Market Your Selfie
Get my proven method for creating stunning photos of your jewelry or wearable products on yourself! (With the camera or smartphone you already have!)
*No expensive photographer, professional models, or Instagram husband required!
Market Your Selfie
Get my proven method for creating stunning photos of your jewelry or wearable products on yourself! (With the camera or smartphone you already have!)
*No expensive photographer, professional models, or Instagram husband required!
What's the secret to selling more of your jewelry or wearable products online?
After over a decade of selling my jewelry online, there are three things I've found that drive sales more than anything else:
- Increasing connection with your customers so that they’re more willing to give you their dollars.
- Showing your customers how your product fits into their lives so that you overcome objections to purchasing.
- Regularly releasing new work so that you give your existing customers a reason to purchase again and again.
Translation: to consistently sell online, you need a steady stream of photos of your work being worn by real people!
But hiring models can get expensive and waiting around for your friends to model for you is SUPER inconvenient.
The reality is this: when it comes to photographing your wearable products, YOU are the most convenient model you have.
But that comes with its own set of challenges - from the logistics of cameras, lighting, and set-up to getting over any fears and phobias you might have about appearing on camera.
I know how you're feeling, because I've been there!
JIM JER SEY
JIM JER SEY
JIM JER SEY
I've always hated pictures of myself.
Most pictures of me fell somewhere in the range of awkward to awful, so I looked for any excuse to avoid being photographed. (I didn't even hire a photographer for my wedding, because I refused to pay for photos I knew I was going to hate.)
But as a jewelry designer, I knew I was making my life more difficult by not photographing my jewelry on myself.
And you probably feel the same way.
Have you ever thought "marketing my business would be so much easier if I actually liked pictures of myself"?
Unless you're my younger sister (cute, little, blonde, perky, and looking perfect in every photo - ugh, imagine growing up alongside that!) chances are that you've amassed decades of "evidence" as to why you don't look good in photos.
But the truth is, most of the reasons you don't like the way you look on camera have nothing to do with you and have everything to do with societal pressures, psychology, and a lack of knowledge!
Look, it's not your fault!
Society told you that you have ALL the flaws.
Corporations spend BILLIONS of dollars telling you exactly what's "wrong" with you so they can sell you the solution. That translates to finding "flaws" every time we look at ourselves, especially in photos.
Your brain thinks you look backwards in photos.
We're so used to seeing ourselves in the mirror that when we see ourselves in a photo, our brains thinks we're backwards and tells us we look "wrong." That's not a hunch, that's actual psychology.
You're only used to seeing overly edited faces.
Most faces we see (in print and online) have been heavily edited. It's no wonder that when we look at ourselves, we get stuck on every little detail. And with the rise of filters, it's getting even worse. We've forgotten what real faces look like!
Most people have been excluded from marketing for years.
Unless you fit a very specific profile (young, thin, white) chances are you aren't used to seeing other faces like yours in media. And that leaves you feeling less than when you look at pictures of yourself.
Oh, yeah. And there's actually skill involved in looking good on camera. From posing to styling, there are tricks you can use to change the way you look in pictures. Tricks that most of us are never taught!
It's no wonder you've been hesitant (or downright resistant) to model your own products or show your face in your marketing!
But that's about to change!
Imagine going from camera shy (or downright camera phobic) to camera confident!
All while learning the skills and techniques you need to photograph your jewelry and wearable products for your product pages, email marketing, promotional materials, social media, and more!
- No more waiting around for models or photographers.
- No more struggling to showcase your work online.
- No more days spent wondering what to post to market your work.
- No more confused customers wondering how big something is or how it fits.
Just you, confidently sharing your work, AND yourself, with the world!
Introducing Market Your Selfie...
An on-demand digital workshop to guide you through every part of photographing yourself and your products. Featuring five modules full of videos, worksheets, resources, photo challenges and feedback!
TECHNIQUE
Learn camera settings, lighting, background, editing, composition, focus, and more to take professional-level photos on any budget.
STYLING
Select backgrounds, props, wardrobe, personal style, and editing to create images that support your brand and show off your products.
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Channel your inner Selfie Muse, find your perfect poses, and say F* It! to your flaws (they're made up anyway), and actually have FUN with your photos.
Dive right in or learn at your own pace!
With instant, on-demand access to almost five hours of learning spread over 14 video lessons plus gear guides, photo challenges, and worksheets, you can be up and running in a weekend! Or spread the modules out week by week to really master your selfie skills!
The choice is yours!
And with lifetime access, you can revisit each lesson any time you need a refresher or feel stuck!
Module One:
- Identify goals for your photography, from connecting with your audience to selling more products.
- Gather inspiration images and identify your "Selfie Muse."
- Address the gremlins and fears that keep you from showing up on camera.
Module Two:
- Find the best camera and lens for you (whether that's a smartphone, DSLR, or something in between).
- Build your selfie station, including background and lighting.
- Learn the logistics of self-photography, from remotes to tripods to seeing yourself in the camera.
- Master your camera settings to take the best pictures possible.
Module Three:
- Set the stage with styling.
- Learn posing techniques that make you and your products look good.
- Address the challenges specific to photographing your products, like composition and focus.
Module Four:
- Learn basic editing skills you can use regardless of the editing software you have at your disposal.
- Edit all your images so they are consistent with your brand's aesthetic.
- Fix minor flaws in Photoshop.
Module Five:
- Develop a workflow to get your images from your camera or smartphone to your computer and your product pages, website, and social media.
- Organize your images so you can find them with ease.
- Make the most of your images across all your platforms and marketing efforts.
Plus, ask questions and submit images for feedback (and editing help) in our private online classroom. No more struggling to figure it out on your own!
The bottom line is this:
You could spend thousands of dollars hiring models and pro-photographers just to get your jewelry or wearable products online. Or you could take things into your own hands, master the skills you need to be both model and photographer, get products to market faster, AND build a deeper connection with your customers by showing up as yourself on camera and online!
What are you waiting for?
Stop begging your friends to model or trying to find the budget for professional photoshoots! For a fraction of the cost of hiring pros, you can learn the skills to do it yourself, take back control of your time, AND gain the confidence to finally love the way you look on camera!
On-demand lifetime access in Market Your Selfie is available now for the special price of $199!
WHAT MARKET YOUR SELFIE ALUMNI ARE SAYING
JIM JERSEY
JI M JERSEY
“I cannot recommend this course highly enough. If you need to get your designs photographed, learn camera skills and posing with heaps of creative advice for content thrown in, this course is a no-brainer. There is so much value here - this is one course you will not regret purchasing.”
Annie, AniMac Designs
“This class is like no other class I have ever taken. Megan shares all of her tips, tricks, and techniques, to build your own portfolio of product “selfie” images. She helped me get over myself and beyond my comfort zone to be my brand’s model.”
Theresa Delgado
JIM JERSEY
JIM JER SEY
JIM JERSEY
JI M JERSEY
“If you want to grow your business, take professional model-shots of yourself, or indeed anyone else, to promote your lifestyle or home-based products, this is the course for you. I have seen my business grow since I took the class, and have far more interaction on my social media posts.”
Arati Devasher
MEET YOUR TEACHER
JIM JER SEY
JIM JER SEY
JIM JER SEY
I'm Megan Auman, designer, metalsmith, and educator. I've been running my eponymous jewelry line for the past 15 years and teaching and coaching my fellow artists and makers on all things business and marketing for over a decade!
I've always made it a priority to photograph my jewelry (and other wearable products) on a real person. But when I got tired of waiting for my model to be available in order to release new one-of-a-kind jewelry on my website, I took matters into my own hands and became my own model!
When other designers began begging me to share my selfie secrets, Market Your Selfie was born! I’ve combined my love of teaching marketing, photography, style, and self-confidence into one powerful program designed to help shift the way you market your business online.
You might be wondering...
Why should I take a class about how to take a selfie? Don't you just hold up your phone and click?
This class goes beyond the kind of quick selfies that you associate with teenagers and style bloggers. This class is about helping you take better images of yourself (or yourself modeling your products) that you can confidently use to help promote your business. You'll learn to use your smartphone or camera with a tripod and remote to get images far beyond what you could take as a typical selfie! (If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can think of this as a class about self-portraiture as a form of marketing. It's just that Market Your Selfie is a much catchier title!)
What kind of camera do I need?
You can take this class with just the camera on your smartphone or tablet, and I'll show you tricks and tips to get the most out of those images.
That said, I prefer to shoot my images with my DSLR (way more options and control) or digital mirrorless camera, so I'll also be talking about how to use one of those. If you've got a fancy camera, you'll learn tips and tricks for using it to take better images of yourself. And if you're thinking about buying a fancy camera, I'm happy to make suggestions about what to get during the course.
Will I need to buy lots of fancy/expensive equipment?
The short answer is no! You can take this course with just your smartphone. (But I will recommend you get an inexpensive tripod and remote for your phone, both of which you can get for under $30.)
Depending on where you shoot your photographs, you may also find investing in a simple studio light or two (for around $50 each) will really help your photos. (And I'll make recommendations for what to buy in the course.)
I really don't know how to use my camera. Does this course cover technical aspects of photography?
Yes, in a way that's not overly techie! (Because I believe you don't have to be a professional photographer to take great images!)
This class covers every aspect of photography, from getting your set-up and lighting right, to what camera settings to use (and which to ignore), to camera angles and composition, to editing your photos to really make them pop! Even if you decide after the class that you want to go back to shooting your work on a model (or shooting images other than yourself), this class will help you become a better photographer!
What can I use the images I create during this class for?
The goal of this class is to create images you can use to market your business across a variety of platforms, including...
- Product Pages
- Email Marketing
- Your Blog
- Your About Page
- Social Media
- Advertising
- And more!
I make wearable products and I'd love to learn to photograph them on myself, but I really don't want to show my face? Do I have to?
The short answer is no! If you're photographing wearable products, there are lots of creative cropping tricks you can use to make your products the focus, not you!
Ideally, as the class goes on, you may get more comfortable showing more of yourself, but it's not a requirement for creating great images of your products!
I don't make wearable products but I'm an artist or maker who would like to use more pictures of myself in my marketing, whether that's holding my products or hanging out in my studio. Will this course work for me?
Yes! You'll start the course by identifying your goals and finding inspiration images, and throughout the course, I'll help you figure out ways to make those images work for your situation.
We've had painters, textile designers, and even life coaches take the course, so there's truly a way for it to work for anyone!
I'm not ready to take the course right now? Will you be offering it again later?
That depends on why you're asking this question. If the timing truly doesn't work with your business or life at the moment, I totally get it. Registration is open at any time so you can purchase when it's right for you and work through the content when you're ready!
If you're asking because you want more time to get "camera-ready" (i.e., you feel like you need to drop a few pounds or go through some kind of crazy makeover before you take this class), I'm going to challenge you to shift your thinking. You don't have to be a size 2, super-fit 20-something to use images of yourself to market your biz. (I'm not.) In fact, I started using images of myself wearing my jewelry at the heaviest weight I've ever been, and the sky didn't fall down.
The beauty of the current social media landscape is that we're seeing more diverse images of people throughout marketing, so there's room for you to use images of yourself no matter what stage of life you're at, what size you wear, or what flaws you think you have! Using your own image in your marketing is about connecting with your customers by showing the real you. (Not some imaginary you that may or may not exist six months from now.)
MORE PRAISE FOR MARKET YOUR SELFIE
JIM JERSEY
JI M JERSEY
“Market Your Selfie was a revelation for me. I knew I needed model pictures for my products, but having only recently started out and still building my client base, couldn't afford to pay either a model or a photographer. Not only did it give me the confidence to step in front of the camera myself (and not give a f*ck if the pictures aren't "perfect"), but also lots of tips for making the process less time consuming and for generating an almost endless array of ideas for new photos and blog or social media posts.”
Christine, ChrisCrafting
“This is one of the best classes I have ever taken as Megan pushes you to get out of your way and put your best foot forward. I was thrilled when a picture taken in class resulted in a sale of one of my necklaces and the engagement of the posts was the best I have ever had.”
Sandi Volpe
JIM JERSEY
JIM JER SEY
Here's the deal...
If you're trying to sell jewelry or wearable products online, you NEED photos of them on actual people. You could spend thousands of dollars and wait weeks or months to schedule a professional photoshoot, or you could take matters into your own hands, learn the skills you need, get your products to market faster, AND build a deeper connection with your customers, for a fraction of the price!
©2021 Megan Auman • Designing an MBA
Other questions? Email me at megan@craftmba.com