Etsy Help: How to take better photos

This post isn't complete yet, but hopefully some points will be helpful to you. 
Like all my other posts - if you would like additional help, just leave a comment and I'll personally help you out.

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Here's a progression of how my photos have gotten better over the years...

Terrible picture - who knows what I'm selling.

Little bit better - but now it doesn't show the true color of the item - and my edges are still cut off.

Now my photos are clear - true to color and you can see the entire item in frame.

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Here are a few questions to ask yourself when looking at your shops photos.

1. Is the item you are selling in the frame of the thumbnail? Have you cut off parts of it with a cropping tool? Go back and redo those pictures - you want to see the entire item in the thumbnail. Im known to skip right past poorly cropped photos as I see it as a lack of effort. 
2. Did you use the flash button on your camera? Nine times out of ten that photo is going to look lousy, most people find that natural light is the BEST way to take photos, if you choose to use artificial light, make sure you are reading up on White Balance. This will make or break your photo.
3. Is your photo too dark? Some photos can be way too light and others be way too dark. If you white background looks gray, its too dark. This can ruin the colors of your item. Light blues can appear dark blue, dark purples can appear black. You really need to represent the true colors of the item in your photo.
4. Is your photo blurry? Nobody likes blurry photos - go back and redo it - don't even bother posting an item with a blurry photo. If your frustrated, set it aside and work on marketing, tomorrow is another day.
5. Check your backgrounds! Is it too distracting? Is it dirty? Is fabric wrinkled? Did it look like you just threw your item on a table and took a picture? This isn't eBay folks, spend a bit more time staging your items for sale. It'll pay off in the end.
6. COHESIVE! Are you photo cohesive, similar backgrounds, similar colors? You really want each photo to have the same feel across your whole shop. If you need an example, see my shop. I use the same set up every time.
7. Did you fill up all your photo slots on Etsy? - Don't just post one photo. Take a picture of every possible angle as well as a detail shot so people can get a real sense of what they are buying.
8. Staging photos. -  Really, you want to show your buyer an image, a look, a style.... If I told you to describe a company I bet you could. If I said Target or Pottery Barn or Ikea.... you know their 'style.' You want to have your shop be the same. Unless you're going for that Tag Sale vibe which I suppose could work, but you cant expect to ask high prices for your items.