Having professional product images is a critical element of any ecommerce site. Ideally these images will be professionally done, but sometimes a tight budget forces your photography to be an in-house job. If you’re short on cash, or if you’re just confident in your abilities to capture quality product photos yourself, here are a few quick tips on how to make your rookie product photography look like the real thing.
We used a combination of natural and soft light during a recent product photo shoot in the office.
1) Natural Lighting
Natural light works best for any type of photoshoot. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to shoot your products during the day. However, what matters most is not the quantity of light, but the uniform distribution of light. In most cases, it’s best to shoot with soft light versus hard light.
2) Find an Interesting Point of View
When photographing different product images, it’s important to highlight each product’s best features. As an advocate for your products, try telling a story with the images you capture by accentuating particular angles. You may be surprised what point of views flatter your product image most accurately, so test several different options.
3) Use a Tripod
Using a tripod eliminates all motion blur mistakes you might not catch until viewing the images on a computer.
No matter how steady of a hand you think you may have, it’s probably not steady enough. The use of a tripod eliminates all motion blur and makes pictures look more crisp. Plus, once your camera is set up on the tripod, the only thing you have to worry about is getting the products in place. You won’t have to reset your focus or angle with every single shot.
4) Sense of Scale
To help customers visualize the size of a product, it’s helpful to include an object, that people are generally familiar with, next to your product . For example, to help customers visualize the size of the new iPhone 6 Plus, it would be helpful to display a pencil or pen next to it.
5) Show the Product in its Natural Element
Take pictures of your product next to an item that will help people relate to it in real life. Potential buyers will get an idea how the product may be used or worn, plus the use of props could really help accentuate the features of your product. This tip may not always apply, but keep your target audience in mind and consider in what environment they could most naturally envision using the product.
6) Use a White Background
Draw attention to your item by setting it up against a plain white or neutral backdrop. To make an image look even more professional, take your photos on a continuous background, a background without visual angles – such as a curved white poster, for example. We used a white wall and a whiteboard for a very simple photo shoot. We photoshopped the background out entirely in post-production, but the original white background kept the color balance of the products true to their natural hues.
Using a white background helps to emphasize the true colors of your products, and makes post-production easier too.
7) Display All Colors
When it comes to product images, it’s important to not spare any visual details. If a product comes in more than one color, show your customers each color. According to Wix.com, “A set of photos showing the variety of colors will make the product look richer and more attractive.”
What are some of your best practices when it comes to taking pictures for product images? Please share in the comments below.
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