Are you looking to improve your product photography skills? Okay cool, Then read this article to get some awesome product photography tips
Introduction
Does your job require high-quality photographs of the products that you sell? Do you need to promote the products through online advertising? Then you are at the right place that can assist you in enhancing your product photography skills. The camera phones that are used today already have a built-in top-quality camera. Hence, you do not need any other equipment to capture the pictures. If you are considering an e-commerce business, top-quality product photography can be a key to your sales. Product photography is a popular means to promote online business. In this article, let us consider some of the product photography tips that beginners can follow.
Why the product photographs are essential?
The number of people who shop online is constantly increasing. As per the strategies, more than 21% of the population of the world shop online and as the competition is high the sellers must meet the requirements. The quality of the image plays a significant role in online sales. If the image quality is blurred, it will not attract customers. The products that are advertised on the website or the e-commerce site must stand out. You can build the image of your product brand by increasing its credibility of the product. If you think the other way round, why will the buyer shop online when he can go to the store, hold, touch, and feel the product? Therefore the online retailers must compensate by providing the shoppers with high-quality product images that can persuade them to buy the product. The e-commerce photography captures the right customers and uplifts the quality of the store. It can capture good quality photographs enabling it to transform the online stores. If e-commerce photography is unpleasant it can mislead the customers or ruin their trust.
The benefits of using a professional product photography
- High-quality images
High-quality professional product photography is essential for displaying high-quality product images, advertisements, online marketing, etc. These professional photographs enable to build of high-quality images of the products and it creates a positive impact on the viewer’s mind.
- 360-degree view
Provide a 360-degree view of the product to the customers. This will help the customers in choosing the appropriate product and making the right purchase.
- Multiple pictures of the product
Provide the customers multiple pictures of the product so that they can choose the right product that they need. It also helps in reducing the return of the products that are purchased.
- Model photoshoot
The model photography creates a trustworthy and lasting impression on the viewers. When you choose the right model or a celebrity to publicize the product that you sell, your sales will be heightened. Your products will be well promoted and it makes them reliable and elegant with professional product photography.
- Background
You must choose the appropriate background for the product. A unique background can create a great impression for your product brand.
22 Product Photography Tips to Know in 2022
1) Planning to prepare for your photoshoot
Good planning is essential to be well organized. You need to be aware of your everyday shoots. Planning all your photography stations whether it is specialized, small, or large, the product shipments, studio space, assistants, etc. Planning begins with product lists that include product items, product numbers categories, and images. If you already own a camera, you can take full advantage of using it. Products can also be shot on a smartphone as the latest smartphones have the powerful camera lens that is best to capture pictures and optimize the shots.
2) Get familiarized with the image views and use the right camera settings
You can group the products as per their views. The images that need top and bottom views can be categorized into one group to get the close-up views. Even though it is a bit time-consuming, in the end, it will be more productive and the picture quality will be good. It also looks more organized and eye-catchy. Patience is required as you may not reach perfection on your first attempt. Even if you have mastered certain strategies and familiarized yourself with the image views, there is still room for improvement. When you have decided to shoot the product outdoor or in the wilderness, you may have to face many challenges like an encounter with animals, harsh weather conditions, etc. The images will turn out to be good or bad depending on the camera settings. In smartphone cameras, you have lesser control over the camera settings. Use the correct camera setting for capturing the photographs of the products.
3) Grouping the products by their size and weight
The products come in different weights and sizes. The tiny products can be shot with a photographer, but on the other hand heavy or bulk products need the help of others along with a photographer. You can save a lot of time if the products are grouped according to their weight and size.
4) Keep the studio clean
If dust or debris gets collected it can erode even expensive equipment. The images will display dirt collected on the sensors or lenses and cause distortion, hence it is important to keep the studio clean.
5) Make use of proper lighting for your photography
Without the proper lighting, your photographs of the products or the background will appear the way it looks. Two options can be used for photography lighting. You can either use natural lighting or artificial/studio lighting. To decide the setup for the photography, the advertising platform, the purpose of the photography, the product that you are advertising must be taken into consideration. If you are photographing people, edible items, or clothing the natural lighting works excellent. When photographing inside, it is better to set up the product that you want to photograph facing the window as it enables you to gain natural light. You can also photograph your products outside if you wish to do so during the early morning or the late afternoon when the sun is out but not very intense. The artificial light includes fire, candles, or light bulbs. You can either stick to natural or on your artificial light.
6) Shoot using a tripod
You can hold the camera by yourself for shooting especially if there are only a few product photos that need to be taken. When your business expands, more photos of the products are needed. You must have stability while capturing the pictures. By holding the camera on hand, you may find it hard to manage to click the pictures of the products. This is when a tripod comes in handy as it enables the user to capture the photos with consistency. Buying a tripod is not a big investment as it previously used to be. Traditional tripods are available for both smartphones and cameras. The flexible tripod can be easily altered as per your needs. It can be bend and placed on various surfaces to get the best view that you need. In the mobile grip, a screw is placed at the top of the tripod that is attached to the camera for holding it tightly. You don’t have to invest a lot of money to buy a fancy tripod. It should be able to hold the camera.
7) Securing the board using Tape or clamp
The tape or clamps can be used to secure the board as it helps to sweep properly. Wooden blocks or some bricks can also be used for securing the back of the sweep as it works well. Depending on the table, the clamp or tape can be secured. Small products like earrings or necklaces can be glued or taped. For accessories and clothing, mannequins can be used. The products can be displayed at various angles using flat lay or hangers.
8) White background
If you have to shoot many photographs of products, check out the various options for white background. Most of them use a white or black background. The images look professional with a white background. Lights or adding creative backgrounds to the images can help. You can also buy a sheet from Amazon, as the paper sweep gets dirty it can be changed by cutting the dirty part and using a new piece of roll. The proper background not only makes the products stand out but also depicts the true colors of the product. When the background is dim the products appear to be dull, hence it is important to choose the right background for the pictures.
9) Shooting Table
There are plenty of options available for a productive photoshoot. To display all the products, you need a sturdy and stable table. You can buy stuff like chairs, tables from Amazon. Use a standard folding table that has a width between 24 and 27 inches, as this width works best and is an ideal choice. Place the shooting table close to the window to get a softer light. Turn off all the other lights as they will spoil the set. Make use of a white sweep for multiple photoshoots, you could even make use of a chair-mounted sweep by using the white craft paper roll.
10) Choose the right room and use the proper props
While you choose the room, select the room that has windows next to the wall. If the window is big there will be more light that passes through. Your product images can be made more attractive by using interesting props. You could make use of simple props like fruits, plants, or flowers.
11) Zoom in
The camera has digital zoom and optical zoom. Using the digital zoom will lower the quality. Digital zoom is used for cropping the digital image. The optical zoom can be used for zooming the images that are far away. The latest phones can capture close-up pictures. Crisp and clear images of the product can be captured where even the smaller details are revealed with these latest phones. The zoom burst creates an amazing combination of zoom with shutter speed. The shutters need to be open when zooming in and out.
12) Evaluate the pictures that are captured
This is an important step. You need to evaluate the pictures that are captured to work out things better or to look for improvement. Experimenting using various methods to make your image appear better and to improve your product photography skills. Once the pictures are captured, you can experiment and evaluate the pictures of the products by uploading them on your computer. Any minor details that you have missed out, can be fixed.
13) Resize your image
Plenty of tools is available for resizing the images. The Microsoft Picture or Mac Preview can be used. After the images of the products are resized, they can be exported and saved on the desktop as JPEG files. Cropping is another way to resize the images. The crop tools are available to resize the images. The pictures that are cropped will be saved in the photo gallery.
14) Compressing the image
The size of the file is large and hence it needs to be compressed before you send an email or you upload it to the website. The photos can be compressed on Mac or Windows by making use of a free website. When the image is compressed, the unused data is removed and the image falls apart appearing blotchy. Use the Adobe photoshop save web function, where you can see the preview of the picture.
15) Shoot multiple angles
Shooting from multiple angles enables the shoppers to view the products from various aspects. Some of them may prefer close-up shots and others from a different perspective. The various camera angles are high angle, eye level, birds eye, low angle. You can make use of six popular camera photoshoot angles like the front angle to shoot the product from the front, the profile angle for shooting sidewards, the 45-degree angle for shooting at a 45 degree, the back angle for shooting the back of the product, the macro shot for zooming a particular product feature and the top shot for shooting the top of the product.
16) Lifestyle shots
The lifestyle shot works well for the website content, it can even be used for blog posts, social media, emails, or in other channels to persuade customers. It portraits people in real-life scenarios where people promote a product. It helps people to know why the particular product is being used for, where the products can be shot, and for what the props are used for. The lighting also has a great impact on photography. Choose the best angles for shooting the lifestyle product photography. When the lifestyle shots are used, it will help people to perceive how a particular product can be used.
17) High Drama
High drama has a big impact on the projects and the trend in a natural way. The photography for high drama includes super close zooms, high contrast elements, beautiful natural elements like the colorful skies, lighting effects, unusual color, etc.
18) Rustic Backgrounds
The rustic background is appealing for various generated photographs like food photography, product placements, etc. The background gives an organic feel to the photos. The different options for the background photo include wood grains, rock elements, stumps or logs, etc.
19) Science Inspired
In science-inspired photography, you get to see images where people wear gloves, masks, aprons, etc. There are also test tubes or beakers or the measured items that are precise.
20) Solo outdoors/ vertical photos
The photography of the trending images includes solo outdoor adventures like jogging, hiking, bike adventures, etc. These solo outdoor adventures are awe-inspiring and breathtaking photographs of the various products that are eye-catchy. The vertical photos are visible in many of the photographs with horizontal or square images.
21) Imagery with Art
The images with arts are bright and fun and mainly focus on the images with art. The depth, color, and sense of creativity in these captured images are noteworthy. The drone photography features a bird’s eye view that captures attention. As they are simple to use, they have been widely used in aerial photography, outdoor sports events, and in capturing wildlife photos.
22) Set up the product
The product that you shoot like accessories or jewelry must be properly displayed. You could use tape or some glue dots to keep the accessories fixed in place. Products can be displayed at different angles using hangers.
Other product photography tips that you can try
- Lifestyle: The lifestyle works best for website content, they can even be used in blog posts, social media, emails, and other channels for persuading the customers to buy the product. The shopper’s context will enable people to get a glimpse of how people use the product. If the hiking boots are used to sell to the customers, they can be used on a person’s feet who is seen hiking. If clothing is used to sell, it can be shown on someone who is walking down the aisle with the classy clothing brand.
- Details: The details depicted in the picture allow the shoppers to take a closer look at the product features. Detail shots that provide a glimpse of the handles, zippers, or other features of the product are seen on the images.
- Group: The products are shot in groups, this is the best style when you want to offer kits to showcase the variety of products that can be offered in bundles.
- Best product descriptions: The product description and product photos work best together, it can assist the customers in understanding the product and increasing the sales of the company. Product descriptions are the backbone of the product page as they compel more people to buy the product by providing the customers with all the vital information.
Frequently asked questions about product photography
1) What does product photography mean?
The technique that is used to capture attractive and accurate photos is known as product photography. The beautiful product pictures taken will stimulate the consumers to buy the product thereby increasing the conversion rates and also a rise in the businesses.
2) What are the things essential for product photography?
- A tripod
- A camera
- White bounce cards
- A white background
- Tape
- A table
- Appropriate room for window lighting
3) How to shoot the product photography at home?
- You need to invest in the equipment and the gear
- Must set up the product photography studio
- Capture the product shots
- The white bounce cards are needed
- The photos must be edited online
- Add the photos to the website
4) How to shoot the product photos?
For shooting the product photos, you must
- Set up the table and build the sweep
- Make adjustments to the camera
- Set up the product and the reflector card
- Capture the picture and evaluate, retouch the photos
- Optimize the images you need for your website
5) What kind of products must be shot?
A wide range of products must be shot in various categories like jewelry, apparel, shoes, etc. They also include oversized products. Any products that are seen on e-commerce websites can be shot.
6) What is the purpose of product photography?
The main purpose of product photography is to direct prospective customers to buy the product. When you shop online, the product description along with the pictures should be advertised. The images of the product that are posted must appear to be attractive and appealing to the viewers.
7) How my company is benefited from hiring a professional product photographer?
When you hire a professional product photographer, they can serve as a large investment for your company as their main goal is to capture impressive images of the products that your company sells and to motivate the customers to purchase the product. Only when the images of the products appear to be attractive, your company will receive more sales.
Conclusion
Professional photographs of the products can be captured using white background images. It also makes the product photos stand out on various social media, websites, and advertisements. In this article, we have discussed multiple tips that one can follow in product photography. Even though it may not be an easy task to implement all these tips at once, you can make use of these tips slowly as they give the best outcomes. By being consistent and making use of high-quality product photography you can achieve great results.