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Level 2

How to take photos for treasure hunters

Vintage stores and flea markets are fun places to go if you’re searching for a unique item to complement your wardrobe or an interesting piece of furniture for your home. I absolutely love the mystery and challenge of vintage shopping. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy hunting for a good bargain?

 

Here are some tips for taking photos that will help other vintage treasure seekers find great spots to shop.

 

1. Capture the store’s exterior and signage

Vintage stores are filled with fascinating historical items for sale, so it’s helpful for others looking for a rare item to know what the store looks like. Capture the exterior of the shop along with the signage.

 

Caption: A photo of the exterior of thrift store, VEB Orange, in Berlin, with furniture and home goods in front of the window displays. (Local Guide Max Mustermann)Caption: A photo of the exterior of thrift store, VEB Orange, in Berlin, with furniture and home goods in front of the window displays. (Local Guide Max Mustermann)

Caption: A photo of the exterior and door of Stock Vintage, a vintage clothing store in New York City. (Wendy George)Caption: A photo of the exterior and door of Stock Vintage, a vintage clothing store in New York City. (Wendy George)

2. Find the right light

One of the most important things to pay attention to when taking a great photo is finding the right light. If you’re at an outdoor market, you should shoot in the natural light before or after when the sunlight is softer and doesn’t produce harsh shadows. When inside a shop, turn off the flash on your camera and whenever possible, try to look for light coming through a window to illuminate the scene.

 

 

Caption: A photo of furniture at an outdoor flea market. (Getty Images)Caption: A photo of furniture at an outdoor flea market. (Getty Images)

Caption: A photo of the interior of a vintage clothing store called Vintage In Vogue in San Jose, Calif. with racks of 1950s and 1960s era clothing. (Local Guide Unky Esteban)Caption: A photo of the interior of a vintage clothing store called Vintage In Vogue in San Jose, Calif. with racks of 1950s and 1960s era clothing. (Local Guide Unky Esteban)

3. Stand in the corner

When inside a thrift store or entering an outdoor flea market, step back into a corner of the space and try to capture the large variety of products for sale in your frame. By including the various items for sale in one photo, someone viewing your image can see if the location is full of treasures or is a small shop that perhaps only specializes in certain types of vintage items.

 

Caption: A photo of the interior of Blue Bones Vintage in Richmond, Va. (Local Guide Shane Butler)Caption: A photo of the interior of Blue Bones Vintage in Richmond, Va. (Local Guide Shane Butler)

4. Identify the time period

Capture the prints and fabrics that are helpful for identifying an era. Are there a lot of 1950s style items where there are crinoline underskirts or pastel colors? Or does the store have an ‘80s section where there are a lot of jewel tones and neon colors? Try getting a closeup of a fun dress or outfit on a mannequin, or a colorful shot of a variety of items on a shelf to identify the time period of the items.

 

Caption: A photo of 1960s era coffee cups and saucers stacked on a shelf. (Local Guide Nancy Josland Dalsin)Caption: A photo of 1960s era coffee cups and saucers stacked on a shelf. (Local Guide Nancy Josland Dalsin)

5. Discover the accessories

Look for a store display that may have costume jewelry, scarves, or prized specialty vintage items. If items are in a glass display case, try to shoot from different angles to avoid any reflections from overhead lights.

 

Caption: A photo of vintage designer accessories on shelving in a store. (Local Guide Stella the Lounge)Caption: A photo of vintage designer accessories on shelving in a store. (Local Guide Stella the Lounge)

Caption: A an overhead photo of vintage jewelry in a display case. (Wendy George)Caption: A an overhead photo of vintage jewelry in a display case. (Wendy George)
6. Straighten up

When photographing a straight on view of display shelving, or a “shelfie,” make sure that the vertical lines in your image are going straight up and down. Try turning on the grid on your camera to help you keep your lines straight.

 

 

Caption: A photo of vintage sports attire for sale on shelving in a vintage clothing store. (Wendy George)Caption: A photo of vintage sports attire for sale on shelving in a vintage clothing store. (Wendy George)

Caption: A photo of a display case and shirts hanging in a vintage clothing store. (Local Guide Juliana Thomas)Caption: A photo of a display case and shirts hanging in a vintage clothing store. (Local Guide Juliana Thomas)

 

One more tip: Make sure that you have the business owner’s permission to photograph and respect people’s privacy as you take pics. Take some time to review our community policy if you aren’t sure about taking photos at the store.

 

Do you enjoy hunting for vintage treasures? Show us the photos you’ve shared on Google Maps in the comments below. We want to see some of your amazing finds!

 

47 comments
Level 10

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

Woohoo @Christina-NYC Great post. Thanks for your helpful post Sharing with us. Best of Luck!!

 

Nikon D7100 capture by Google Pixel XLNikon D7100 capture by Google Pixel XL

 

 Best Regards

Mohammed Omar Faruque
Level 10

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

Nice subject @Christina-NYC! I love flea markets, and the charity ones more than others!

Here is something from my contributes

 

Level 2

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

So great! Love this 360! Thanks for sharing @LucioV!

Level 9

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

treasure hunters @LucioV :))))

Level 9

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

Main entrance of 'Bazar Rakyat'  (A clothing store inside the Mydin Mall)Main entrance of 'Bazar Rakyat' (A clothing store inside the Mydin Mall)

 

Turkish decoration items on sale @ KLCCTurkish decoration items on sale @ KLCC

 

Turkish decoration items on sale @ KLCCTurkish decoration items on sale @ KLCC

Here's some of my collection of flea markets & treasure items The most famous flea market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia :)The most famous flea market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 🙂

 

Level 10

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

  is excellent @Christina-NYC

I felt that 7th point is the most important.

Because we will have to ensure that nothing is clicked without the permission of customers in the premises. This is the difficult part. We will wait them to move from our focused area. But the customers may not be aware of that. And in the meantime, other people may also come in. And the first solution is to avoid the women and girls from our frames. That does not mean that all males welcome clicking by LG.

I conclude that the photos are also in adequate lights, well focused and beautiful. Congratulations @Christina-NYC

 

IMG_20180614_153754280.jpg

 

IMG_20180614_153802888.jpg

 

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BHASI BAHULEYAN
Level 8

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

@LucioV Nice shoot 

Keep Sharing

kaliroalex
Level 8

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

@Christina-NYC great collections 

But have fallen in love with a photo of furniture at an outdoor flea market

kaliroalex
Level 8

Re: How to take photos for treasure hunters

Useful tips, @Christina-NYC, thanks for them.

Being in the corner - that's really the trick!