Why Good Product Photography Matters
In the competitive world of e-commerce, high-quality product photography plays a crucial role. When potential customers visit your online store, they rely on images to evaluate your products and your brand, and clear, well-composed photos can significantly impact their purchasing decisions. Whether you’re selling handmade crafts or high-end electronics, investing time and effort into creating compelling product images pays off in better conversions and a standout online presence. Let’s explore how you can achieve this!
Types of Product Photography
In this blog post, we’re going to be focusing on two main types of product photography: Product-Only Images and Lifestyle Images.
Product-Only Images: These are your standard, clean-cut product images. These images often use a plain white, or simple background, and focus primarily on the product itself. These photos exist to give your customer an accurate depiction of the product they are buying, so remember to include images of the product at different angles or configurations, if it will help them to make a more informed purchase.
Lifestyle Images: These are the images that help bring your products to life by showcasing them in context. Seeing your product being used by other people, and in situations the customer may use them in can help them envision what their experience will be like if they purchase. This is your opportunity to showcase your brand personality and show off your product in action.
Creating Your Product Photography Studio
Setting up a dedicated product photography studio doesn’t have to be expensive. With a few essential items, you can achieve professional-looking results. Here’s what you’ll need:
Camera: While a DSLR or mirrorless camera is ideal, many modern smartphones have great cameras that can get the job done.
Tripod: A stable tripod will help keep your photos consistent and ensure sharp, shake-free images.
Simple Background: While there are many tools available to change or remove backgrounds digitally, it often helps to start with a physical backdrop that is a solid, consistent color. This makes it much easier to digitally alter the background, or cut the product out of the image later on if you decide to do so..
Lighting: You’ll want your product images to be evenly well lit to accurately reflect what the product will look like in-hand. There are many lighting options available for any budget, but even utilizing natural light by shooting near a window can help you create great product images. Just remember to try to avoid excessive shadows or uneven lighting across your product.
For lifestyle images, you have the ability to get as creative as you want by shooting your products in a variety of environments and use cases. Just remember to keep the products as the main focus of these images by making it easy to see the product and how it is being used.
Tips For Product Photography
Always remember to make sure your photos are clear and in-focus to maintain a professional look and help your customers to get the most accurate depiction of your product possible.
Take photos from a variety of angles and distances to help give a complete view of your product, and to give yourself more options when choosing photos to add to your website.
Always keep your product images up-to-date if any changes are made to your product over time. You don’t want your customers to be caught off guard if the product they receive doesn’t match what they saw online.
Utilize in-person events and user-generated content to your advantage to capture lifestyle images of your products in use. Organized photoshoots are great for capturing clean, professional images, but don’t underestimate the personality that a more-organic photo can bring to your product page and your content.
As with any aspect of your online store, it is important to experiment and find out what works best for your brand and audience, but hopefully these tips will help give you a place to start. At Impakt, we strive to help our clients showcase their unique brand and products as best as they can, and to help their customers make purchasing decisions that they are confident and excited about!