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I do have some parked domains intended for the endeavor, a few too many actually. Currently utilizing a high-end home decor site as I lack the full-offering I'm aiming for. To all: Honestly - I'm not here to expand on how I choose to operate. I believe anyone who has genuine interest would have expressed so and conversation would be evolving (as it has with few). I consider this one closed. Moderation/Admin's please close the thread when possible.

Artsy as in deco. items is new territory that I've broken into recently. Variety of wall art / refurbished / antiqued tables etc. that I have sold. Working on other concepts but quite honestly need to hone the skills in certain areas before I'm comfortable representing the products. I sold candles & soap semi-regular but that has been over a decade ago since I was actually in stores actively pushing product. More recently I've been in the corporate world, making money for someone else, industrial products department averaging $29-$32M annually solely in my area of accountability (power/navy/nuclear environment). Alongside my corporate time I also managed a small 5-10 person local service business that handled property management, which did involve selling, but of home and commercial services. The short answer, yes, but a work in progress.

Trappeur - All due respect, you've taken something and blown it out of proportion. Allow me be direct (and repeat myself) as you've requested. It's the internet, it's the US, there is free speech, yet the thread still doesn't benefit from keyboard warrior posts.

The product stays as it is produced. No intention on re-branding a thing; not a fair practice without a written agreement. This rolls back to why I would seek the best contenders possible. As a retailer, I could benefit from a strong product, as the manufacturer, you gain reputation. Private-labeling (etc.) is common and advantageous to some degree, but my thought is it does not fit with the authenticity I'm seeking.

Goldie - to be as concise as possible. I'm looking to procure and resell. I'm not just asking the same questions in PM's repeatedly, but I would like to understand each person's situation a bit further rather than them broadcasting it to everyone. View it how you prefer...however please give thought to this: If you were a buyer/planner for a larger company and seeking an item, would you gather all the possible suppliers on one conference call at once? Then ask them all to describe their processes, their quality program, their capacity, their OTD, their current supported industries, their minimums, their pricing (etc.)?

Sure. Recent focus is not exactly in the same vein as what is discussed on this forum (wall art); sadly I don't have that many candles around any longer, other than duds in which I have crates of but I'd rather not show off! As noted earlier, I'll be in touch with the few that did reach out and likely proceed to communities focused on different genres of work. Thanks for everyone's time and input - but I believe this forum lends itself more to the hobbyist/DIY'er than business leaders and/or crafters..

It does make sense, and I do appreciate your concerns. What I think is most important right now is that I'm not asking for anyone to "hand over" anything. I'm looking for examples of craftsmanship, authenticity, top-quality, and as previously mentioned hungry entrepreneurs. The best advice I can put forth right now is, let's not put the cart before the horse; no anxieties about how your product would be marketed, how your brand could be affected, etc. I understand and appreciate these concepts, but we are not there yet. No contracts, no gimmicks, and at this point zero investment short of using a few moments of your time presenting your work. In a nutshell, this is just the preliminary showcase. In many cases, the time it has taken to express skepticism could've been replaced by a summary of services. Thank you to those who have chosen to send forth their company information/product exmaples, it is both enlightening and encouraging, and I will be in further contact.

Thanks for the feedback. I can understand the skepticism, it is the internet after all. In reality, I started making candles & soap in 2004, but moved away from it to pursue the college/corporate ($) life. I had a good amount of success and despite living a "better" lifestyle, I was generally unhappy. Moving forward, I want to follow a passion, not the dollar so much. My aspiration here, is to grab the interest of anyone who might have a smaller business but professional product, hopefully from many different backgrounds and eventually assemble a retail front with US-based, home-made, relatively one-off products. It's in the planning (and even dreaming) stage, but when you've wanted to do something for over a decade, it just feels about time to pursue it. My immediate goal is to make contacts and evaluate the products of those out there who are looking to expand in different directions, and find the right fit(s) for each area of the business. I actually grew up just miles from one of the largest, most successful, and over-priced candle manufacturers in the US; it's time for some authentic competition. So if you're out there reading this, and you or someone you know has a proven hand made product that can steadily be supplied, I want to hear from you! I'm more than happy to share further details, but in reality, I'll save that for one on one conversations with those with the passion to move forward. Hope it helps.

Bump up - Have received one legitimate interest. Any other crafters looking to further their business or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Hello, I've been around the candle/soap making (and other craft industries, glass, woodwork, etc.) for a number of years. I however have always held a full-time job that dominated my life. Now at the point where I'm considering embarking on an endeavor to bring together some of the best handmade crafts from artisans in the US. Without going into major detail, I am seeking reputable suppliers who could meet deadlines for initially small, but bulk, orders within different crafts. I do realize this forum is more niche to candles/soap (long time follower) but I thought it would be a good idea to check the level of interest here. If this sounds like something you could potentially be interested in, please feel free to reply or send me a message regarding what you specialize in, and what makes you unique, in addition to your geographical location. Thank you! Mark

I would be glad to help, but first here is a briefer that may or may not help some. As others have suggested, I think searching the topic will help give a better idea of equipment, setups, and techniques employed. Typed this in a hurry as I have to head out, just realized my passion for product photography is still there after a couple years off from shooting on a regular basis! If anyone has questions just post or PM if that is possible. Camera While the camera itself holds the power to really make or break an image, in this case it is more so the correct lens and angle combination that create a dynamic and versatile stock/product image. The camera should almost always be mounted on a tripod to achieve the best results and using a remote trigger or time delay if possible. Most modern point and shoot style cameras will suffice but once again a nice DSLR with some accessory and lens options will make a huge difference. The key item to remember in each product shot is to set your white balance to that paper or poster board or whatever white background your are using. Background All dependent on the actual product size, but setup can and should be kept as simple a possible. A wide roll of white paper or perhaps a piece of white poster board curved into a 90 degree angle (not creased) and attached to a table top will do well for this. Expensive backdrops are not really necessary, especially at first. Lighting Much of the difficulty in shooting products with a white background revolves around blowing out the shadows around your item. To do this avoid using the on camera flash, but instead use supplemental lighting on at least the left and right sides of the product. Top and bottom are very useful too if you have the tools handy. Expensive strobes are not necessary but nice to have, shop lights are actually recommended by many as they are very intense and inexpensive, but do produce a lot of heat so be cautious in their placement. It is also important to not mix light sources, in other words no Incandescent/CFL/LED,etc combinations, this throws off the color temperature of the shot. Even light coverage will soften shadows to a tolerable point but will not give you that truly white/clean background. Post-processing With all this considered, it is the post-processing that really makes ties it together. What software is used will vary depending on what is suitable I realize, and can get rather “spendy.” There are plenty of inexpensive and even free applications out there, but what you need is a way to adjust exposure and color levels in order to phase out that last bit of shadow lingering around the item. This will make all the difference in the world and really make your item “pop” into a more crisp view. Best, Mark

Pixie, What kind of product shots are you going for? Solid white background with an isolated item or with the product in a setting/themed backdrop? I could potentially help you out depending on what's required. If you're still interested in DIY I know some useful tips I could shoot your way when I'm on next. Mark

Anita, Fairly small bubbles. As for effect on the candle, no apparent impact on function, but definitely on aesthetics.