Get Lots of Light

Natural light works best for any type of photo and should be used whenever possible. Typically, shooting your photos during the day will grant the best results. What matters is not only the quantity of the light, but the uniformity of distribution as well.

Hard shadow vs. soft shadow- Hard shadows are created when the size of the light source is small compared to the size of the subject. Conversely, soft shadows are created when the size of the light source is larger than the subject. For your needs you want to aim for soft shadow.

As demonstrated in the example below, the more diffused the light is, the better its spread on the object you photograph and the more smooth and whole its appearance.  To avoid a hard shadow, use a flash diffuser. A flash diffuser can be created by taking a white tape or a white plastic bag and attaching it to the flash of the camera. In turn, the light will be distributed in a softer, more even way in all parts of the object, rather than be centered in one spot.

White Background – Create the Infinity Curve

Often in product photography, a clean white background looks best since it creates a focus on the object itself. The “Infinity Curve” enables photographers to shoot products against an endless white background that reveals no horizon in the back, only a clean and pleasant view. To create this type of background, place a piece of white paper or fabric and bend it to create a curve. Your product will be the center of the photo and the only item to capture the viewer’s attention.

Find the Unusual Point of View

No one knows your products better than you. However, nothing is better than a product photo shoot to bring out special features of your product that may surprise even you. As you take photos, go for unusual angles, get close ups and look for unique points of view. Tell a story with the images you capture, while you accentuate particular angles. You never know what angle will end up revealing the most impressive or attractive tale, so test different options.

Use a Tripod and a Timer

As you take a picture, even the slightest vibration or movement can cause motion blur. Moreover, the closer you get to an object the more obvious the motion blur becomes. A tripod will assure you remain stable as you take the photo. Even an inexpensive tripod will make a big difference in the sharpness of your images. Additionally, you can use the camera’s built-in timer to minimize camera shake and maximize accuracy.

Sense of Scale

Some products may not be easily recognizable by viewers. This is where giving a sense of scale can be very helpful. If you include an item in the image that people are familiar with, it can really help to visualize the size of the product. For example, if the product is a miniature doll, you could place an object like a standard sized pencil next to it, and give people a sense of scale.

Show the Product in its Natural Environment

Take pictures of your product next to an item that will help people relate to it in real life. Moreover, the use of props can help to bring out certain features in the photo. For example, if you take a picture of a watch, show it on someone’s wrist. If you are selling a coffee table book, take a shot of the opened book on an actual table with a small fruit bowl next to it. If you are selling jewelry or clothing, having at least one picture of your product on a model is great. Potential buyers will get an idea of how the item will look on them and also, it could show the type of target audience you’re aiming for.

We Sell this Shirt in Red, Green and Grey

You may offer a particular item in a selection of colors. In this case, don’t spare any visual details, bare it all in the photo! On many site images, people display a single item and then write under it “also available in blue and green”. A set of photos showing the variety of colors will make the product look richer and more attractive. Don’t just tell them about it, let people see for themselves.

Don’t Delete from Camera

Don’t get tempted to make quick verdicts about your pictures when you review them on the camera. Be patient and wait until you download the photos to your computer. Images look very different on a bigger screen and this is the way to decide which photos make the cut and which will move on to photo-heaven.

Taking a Detailed Photo? Use the “Flower” Setting

Most cameras have a “close-up” setting that you switch it to when you are taking a closer than standard photo. The “flower” setting is really called “Macro” and it appears on most cameras as a tulip-like icon. This is often used when your subject is a small item like a piece of jewelry or a flower. The result is a narrow depth of field and a different perspective.

Pro tip- If you’d like to take a picture of something very small, and even the “macro” feature is not enough, use an extension tube – it gives a focus for the tiny details. The extension tube is typically a tool used by photography pros but as you advance with your photo shoots you may find yourself developing an appetite for advanced tools and other photo instruments.

Editing Is Important

Taking a shot is often just the beginning, next comes the editing and the touch ups. As you prepare images for your site, make sure they are approximately the same size. Choose 1-3 different sizes from large to medium and small. Edit your photos to fit one of the pre-selected sizes so that you won’t have too much variation.

You don’t have to be a web designer or even computer savvy for this one, just upload your pictures into any photo editing software, and get to business. Things like cropping and color correction can make a world of difference in a photo. You can also use the Aviary image editor directly on the Wix editor and make your photos really shine.

The post 10 Tips for Effective Product Photography appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

If it sounds like too much info being clustered together, or alternatively, like these sites are missing valuable content due to lack of space, you are up for a surprise. Have a look at the websites here below. You’ll see how the bold decision to go with a one-page website can sometimes be a winning decision.

True, it won’t work for any site. An online store or an ad agency will need more space to display their services. But for the following cases, a one-page website is something to consider:

• Freelancers who need an online business card
• Event planners who want to promote a single event
• Recent graduates seeking to create a simple online CV
• Users that are working on a full website and want to use a designed Coming Soon page
• Anyone who wishes to say more with less

Let’s give the one-pagers the option to speak for themselves. Here they are:

Lisa Ray Retoucher

Startupkid

Boldlabel

Celebrate Bass

Dineamyte

From My Mat to Yours

Lasting Relationships Through Change

Mbcaurich

Mediakraft

Popup World

Hair Tropical

Urithiwetu

The post Beautiful One-Page Websites Created with Wix appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

Still, if you approach website building for the first time, you should consider a few guidelines that newbies are not always aware of. Don’t worry about it, no one is born with this knowledge. Wix is here to provide you with tips and tricks for your first website.

Let’s start with common mistakes you probably want to avoid:

Annoying Navigation

This mistake happens when visitors come to your site and don’t know where or how to find the information they need. Links are hard to find, buttons are not visible or they’re placed in the wrong spot.

There needs to be logic, intuition and a lot of common sense in how you organize your site’s navigation. You want your users to be able to find what they need in as few clicks as possible. Keep header, footer and navigation bar consistent on each page. Make sure your visitors can easily access all the pages.

Don’t scatter buttons all over the page. Keep the navigation clear

Too Much Clutter on the Homepage

The homepage is the first thing your visitors see on your website. You want to use this opportunity to create a killer impression on them and guarantee they continue to browse it. If your homepage looks looks packed and flashy like an 80’s teen magazine, your visitors might feel tempted to just walk away.

Less is really more in websites today. You can actually offer tons of great content on your site but display it in as simple and organized way as you possible. Don’t use too much text, and if you want to use multiple images, go for a sliding gallery that depicts just one photo at a time.

Too much information – this can happen on your homepage if you’re not careful!

No Call to Action

A “Call to Action” is a request from your site visitors to act, usually represented by buttons and links. Your site’s Call to Action depends on its purpose. Do you want people to buy/ download/ register/ subscribe/ view/ share/ follow or what not? Use a Call to Action to make it crystal clear.

While humor and wit are generally a good thing in online content, with the Call to Action you want to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible. Remember, the goal here is to get them to take action!

This is how it’s done! Call to Action is rocking the page

Out-of-Date Content

Don’t give the impression that you tossed up a site and left it there. Show the world that you are open for business and active! People want to know that if they contact you through the site, you’ll actually answer them and give them immediate attention. They won’t bother to get in touch if your site seems abandoned.

Updating your website affects how you rank in search engines. The more recent your content is, the more often is gets indexed by Google. At the very least, even if your website serves only as an online business card, make sure you update the copyright date at the bottom of your page.

Latest news from 2011? Seems like you need some fresh content

Going Live Without Testing

True, Wix gives you the power to build your website all on your own, but you still want to check yourself for spelling mistakes, broken links, alignment issues and other small things that are so easy to overlook. Go over the entire website by yourself, but also get another pair of eyes to browse through it and give you remarks.

It’s not only a question of typos. An observer who is not familiar with the website will give you a fresh perspective and may offer valuable suggestions for the layout. It’s time your friends make themselves useful, no?

The little things matter! Get another set of eyes to view your site before you launch

The post 5 Common Mistakes in Website Building appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

And here’s a hashtag we recommend you check out – #Wix.

Photo by natya_2000

Photo by fraumoausho

Photo by recreationalstudio

Photo by anthonykingnz

Photo by chirochi

Photo by _lemonhaze_

Photo by vedita_gulati

Photo by setasjuanjose

Photo by phoebehanson

Photo by shosheeta_kh

Photo by mirooosha

Photo by lalyafi

Photo by webmedo

Photo by nugrohoenator

Photo by violetstab

Photo by Wix

For more fun pics follow Wix on Instagram

The post Top Instagram Photos of the Week appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

A prime example for the outcome of this process is “The Artist” – one of the most popular templates on Wix. This template has a very basic structure, but the grand background gives the impression of a very unique website.

The template itself is beautiful, yet it doesn’t confine the users to one specific style or layout. Below you will see 17 different websites, and believe it or not, they all started out as the same template – “The Artist”.

The credit goes entirely to the website owners. Wix users – you rock!

The Original Template

Street Art Birmingham

23 Degrees

Collage Art Street

Copenhagen Road

Ferivan

Film Life

Gala

i-rinn

Jose Cortes

Kid Gaucho

Otrovez

Patrice MK

86e Labo

Shine Creative

Tara Dayan

Tile Affair

Wright’s Tree Service

The post Own It! Our Templates, Your Design – Round #15 appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

1. Use a clear call to action button. There needs to be a sense urgency to encourage shoppers to seal the deal, like “Shop Now”, “Get Yours” or “Buy in 1-Click”.

2. Add images or videos as product demos. This will help customers to already visualize your product as part of their lives.

3. Include customer reviews and ratings of your products. This helps to establish your site’s credibility and creates an added sense of community.

4. Make the payment process super smooth. The most deterring thing ever is if the final click to purchase does not go through for some reason and you have to select product and fill in all the billing information again.

5. Make customer service and customer loyalty a priority. Make sure that you are easily accessible for any questions or returns. Always stand behind your products, guarantee satisfaction and reward customers for their purchases.

6. Highlight products by offering discounts or pointing out your shop’s “best-sellers” or most popular items.

7. Make sure the added value of your store is clear. Shoppers need to see the benefit of purchasing your products. What is unique about your business? The answer to this question needs to be clear not only to you, but also to your customers.

8. Create discount coupons and distribute them on social networks, on printed marketing material (flyers, newspaper ads) or to a mailing list of clients. Limit the amount of available coupons (“first 50 to use this coupon will get a 50% discount!”) or the duration (“a 48-hours sale starts now!”) to stir people up for a quick action.

9. Use more than one photo for each product. For instance, if you’re selling clothes you can upload an image of the clothing item on a white background but also a photo of a model wearing it.

10. Set up a mailing list and keep customers updated on the newest merch, the latest deals or any other news bit that might get them to revisit your online shop.

The post 10 Quick Tips to Increase Online Sales appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

The following billboard ads are not only fun and smart, they represent the brands and products they advertise in a powerful and effective way. Whether by integrating the surrounding elements or by displaying brilliant copyrighting, these ads do a great service to the companies they promote and to the agencies that created them.

Watch and observe:

Ariel – Super soft

Axe Calendar

Berger – Natural Finish Colours

Bic Razor

Coca Cola

DHL Express – Always the Right Way

The Economist

Floralp Butter

Heineken – Beer?

McDonald’s – Sundial Billboard

Noodles & Company

Panasonic – Nose Hair Trimmer

Penline Stationery – Strong Tape

Pond’s – Pimples?

PSP – “Transparent” Billboards

The post Best Billboard Ads Ever appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

Believe it or not, many job applicants are eliminated based on their Facebook profiles alone and never even reach the interview stage. This doesn’t mean having a Facebook account isn’t beneficial. In fact, people who engage a lot on Facebook are more likely to find employment than people who don’t.

Most employers like seeing that you are active on social media since it is a standard means of communication and networking. They won’t necessarily take off points for party pics. Still, there are some texts and photos that you would not wish to share with future colleagues and bosses.

We all have embarrassing party pics, but you should probably hide the ones from spring break…

What to Protect

Before you panic and set up your entire profile as private, keep in mind that having an open Facebook profile may actually help you land that dream position. Employers often receive from coworkers recommendations for future employees in the form of a Facebook link. So blocking all strangers from your page may not be the best idea.

If there are certain photo albums you don’t want seen, go to Facebook’s extensive privacy settings and make sure that only certain people can access these photos. You can also untag your name from photos that are less flattering or reflect that you are unprofessional. Keep in mind that many apps on your Facebook page have separate privacy settings than the page itself.

A good exercise would be to view other people’s profile through the eyes of a potential boss. What do you find appropriate and what seems totally unfitting? This will give you an idea of where to use customized privacy settings. If you have any concerns, ask your friends to go over your own Facebook page and give you their opinion.

Go over your privacy settings and alter them accordingly

To Post Or Not to Post?

Employers steer clear of complainers. Someone who publicly complains about current employers may alienate future ones. If your entire profile looks like a rant about life, you’re going to make a negative impression.

If you really want to make your Facebook page attractive to employers, try engaging with users and posts that are connected to your field of work. When you post content that is related to your field, make sure you use the type of lingo that can be relevant. You can display savviness and familiarity by sharing content that was published by authority figures in your profession.

Consistency and stability are two key traits that job seekers should reflect in their profiles. You’ll want to be consistent in posting content to show that you are loyal and reliable when you take something on. Don’t advertise instability, frequent job changes or too many conflicting interests in your profile.

And most importantly, don’t try to become someone you’re not. Be authentic and stay true to yourself. Finding a job is important, we know, but you wouldn’t want to be working in an environment where you can’t be yourself.

Avoid trashing your former colleagues, no one wants to hire a bitter employee

The post How to Prepare Your Facebook Profile for the Job Hunt appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

And while you’re already on the hunt for Instagram greatness, why don’t check out the Wix channel.

dariszcahyadi 

berkayergul

samhorine

melissafarlow

redhongyi

dailydoodlegram

maghettastreghetta

idafrosk

ayasakai

i_monster

ginny_jrt

dogansoysal

coryrichards

dvl

skwii

For more fun photos follow Wix on instagram

The post 15 Instagram Users You Should Follow appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.

Over the past few months we added many upgrades to the Wix eCommerce platform and we also created new online store templates. Here are the most exciting new features that can help you boost sales and increase profits:

Facebook Shops

Wix teamed up with Easy Social Shop, a platform that helps you setup a Facebook shop in no time. Activating this feature on your eCommerce website will automatically create a Facebook shop based on your existing one on Wix.

Selling your products simultaneously on Facebook and on your own website is a sure method to increase revenue, reach out to bigger audiences and engage with more potential clients.

This new Facebook Shop feature is the ideal solution for everyone with a Wix online shop, because you don’t have to work twice on creating your stores. These shops are easy to manage and customize and are designed especially to boost sales.

Discount Coupons

Coupons are a great way to attract people to your online shop. Now you can create coupons and distribute them as an incentive or as a prize. The coupons can be set to show a discount in percentages or in USD, and you have the option to activate them for specific dates.

After you create a coupon, you can give the code to an exclusive list of clients, add them to an email for each new subscriber you get or even print them on ads.

Shipping Costs

Selling worldwide? No problem. You can easily create fixed shipping costs per destination that will be added to the tab. Group together countries in the same region to apply the same shipping costs in what we call “Shipping Rule”. You can create multiple shipping rules to serve each and every region you work with.

Social Sharing Buttons

What could be better than making a sale? Making the sale and getting the client to share it on Facebook. Now you can add social sharing buttons to each product page and allow your site visitors to share all their favorite products with their friends.

The benefit for you as an online store owner is not only the increased exposure. These shares are actually honest recommendations coming from friends and familiar faces. People are much more likely to be interested in a product they came across through a friend. So let them share!

The post Building an eCommerce Website? Check Out the Newest Features appeared first on The Official Wix Blog | Wix.com.