Photos are So Important for Etsy Artists

I spend many hours creating my needle felted animals. It starts with research, either observing live animals or perusing through hundreds of photographs and studying the curve of the head, the shape of the eye. Next, I must find the right hue of fiber. Sometimes, as with my grey-brown bunnies and squirrels, I can use a combination of natural hued alpaca and other natural fibers. Other times, I must dye the fibers combining different colors to get until the perfect hue is achieved. Finally, the actual sculpting, and wiring of the poseable animals, can take days.

When the animal is complete to my satisfaction, my new friend is ready for a modeling session. Etsy artists know that photos are of the utmost importance if you want to be noticed. I photograph my creatures in a variety of settings, both outside and inside. Beware the windy day!

Needle Felted Polar Bears

Sunny days aren't good either, they wash out the colors. If I need to take photos on a sunny day, I find a shady spot. And then there's winter. While a snowy background is perfect for my polar bears, it's not the best for a cottontail bunny.

With my smallest creatures, I like to include a photo of the animal in my hand so people can envision the size.

Needle Felted Miniature Horse

I generally shoot about 30 photos, then pick out my favorites, crop them and adjust the lighting. I often decide I need another pose and take another 10-20 photos. Some creatures are more photogenic than others, just like people. Sometimes I feel my photos don't see my creatures like I do.

I also like to create special photos for my Facebook page, Claudia Marie Felt, like this one with my wool squirrel and raccoon celebrating 500 likes.

My needle felted fawn, looking like Bambi, is one of my favorite photos.

Needle Felted Deer Fawn