As you may know, from time to time we like to publish content related to other areas of ecommerce that, in my view, are as important as the technical part of the store, but many times we do not give it the relevance it deserves.
This time we will talk about the importance of product images and how to get professional results in the photos of our online store with few resources. If you are also one of those who continues uploading the product photos provided by your supplier (we have all started this way), we recommend you take a few minutes to read what we prepared and you will see that it is not that complicated to get professional and unique product photos for your online store.
Product photography is one of the fundamental pillars of any ecommerce. Part of the success of the business is to show the product for sale with the highest quality and beauty.
When the client does not have access to the physical product, the photograph is the product. The technical sheet and the description provide value, but the interest and falling in love begin with a good photograph, therefore: “Better photographs, better sales”
A good photograph makes the client imagine with the product and produces the emotion of owning it. The photograph of the product must be true to the article, otherwise it can generate problems and represent the return, losing the sale and what is worse, the customer.
In addition, product photography must communicate perfectly what is sold with the utmost fidelity, quality and beauty. Fuss Photography is the leading provider of professional photography in Australia, making it the best option for companies looking to have a great presentation in the economic departure.
8 Tips to take professional product photos for your online store adding value
# 1 Get inspired
“To make memorable photographs that show your product and its history you must cultivate, read books, magazines, catalogues, visit exhibitions and immerse yourself in the current photographic culture. Visual culture is part of us, and this is transmitted in your eyes, in your way of seeing life, of seeing your products and of composing your photographs.
It does not mean that having a better visual culture your photographs will be better, but, if it happens that, without visual culture it is very difficult to make good photographs.
See images of great photographers, visit exhibitions or consult photographic catalogues will increase your visual culture, the trained look composed in an intuitive and natural way. ”
# 2 Make an own photo style guide for your online store
A style guide is a document where you specify how you want the images to be for your online store. It will be the reference to which to direct all the steps of the photographic process. The objective is to maintain a clean and orderly appearance that generates confidence and transmits professionalism.
The photo style guide has to include at least these three data: Image format, background type, product position and shadow characteristics.
As a general rule, select square format for its greater adaptability, white background to be able to use the images in marketplaces like Amazon and soft shadows that do not remain protagonist. However, look for inspiration in the reference stores of your sector and analyse which style guide is best suited to your product.
# 3 Make a continuous fund
The most common way to create a background is through the so-called white continuous background.
You can get a background that is curved with any table and a white card, you can also serve a fabric or any other material that can be folded. We personally like cardboard for matt backgrounds and the white plastic tablecloth for bright or larger backgrounds.
Place the table next to a window, stick the curved cardboard on a wall or any object and you have the background for your first photographic studio for less than one euro.
# 4 Use the right lighting for your product
The importance of lighting is such in product photography that if you know how light works, it is likely that, with the means you already have, you can achieve a quality result. In most occasions you will have enough with the sunlight and some stationery materials like cardboard to reflect it or blur it.
Learn everything you need about light in the product photography in this article.
# 5 Show only the product for sale
It is time to place your product in the background, this should appear alone, since, otherwise and even if you specify it in the specifications, the client may think that he buys everything he sees in the image.
For example, in the following picture Is a jam jar sold or is it a batch?
Indeed, it is a lot, if it were only a boat it should appear alone, take advantage to clean and fix small imperfections so that it looks with its best aesthetics.
# 6 Set your camera to manual
The type of continuous lighting seen in Tip # 4, allows you to use any camera or mobile device. You will get the best results using a camera that allows manual configuration of the functions. Having the manual control of the parameters allows you to make corrections between take and take, avoiding the automatic decisions of the camera.
# 7 Edit your photos
The edition can turn a good photograph into a better one, but it cannot invent it, so the priority is to get good images from the moment of taking it and not to trust that a later edition will solve any problem.
With your preferred design tool, it increases the brightness of the light in the background and adjusts the contrast, in most cases it is not necessary to cut a product to get a photograph with a white background.
Before and after editing a photo in Adobe Lightroom. If you really are serious with your ecommerce we recommend you invest in this tool.
# 8 Prepare your images for Amazon
In order for your images to be used in Amazon, eBay and other product sales platforms must have certain characteristics, if you keep them in mind for your ecommerce you will only have to do the work once and the same product photo will be used for several platforms.
The product must occupy 85% of the photograph.
- Background, pure white
- Without Borders
- No text
- Without logos
- Without watermark
- Without mannequin
Other platforms allow coloured backgrounds, but if you are going to put your products on sale in several sites, for speed and effectiveness it is advisable to have them all white.
Remember that if you need a team of professionals to assist you with photos of a special event, here at Fuss Photography we’ll be happy to help you.
