When selling online, its important that your products are shown in the best light with high-quality visuals. In fact, according to marketing tool Justono, 93% of consumers consider visual content to be the key deciding factor in a purchasing decision made online. So with this in mind, in todays post we bring you the top 5 basic ways to optimise your product photography and help drive the success of your online store or business.
Lighting
Getting the lighting right is perhaps the most important factor in producing great product photography. When shooting in a studio, set up multiple off-camera lights! Here it is important to eliminate any undesired shadowing by making sure to position lights both behind and in front of the product. We also recommend placing the lights high up for a more natural, shadowless result. You could also use a lighting umbrella to create an even softer lighting effect.
Alternatively, you could venture out of the studio to create more natural, organic looking images. The great thing about using natural sunlight is that you can take advantage of the different colours throughout the day. For example, why not shooting during golden hour? or perhaps at sunrise to create a natural but dramatic lighting effect.
invest in a Tripod
Do you struggle with shaky hands and blurry images? Tripods provide stability, quality and reduce blur giving the products a more professional and consistent look. In order to optimise your product photography, tripods are a must!
Tripods also free up your hands. This means you can get more creative with your product photography as you can see what is in the frame and how the end result will look. Three main factors to consider when buying a tripod is: price, weight and stability.
Our top pick for the best product photography tripod right now is the Vanguard AltaPro 263AT Aluminum, this great piece of equipment can be adjusted to suit almost every camera and is a great option for those looking to share equipment with photographer friends or colleagues. The high quality robust construction allows for maximum stability and reduced vibration.
Background
There is no recommended background to use in order to optimise product photography because it really all depends on the nature of the products you’re snapping.
We recommend making use of a white background when shooting typically ‘unglamorous’ or ‘unexciting’ products such as appliances and tools. In this case simplicity is best, the consumer wants to just see the products clearly. A white background will allow the product to become the focal point of the image as it will appear without any distraction.
On the contrary, products like clothing and beauty products could benefit from a more lifestyle based background. Brands love to showcase their creative flare by bringing their audience persona to life in order to capture and engage the right audience. Sometimes showing the product in use gives the consumer a better idea of the product. Remember: detail shows the product, lifestyle sells the product.
Choosing the right camera
Ensuring that you do research about which camera to use is one of the 5 ways you can optimise your product photography.
The right camera for you depends on your budget, objectives and experience. If you’re serious about investing in the best equipment the market has to offer, go for the Sony A7R IV. This top of the range piece of equipment is every professional product photographer’s dream. It boasts a super-high-resolution 61MP sensor and its Pixel Shift Multi Shooting Capabilities make it the perfect option when shooting still objects.
If your pockets aren’t quite that deep, smartphones can often be just as good as professional grade cameras for the purpose of product photography. This means that it’s not always essential to use expensive equipment to ensure that your product photography looks professional. This is particularly beneficial for start-ups!
If you do opt to buy a camera, you should look for an interchangeable lens, resolution and a selection of lenses. With a selection of lenses, you can create a variety of up-close and distant images which will provide consumers with a better sense of the product.
perfect your Photo editing
Photo editing can be a life saver! We suggest taking a short photo editing course so you can learn all the functions and meanings of saturation, shadows, etc.
Correcting colour, adjusting saturation and applying adjustment layers are some of the most important aspects of photo editing according to professional product photographers. This can be easily done with accesible software such as Adobe Photoshop and PaintShop Pro.
Editing can be a lifesaver for photographers who may not have been able to optimise lighting on shoot. Through adjusting the brightness an image can go from looking dull and unprofessional to vibrant and appealing in seconds. You can also easily edit out undesired objects from the background to make sure that your product is the centre of every viewers attention!
Whilst you shouldn’t get into the mentality of relying on photo editing, you should use it to further optimise and enhance your product photography.
Did you enjoy our top 5 ways to optimise product photography? Have any more tips in mind that we haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!
At Klaud9, we can help you optimise your product photography by using our database of professional and talented photographers. Check out our website www.klaud9.com to find out more about our services.