Customers are choosing to make purchases online and this trend has accelerated in the recent past. The result has been a rise in e-commerce stores and competition. Using standout e-commerce strategies is the need of the hour if you want to outmaneuver your competition.
Product photography is one such strategy that can prove crucial for your e-commerce store. According to 93% of consumers, the most important factor when purchasing is the item’s visual appeal. In another survey, 90% of participants claimed that the quality of the photo influenced their decision to buy.
Having said that, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to hire a professional photographer or buy a professional camera. It simply suggests that by learning a few simple photography tips you can improve and produce excellent product images for your e-commerce store to give your customers a great experience. Some basic principles for taking beautiful photos are:
- Composition
- Exposure
- Focus
- Light
- Timing
These guidelines will help you capture high-quality images whether you are a big brand or a growing small or midsize business. Based on these guidelines below are some tips and practical steps that you can use to improve product photography.
Tips To Improve Product Photography
1. Organize
The first step is to organize and categorize your products according to their size, color, shape, etc. as different products require different camera settings, tools and lighting. Once the products are classified you can create a unique barcode for specific groups.
The system maintains the product’s name, color, description, size and related tags along with the barcode and a file name. It’s important that the item number, barcode and file name match. This will enable the system to make sure that photographs are quickly found and retrieved.
Having a framework in place to organize your digital files is equally important when planning for a photo shoot as businesses often have numerous files for each product. You will need to manage the following:
- Photographs that are ready for the web and those that are still in production
- Folders for a variety of outputs like still images, packshots, close-ups, etc.
- File renaming and distributing the organized content
- Editing multiple images at the same time
Eventually, every product is identified by its name, description, number, date and metadata in the file folder where it is stored with no loss in transit. Your e-commerce development strategy should include a method for saving image backups. A cloud-driven technology will help in instantly and automatically backing up images after capture. Cloud technology also helps access images from any location at any time.
2. Preparation
Preparation begins with the shooting list which records product names, a scannable barcode for stock-keeping units (SKUs), ID numbers and some additional product information. The system will then classify image files into projects, items and folders.
It is possible to add new parameters and tags to existing projects as well as gradually import new objects into them. Users can change any project in this way, even after it has been shot.
Some typical components of an e-commerce photography setup include a workstation computer, a lighting setup and space for a motorized turntable. Additionally, a robotic arm or multi-camera rig can be used to coordinate camera capture with the turntable’s rotation. These software-driven tools allow for precise camera operation and to keep the shot smooth.
Choosing the kind of images is also important. The format of the e-commerce product photos you want will depend on the type of product and the target consumer. While some product categories may benefit more from 360 and 3D product representation, others may require certain marketing strategies.
The objective is to assist customers in making an informed choice on a product they can only view online. For instance, automobiles and other machinery require additional photographs or close-ups since they have moving and technical pieces. On the other hand, jewelry or apparel require images that allow customers to picture wearing these stylish items.
3. Space
Irrespective of the layout, there needs to be adequate room for the machinery, products and photographer to walk around without restriction. You need to make sure there are no cables or barriers in the way, and check all the equipment. This is especially important for 360 product photography, as photographers need space to move around and make adjustments without hassles.
You will also need to take precautions to avoid mishaps. Carefully placing the computer, product, cameras, etc. in a place where you don’t complicate your task or trip over them or coiling up the cords and placing it away from the walkways are some ways to ensure a trouble-free environment.
4. Background
An ideal background focuses the attention on the item you are photographing and also makes post-production editing easier. Taking images using a white or light background helps you easily crop or alter them.
If you plan to do numerous photo shoots then you can consider the white sweep option or you can construct a chair-mounted sweep using a roll of white construction or craft paper. For a chair-mounted sweep, you can push the chair back to the wall and tape the white paper onto the wall above the chair. This will allow the paper to fall on the ground and give a white background.
5. Lighting
Perfect lighting is another important factor while capturing a product. For product photography, there are two types of lighting:
- Natural light
Natural light is an ideal option if you are shooting outdoors. You just need to be sure that you are shooting during the day to get the best lighting. If you are shooting indoors, you can do it close to a window that gets sufficient natural light.
- Artificial light
If you want to shoot during the day when there is not enough sunlight, artificial light using bright bulbs is a better option.
Once you’ve got the lighting arrangement, be sure to note the camera settings and positioning so you can reproduce the same style from shot to shot. Shadow elimination is important and related to the lighting environment in which you are photographing. Using flash mode or shooting in the middle of the day can cause a shadow, resulting in some dark areas in the image.
6. Shooting
Once you’ve carefully measured and documented your studio setup and camera settings you can start shooting. Remember that the first few photos may be a little shaky so feel free to take several.
You can try out a few photos to determine which angle, distance and position works best. You can then upload the photos to a computer and check how they have turned out. Softwares like Adobe Lightroom are useful in arranging and editing photos.
7. Post-production
Even though you may be content with the photos taken, retouching them is still an essential process to ensure that your photos are of the same quality with uniform lighting and positioning.
Retouching includes color correction, elimination of inappropriate items and lighting changes. Before you start to edit the photo you need to save the original image using the file naming convention. Once you’ve finished editing, save the edited version as a separate file.
It could take some trial and error to get the desired results because taking consistent, high-quality product shots is not something that happens immediately. But once you master it, you’ll be able to use your product photography to create a visually appealing brand and a profitable online business in addition to taking stunning product pictures.
