Photography logo

Best Practices for Refining Your Product Photography

Ecommerce store owners may find product photography intimidating

By Henrik ValstaadPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
Like

Ecommerce store owners may find product photography intimidating. It's easy to set up a photography studio at home or work and take amazing product photos. You can take professional looking product photos with your camera gear, your smartphone or a simple point and shoot. These basic principles will help you increase conversion rates.

1. Your photo shoot should be planned

It is not enough to just decide to snap some photos on a whim. You need to have a plan or vision for the shoot. You can try to imagine the publication that you would like to see your product photos published in if you are stuck. Next, take a look at the publications you are interested in and note how they approach product photos. What type of lighting did they use? What background do they use? What angles are they shooting from? You can take the best parts of these product photos and use them in your own work.

2. Photograph against a neutral or white background

Your products should shine in your product photos. A neutral background is best for most situations. You can choose from white, gray, black, or beige. To achieve the desired effect, you can find a neutral background, sheet or white paper to place behind your product.

Because it is simple to photograph and looks great, white is a great starting point. This will allow your camera to calibrate correctly, making sure that your product's colors are accurate and will meet customer expectations. White backgrounds are also required if product listing ads are run through comparison shopping engines such as Google Shopping.

3. Be aware of your lighting

Bad lighting can ruin an image, even if all else is fine. If possible, use soft, diffused natural lighting with multiple sources of light. It can also mean taking pictures:

Outdoors at dusk

Outdoors in the rain

Indoors near a window

Indoors with multiple lighting sources from multiple angles

You can make your very own light tent if outdoor lighting is not an option for you and your products are too small.

4. Make sure your camera is clean

Your photos will be much better if you have a steady camera. A tripod will make your photos sharper if you plan to take many product shots over time. You can also find something in your home or office that works, such as a stool, or a tower hardback book tower.

Note: To get the best results, you can use your camera's timer and set a delay of 2 seconds. This will allow your camera's to re-steady and refocus once you press the button to take a photograph.

5. Multiple shots are possible

Your site visitors will see only the best shot. However, that doesn't mean they'll be able to see your perfect shot the first time, second or third time. Instead of focusing on a single shot, try taking several photos of your product. You will be able to select from three to four solid photos later. Customers will notice that you have confidence in the product you sell if you take a variety of photos.

These variations can be included in your photos.

Different angles: From the front, from the top, etc.

Different proximities Faraway (to view the product's size in relation to another object), close-up, (to capture the details), etc.

In Use: If you sell watches, you might take a photograph of it on your wrist rather than on a flat surface.

6. Wide-angle shots are possible

Wide angle photos allow for more flexibility in editing and give you the ability to add text later. Although you will want to crop your photos closer when they go up on your website, it is important to step back and allow for room on both sides of the product as you are taking your photos. This will give you a lot of options to help you later.

7. Edit...

To ensure your photos look their best, always edit them after they're taken. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are tried-and-true. However, if you don't have the budget for them, there are free services such as Gimp or PicMonkey. These will enhance your product photos.

Be sure to crop your photo correctly and adjust the brightness and contrast when editing photos. You can crop your photos as much or as little space as you like. Remember that professional-looking product photos are more professional than those of irregularly-sized products. To bring out the best in your image's brightness, contrast and color, you can use image enhancers in your photo-editing program.

8. But don't rush or over-edit the process

Editing digital photos will make them less quality. So, only do what is necessary. The main objective of your image is to not distract from the product.

We recommend that you save a copy of your original photos (untouched) for future use or in the event of a mistake. A backup is a must in case you make a mistake or go overboard editing.

9. Make a template

To ensure consistent product images across your website, you can create a template in Photoshop or Canva . Place your products in the middle of the canvas. Then resize them to fill the majority of the template. This can be done by hand, but it's best to use your own guidelines of 90% and 10%. Then, resize your product to ensure that its longest sides touch the guides.

Last Thoughts

It takes a lot of practice to master product photography. But don't get discouraged--developing your product photography skills is well worth the blood, sweat, and numerous takes.

how to
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.