When you sell online, the photographs of each item are vital to the success of your website or e-commerce platform. People like to scroll through the images of the things they’re thinking about buying the same way someone picks up a product to examine it.
You’re telling an incomplete story if you only have one photograph for each item.
Good photography can enhance the online shopping experience, but poorly constructed images can push consumers away. Each picture should strive to answer a customer’s questions or eliminate doubt.
How to Create Better Product Photos Right Now
A great picture starts with your equipment. The camera should be capable of capturing images at 12 MP or better. Once you can take photos of that quality, these tips will help you construct a better photograph for your website.
1. Think About the Lighting
Product images taken in natural light will offer a more realistic and natural photo of your product. It is easier for business owners to take the product photograph in well light natural light. This avoids the need for lighting equipment (unfortunately not always possible or practical). Avoid taking the photo looking towards the window, always strive to have the window to your right or left with a simple background.
2. Use a Tripod
Most people have shaky hands. It only takes a slight shimmy to create an image problem. The best way to counter this issue is to invest in a camera-specific tripod. Miniature ones are available for mobile devices with an appropriate camera.
Tripods offer more than stability. They also help you create brand-specific angles that help customers find your product line through online searches.
3. Composition
When you are composing your photograph be aware of composition. You want your photo to be interesting, to hold the customers attention but not to be distracted by something else in the photo.
Be aware of the Rule of Thirds –
“The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open.”
What is in your photo is very important. Keep the items relevant and always watch what is in the background of your photo. As business owners we focus on the product, we forget to look at the rest of the environment. The photo could have your sales account open on your computer screen or clothes washing hanging up in the background. Always pay attention to the background of your photos and if necessary retake the photo.
4. Install a Backdrop
Many product photos use a white background to give the item a clean and consistent look. Posterboard is an affordable way to create this structure. You can choose other colours, but your editing or lighting work will be more difficult with different coloured boards.
White bounce boards reduce strong shadows while balancing the natural light in your environment. Foam ones work the best, especially if you need portability.
Bounce boards deliver a secondary benefit. If the sun disappears behind some clouds, you can still intensify the available light to remove unwanted shadows.
Products in natural settings are also a good photo to add to your e-commerce website. This can show the customer how the product looks in situ. It will give the customer a real world example and allow them judge how large the product is and will it work in their home, office, life etc. Make the decision to buy the product easy for the customer with the right photo.
5. Lighting Equipment
With our changeable weather conditions and poor natural light in the autumn and winter months it is a good idea to invest in some lighting equipment so you can take the product photos whenever it suits you and not just when the sun is out.
Having extra lighting enables you to take better photos. If your products are small a table light box is an ideal piece of equipment to invest in. This will ensure there are no shadows on your products and gives you that product professional look. If you have large products or need to photograph models you may need larger lighting equipment.
6. Take Different Angles
Your product listing should offer images from multiple angles for shoppers to examine. Most e-commerce platforms provide enough space to let shoppers see what to expect from all user perspectives.
The best options include a high, low and eye level component. A slanted image and a bird’s eye view can also help uncertain customers make up their mind to buy the product.
Different photo angles also give some interest to your product and website. They are different photos from your competitors and that holds the interest of your customers long enough to decide on the purchase.
5. Invest in Diffuser Sheets
Natural light can help you capture impressive product details but also creates harsh conditions when it becomes too bright. A diffuser sheet works to soften the glare. If you don’t have one available, try placing parchment or printer paper on the window to reduce the sun’s influence on your image.
Remember
Fantastic images lead to more sales opportunities. Photographs provide answers to your customers questions. They give information about the product, they are the tactile element of online shopping. Great product photography will result in higher engagement rates and higher conversion rates. If you only have one product image uploaded right now, consider investing in more photographs to boost traffic, clicks, and sales.