Instagram. The land of styled coffee shots, polka-dot midi skirts and inspirational hand lettering (Yes, Olivia…I mean you!).
To be successful on this platform you’ve got to build consistency with your photos to attract your ideal customer and then get her to your website or shop. The first part of the equation is your photography.
I’ve created a consistent Instagram account through:
- Methodically editing what I share. (That picture of your cat’s hairy tummy might not be what your ideal customer wants to see while she’s sipping her morning tea.)
- Knowing how I want my followers to feel when they see my photos.
- Posting photos with similar colors.
- Editing my photos in the same way.
- And, using the same props throughout my photos.
Today, we’re focusing on props.
If you haven’t already, you should start collecting props that you can use in your social media and blog photos that represent your brand.
To make things more fun, I’m sharing my favorite photo props in a cute download that I painted with watercolors.
And, here are my top 10 favorite places to buy props for my photos:
- Anthropologie
- Michaels
- Flea markets and yard sales
- Mongrel (and other gift shops)
- Etsy
- ban.do
- T.J. Maxx
- Amazon
- Kate Spade
- Any bakery
I hope this helps you to compile photo props that you can use to make your photos more consistent and more attractive to your ideal customer.
Ah! That watercolor painting is the cutest! 🙂
I am going to start brainstorming some new photo shoots for my Instagram, I’ve been slacking lately. Can’t wait to check out a few of these places that I’ve never shopped at before. <3
I love all of your props and your watercolor download is just too cute! Thank you! Since I’m a flea market junkie I have plenty of props around my house. So this past week I had fun shopping my house for props. I have an old chippy pantry door that I love and it makes a great backdrop. Some of my other favorite props…vintage shutters and windows, vintage posies, colored paper clips, vintage clocks, paint brushes, paint, and any other art tool I might be using. I have had fun rethinking how I take my photos.
This is a fun post! I want to improve my food photography, so I’m working on building up my food styling props. I just received new linen towels from http://www.shop-fog linen.com I also bought some gorgeous placemats from http://www.zeal-living.com So much fun!
So cute! But…..where are the macaroons?!
What fantastic inspiration! I’m just starting with Instagram and this is such a great way to style photos. I don’t use props yet, but I’m thinking things like paint brushes, my clay tools (covered in dried clay!), test ceramic pots I’ve experimented with, tubes of paint, that sort of thing. Fun! Thanks April! (And that is the cutest watercolour!)
I love this article. I just started stepping up my photo prop use after taking a craft photography with Creativelive. Yesterday I used some vintage style cat eye glasses in an Instagram pic to advertise my Cat Eye makeup workshop. The glasses are broken on one side so I can’t wear them, and almost the whole them out, but so glad I kept them. You’d never know from the way I cropped the pic that the are split on one side. The image is with red lipstick and liquid liner, a cute combo. Thanks to your post I’ve got some more great ideas! xo Fox & Doll
This is a great list. Personally, I photograph a lot of food and wine so I like pickup up interesting accessories when I am out at restaurants (coasters and cocktail stirrers), and I like CB2 for clean lined kitchen ware. I also love estate sales.
What a cutie patootie painting! gawwwgeous!
Instagram is the Social Media that I really want to focus on and I’m itching for the #Bellelive class to get into it a bit more.
My props are currently all stationary related, but I’m looking to expand on that to keep it visually interesting but still within my brand and for my ideal people. A work in progress to be smart about it, but not overthink it all at the same time.
I have to remember to not get too carried away with a 1000 different things that I can’t afford to buy…but they’re just so pretty. It’s a problem.
xx
I love your list of props! I like to use notebooks and colored pens or pencils. I think I need to get more props after looking at your list!
Thanks April! Love the props idea. And thanks for sharing your list! Gonna put my soul into making those pics pop! Have a great day!
April,
First, I want to know what you do with the prop items you get at bakeries after you’re done with them?
I have ZERO willpower when it comes to sweets and can barely keep my hands off the Halloween candy I bought to use as props! I’d be packing on the pounds if I used baked goods in my photos!
I love the drawing and watercoloring you did – great way to recap a collection!
I love scouring second-hand stores, antique and junk events, garage sales and dollar stores for props I know I’ll only use once or twice. Nope, I don’t generally use my props more than once or twice unless they are very “generic” or pricey.
I also love some of the stores already mentioned for prop finds. I tend to stay away from the trendy stuff though (think deer heads, etc.) not because I think it’s bad to use those or because I don’t like those items (on the contrary!), I just don’t like using the same props I see being used a lot. That said, if I find something really cool, or see something being used in a cool way and it inspires me with ideas of my own, I will sometimes cave and buy a trendy treasure.
One thing I have instituted for myself is to have a specific budget for a shoot and a ceiling on what I will spend on one-time- or two-time-use props.
Finally, because what I am shooting is generally a finished papercraft project and/or new products sent to us by the manufacturers, I am cautious to not overshadow what it is I’m shooting. I want the attention to be on the project or product being shot, and not on the prop.
Great topic – thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas and sources!
Steph
Hi,
Wow thank you for this post and the amazing seminar. I took your advice and starting using the Luminosity actions to my iPhone pictures and it have made a remarkable difference. I see Kate Spade on your list. When you asked during class what was our brand? Kate Spade immediately popped in my head. I’m still narrowing my ideal customer down but I can tell you would be ideal shopping buddy lol
Great post, April! Right up my alley! I could talk about this stuff all day long! 😉 I would love to add just a few more tips about props and forgive me if I’m being redundant.
With the holidays coming up, keep a hawk-eye out at supermarkets, crafts stores, department stores and places like Tuesday Morning, Marshals, and Ross to find some screaming deals!
Rethink the dish (or whatever the flawed item may be) with a chip, that costs next nothing. You’re not eating off it, just don’t show it in the photograph! If you love it buy it! But . . . . . . . . . if you don’t really, REALLY love it, DON’T BUY IT!
If you only buy stuff that you adore, you are naturally branding your images. When you look at the photos, time and again, you’ll always smile because you LOVE the photograph that you crafted and styled and it will show!
xoxoxo
Nancy
I haven’t been to Anthro but the one time (but omg I could buy the whole gosh darn mug selection!), and I kind of what to buy some of their cabinet pulls cause they’re so pretty… I just don’t know if that would be weird to throw into a photo. 😀
I love finding things at Tuesday Morning, Hobby Lobby, and thrift stores. I’ve never heard of Ban Do until you mentioned it in CL, and I have no idea what the Mongrel place is.
Oh and I’ve started a list on Etsy to track brand colored things I plan to obtain. 😀 It’s fun! I got Phillip in on it, and it’s almost like a scavenger hunt when we go shopping now.
I love anything industrial, vintage and some grunge. Props is something new I’m working on, but yesterday, I was at the floral shop buying a housewarming gift for a friend and the florist had a steampunk inspired prop display. There was this beautiful 8 inch clear crackled jar with mini gold square sparkles in the glass and a rough sketchy outline of a skull. It was placed next to a black sequin owl and silver studded skull. Her display was absolutely beautiful. I begged her to let me have the items, especially the jar. She let me have the jar and I’m going back after Halloween for the rest. I’m not sure how well it will photograph or how I’ll build a theme with it, but I had to have it 🙂
Perfect timing! I just started out on Instagram (I know, I didn’t own a smarphone before) and I also took the CL craft photography class. These tips are so inspiring! 🙂 And I already have a lot of props for my alternative fashion brand that I didn’recognize: a leopard mug, a punk fanzine, cool buttons, old boots, spiderweb candles… but I guess I still have to shop for some halloween stuff 😉
I’m loving your watercolours, April!
Your photos are always stellar too. I need to get more props in my arsenal & start doing dedicated shoots, instead of just grabbing one shoot at a time.
The props I’m dreaming of are beautiful notebooks & pens, coffee cups & donuts, & other cozy things a writer might dream of having beside her as she explores.
I can’t wait to start making my Instagram (& my blog) feel more visually consistent & beautiful.
Xo
K
Typo! Oooooops. Let this be a lesson to us…
One should always edit before one hits publish.
Sorry April!
This is great! I’ve been super focused on trying to grow my Instagram following, and have totally be trying to “shop my house.” And I know there is TONs of stuff there that I can use. But every once in a while a new item can really give you that inspiration! I think a trip to a craft store is in my near future!
Typewriters are my #1 fav! 🙂
And globes!
Pretty water color and your Instagram feed looks fabulous too!!. I’m coming over from your Creative Live FB group. I really love your list of prop resources. I wonder if you find great things on eBay? I feel like etsy sellers get all the cred for being creative and vintage. I love eBay for vintage, antiques, linens and pottery (mugs). As an eBay seller I would love to hear that you pulled out your phone, searched the eBay app, and found the perfect prop for your next shoot. Thanks again for the great blog post!!
You always have have the cutest photos! Thanks for sharing your props and favorite places to get them 🙂
I’ll admit, I haven’t really tried the props things yet, although I tried it yesterday and it didn’t really work out. I like using papers with different designs that I have picked up at Michael’s — I have also used them for my jewelry photo shoots. The ones that are made to look like light wood are great because we have such dark tables in our house that don’t work well for photos!
I actually bought some stuff to step up my instagram game yesterday at Michael’s. Good sale and I got stuff I can use over and over. Creating styled still-life type pictures is really new to me. I generally photograph models, but I can see that adding in the other kind of thing is a good way to go. People have responded positively to what I posted last week as a test. So, more to come. Thanks for all your wonderful tips and tricks, April. You always get me to think about stuff in ways I would not have considered on my own.
PattyMac
It seems that a lot of props are for smaller items and close-ups. Any suggestions for larger items? I make and sell pillows–I struggle with creative ways to photograph them that isn’t on the same old couch all the time.
Your pictures are always so beautiful! I am learning a lot from you about photography and branding. My favorite prop is probably my son. Even though he can’t take a nice, posed picture to save his life. Lol! But the ideas for things I can use in the future are teeming through my head thanks to you. 🙂
I am definitely going to try those tips on creating a consistent Instagram! And props? I never really thought about adding props to my photos. Hmmmm….you really gave me something to think about April. Thanks!
I love the water color picture! This was so helpful in my research to take better social media pictures! Thank you!