 
I give your presentation a plus. The pen is very prominent and got my attention initially. Then I shifted to the spooky guy. But then back to the pen. Because you primed my interest by your post, I was viewing to evaluate the overall presentation, so I am not sure what might have been my reaction without the prime, but probably about the same.
 
For me it looks great when I click on it and see the full image, but prior to that it doesn't work when at the preview aka postage stamp size. The background helps the blank itself pop, but the hardware is lost in the lack of contrast.
 
Personal opinion and it carries no weight. I'm not a fan of pen pictures using props. Maybe props help for photos on selling sites. But on the pen forums I want to see the pen and not be distracted by non pen props.
Don good turn daily!
Don
 
Quote: "The feedback I am getting from the public is great, what do my crafter friends think?"

The question is: "Has this approach sold any pens??"
Can you tell how many times it has been "clicked on"? If so, is it selling as often as a more conventional approach?
 
While your lighting looks very good, I agree with Woodchipper that the background is distracting. There is a rule in photography that elements of the photo should lead one's eyes from the outer edge to the center of the photo. Imagine a photo of a fence. The camera should be positioned so a viewers eye would follow the fence line towards the center. With the pen positioned at a straight 90 degree angle, ones eyes are pulled away from the center (the most important part of the photo). Keep trying and sharing your latest with us.

Seven
 
As a very "amateur" photographer I cannot add any wonderful insight, but that is probably true for most of us. The issue for me is not whether there should be anything in addition to the pen, but what that something is. In this case I find the "addition" detracts but the right addition could complement. For example, if you had an interestingly shaped "chunk" of wood from which the pen was made. If the 2 were placed together in a pleasing way, it would work for me.
 
NGLJ said:
As a very "amateur" photographer I cannot add any wonderful insight, but that is probably true for most of us. The issue for me is not whether there should be anything in addition to the pen, but what that something is. In this case I find the "addition" detracts but the right addition could complement. For example, if you had an interestingly shaped "chunk" of wood from which the pen was made. If the 2 were placed together in a pleasing way, it would work for me.
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You are so right!

There have been a few photos of pens with a background that accentuates the pen in the photo. I remember one or two in particular in which a fountain pen is laying on or beside a piece of paper with short hand written script under it. The nicely shaped handwritten script seemed obviously to have come from the fountain pen.

That was one background that made me "want" that pen - even though I cannot write beautiful script as in that photo!

There have been a few others photos like that - I can't remember exactly but my mind seems to remember one in which some wood related to the pen's wood - was intriguing. Another was similar to the script one above, but the pen was on an old desk with an ink bottle next to it.

Those photo backgrounds should not be overly cluttered with too many things that distract or compete with the pen. ON the other hand, if one IS trying to use the pen as a draw to a photo, or part of a photo, then that is another subject and OK.
 
Hank Lee has a valid idea...tie in the pen with the background. A lettered note to show a fountain pen or Calligraphy pen, for instance.
 
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