When it comes to selling products and services online, presentation matters. One of the easiest ways to enhance your presentation and stand out is through high-quality professional photography.
Tools Required for Product Photography
You will need:
- Camera
- Tripod
- White background
- White reflection cards made from foam board
- Table
- Adhesive tape
- Suitable room with a window
Displaying your products in your online store with high-quality commercial photography can be the winning difference between a conversion and not selling at all. This tutorial is specifically designed for budget-conscious business owners by someone who captures product photography daily. It is designed to be straightforward and effective in producing excellent professional product images that achieve the desired results.
Camera
A Canon DSLR camera can be a great tool in your product photography toolkit. You do not need an advanced full-frame DSLR camera system. If you are taking pictures with your smartphone’s camera, that is fine too. Results can be good even with modest equipment.
Tripod
Use a tripod to achieve a clear image. You will set the camera to a very small aperture so you can achieve the greatest depth of field that your camera can provide. The shutter speed and aperture control the amount of light used in the picture. When you have a slow shutter speed, you cannot take the picture by hand because the image will be blurry, so the tripod is the solution.
White Background
You can use many things as a white background, and if you are going to take pictures frequently, you may want to invest in a white backdrop. A paper background can be best because backgrounds get dirty, so you can cut off the dirty part and put up a new piece. You can purchase poster paper at reasonable prices from your local hardware store or art supply store. You should look for pure white. It will be difficult to turn a dingy or creamy white background into pure white in post-editing.
White Reflection Cards Made from Foam Board
When using lighting through the window, there will be a bright side where the light hits the product and a shadowed side. The shadowed side will usually be very dark, so you can use something white to reflect the light back into the shadows and illuminate them. Foam board is a great option for a reflection card because it is sturdy and white.
Table
A standard folding table works best, ideally with a width between 24 and 27 inches.
Adhesive Tape
Depending on the table you get, you may use adhesive tape or clips to secure your board so that you have a proper setup.
Suitable Room
A room with windows next to a wall is ideal. The larger the window, the more light you will have available. Being closer to the window will create softer light with darker, softer shadows. Being farther away will give a more balanced light but with sharper, lighter shadows.
How to Take Professional Product Photos on a White Background
There are several steps to capturing professional product photos on a white background:
Step 1: Set Up the Table
Arrange your shooting area. Position the table as close to the window as possible without interfering with the shadow from the window ledge. You want to begin by positioning the window at a 90-degree angle to your setup either to the left or right. The closer you are to the window and the larger the window, the softer the light will be.
Step 2: Build the Background
There are many ways to build the background, but the end goal is for your board to be flat on the table and vertical. You may need to curl the board to help it reach that shape.
Step 3: Adjust the Camera
Every camera is slightly different. Some cameras are fully automatic, while others have the ability to make adjustments. You can set all camera settings to automatic mode when you start.
Step 4:
4: Product Placement
Place your product in the center on the flat part of the background and leave enough space to insert your white reflection card later.
Step 5: Positioning the Reflection Card
This simple white card is your most important light modifier, and you can use it with everything. It will reflect light off the card and fill in all the shadows. How you position this card is a matter of taste, so try it at different angles to the product.
Step 6: Take the Photo and Review It
Once you take the photo, think carefully and look at what you’ve created. This is where experience and education come into play – what works, what doesn’t work, and what you can do to improve it.
Step 7: Editing Photos
Once you have a final image that satisfies you, it’s time to edit it. If you photographed your product correctly, the product should be well-exposed, and the background should be light gray. It should look similar to the unedited images, and comparing it to the edited photos shows you how crucial this step is in the actual process.
Step 8: Optimize Images for Your Website
Optimizing your website for search engines (SEO) is crucial for all online sellers. One of the important things is the loading speed of your e-commerce site, and large images can be a burden on that. There is a delicate balance between image quality and optimization, as over-optimizing will damage the image. As a rule of thumb, try not to make images larger than 200 kilobytes, and aim for the smallest possible image.
Product Photography Tips
Here are some tips to keep in mind when capturing product images:
Use Natural Light Instead of a Light Box
Natural light (daylight) is easier since it relies on just one light source, plus it’s inexpensive and easy to execute. When shooting with a light box, you get into multi-light setups, which increases the complexity and requires deeper education than a simple article.
Learn the Basics of Photo Editing
Once you master capturing stunning product images, it makes sense to learn photo editing to refine your pictures. It will save you money since you won’t have to pay for editing service or a professional editor. It gives you complete control over the look and style of the final image.
Capture Multiple Angles
Capturing multiple angles allows shoppers to see products from different perspectives. Some shoppers may prefer close-up images. Others may want to see the items directly. Everyone can envision using the product in different ways, which can lead to increased sales.
Try Other Types of Product Photography
You may want to experiment with different types of product photos beyond the white background. There are many options available once you feel comfortable behind the camera. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Lifestyle Photos
Lifestyle photos help tell the story of the product. They work well for website content but can also be used for social media, blog posts, emails, and other channels to attract new customers.
Detail Shots
Detail shots give shoppers a closer look at specific product features. The leather goods seller hardgraft uses detailed pictures to showcase zippers, handles, and other unique features of their products on their product pages.
Group Shots
These photos show products grouped together. You will want to use this style when presenting product bundles. It’s a popular tactic used by many brands like Beardbrand to showcase a variety of products offered within their bundles.
Hire Help
If you’ve hit your limits, you may want to consider hiring a professional photographer instead. A professional product photo on a white background can be around $30 to $60 per image, and there are many options online. This can be a worthwhile investment, as better images sell more products online.
Writing
Description of Amazing Products
Finally, make sure to write a description of amazing products. Product images and descriptions work together to help customers understand your products. They also assist in influencing buying decisions to boost sales in your e-commerce store.
Your goal is to provide as much information as possible so that people feel the urge to buy. New entrepreneurs often overlook product descriptions. But they are the backbone of product pages that achieve high conversion rates – along with beautiful images, of course.
Using Your Product Images
The best e-commerce sites have one thing in common: beautiful product images. When you are just starting out, photographing your products can be a daunting task, as good commercial photography can be expensive.
But there are hundreds of product photography tools that can help you do the work yourself.
By following this DIY product photography tutorial, you can also produce stunning images for your website. The more you get accustomed to the camera, the more you can expand into different types of photography. You can be as creative as you want!
The best part? You will have complete control over how to build your brand and showcase your products online. If done well, you will increase sales and conversions on your website and grow your successful online business. Maybe one day you will sell your own photos online as a new side job.
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/195059273-product-photography-guide
Leave a Reply