According to the study, 93% of buyers make the purchasing decision based on the visual appearance of a site. And good eCommerce product photography plays a vital role in this overall visual representation.
But with the advancement of technology, eCommerce stores are evolving day by day. They are experimenting with different techniques to provide the best possible CX.
In such a situation, if you follow the same old approaches for product photography, it won’t work for you. You’d feel lost in the rat race.
With this in mind, we have come up with a detailed guide ( from basic to advanced) on eCommerce product photography where we’ll cover:
- The importance of good product photography in eCommerce
- Basic knowledge you need for eCommerce product photography
- Tools/equipment for product photography
- 9 killer product photography techniques to sell more
- Examples of some eCommerce stores with amazing product photography.
Let’s dive in.
How Important Is Good Product Photography In eCommerce?
What’s seen is sold! – this is where the power of good product photography comes into the scene.
Unlike brick-and-mortar shops, in online selling, you don’t have other options to showcase the product benefits except for incorporating some product images and texts. And these images are the real game-changers. If you keep them basic and unattractive, they won’t excite your customers. And the worst – your customers would leave your site and never return.
On the other hand, if you offer compelling and clear images by developing professional product photography, it’ll benefit your business in many ways –
- Boosts Brand Authority
Good product photography is a key branding element, especially in this online world. If you showcase detailed professional product images, they communicate with customers more clearly than words. They compel them to click more, build trust and clarity and leave a remarkable impression of your brand.
- Diminishes Return rates
Customers usually return a product when it doesn’t meet their expectations or match the image shown on the site. But, professional product photographs from different angles and shots can eliminate this problem to some great extent as it shows them the exact product they’ll pay for.
- Improve Customer experience
Great visuality gives life to a brand. On the one hand, it certifies the product quality; on the other hand, it allures the visitors to spend more time with your store. And eventually, it turns them into paying customers.
- Increases Conversion Rates
All the above points lead to one ultimate thing – High Conversion Rates. When you incorporate high-quality product images, they work as the real deal-maker by increasing UX and provoking interest among your customers. And satisfied customers mean great revenue!
Basic knowledge You Need For eCommerce Product Photography
eCommerce Product Photography is way too different from traditional photography as here you need to keep various aspects in mind. After all, you are going to take pictures that are not just for showcasing but also for selling.
Thus, here we have compiled a list of some basic skills/knowledge you should have to capture professional product images:
1. Types Of eCommerce Product Photos
eCommerce photography goes beyond the “one size fits all” concept. As your eCommerce store has different types of products, showcasing each of them in different ways is an art. Here are some trending types of product photos you must consider capturing for your eCommerce store.
- Product-Only Shot
Product-only shot is one of the most common types of photography we often notice in eCommerce stores, product catalogs, and product pages. This shot only highlights the product and its looks on a white background. This kind of shot goes with everything, no matter what products you have.
- Lifestyle Photography
Lifestyle photos often show the product in action. And when a customer sees a product in a real-life context, it influences their buying decision more effectively than just product photographs. This kind of photography communicates with your customers through a compelling story and creates an “aha!” moment among them.
- Flat-Lay Shot
Beauty and fashion brands mostly use this type of photography. Here you capture a photo of your product surrounded by other props from the above, meaning that you give your customers a bird’s eye view of your product. Not only in eCommerce stores, but these types of photos are also popular on social channels.
- Macro Photography
If you are selling very tiny products on your site, you need to highlight the intricate works of those items. And here, Micro/detailed shots come to the scene. In this photography, you need different camera settings (macro lens) and light that aren’t required in traditional photography.
- Group Photography
If you have a range or variety of a particular product, a group shot is the handiest way to portray them to a wider audience. This shot holds the brand’s offerings and is often used in product advertisements and sale brochures.
(Note: Try to keep an odd number of products (three or five) to enhance the looks of the overall image.)
2. Camera Angles
Photos taken from different camera angles not only look aesthetic but also build transparency between your brand and your customers. Here are some major camera angles specially used for eCommerce product photography –
- The front angle – Shows the front side of the product
- The 45-degree angle – Shots taken from the 45-degree angle
- The back angle – Shows the back side of the product
- The Top shot – Shots taken from the above
- The ¾ shot – Shows the sides of the products
3. Camera Setting
Camera setting is a pivotal aspect you can’t ignore for photography. Though there are lots of settings in a DSLR, it’s enough if you adjust these major camera settings for good product images –
- Adjust aperture
Aperture mainly indicates the opening of a lens through which light passes. Thus, you need to adjust it depending on the photos you are going to capture. For example, set a wider aperture if you want to keep some portion of your product blurred. But if you want to capture a focused, sharp photograph, keep a smaller aperture.
- Adjust White Balance
We recommend keeping the White Balance similar to the temperature of your studio lights for better results.
- Camera flash
Don’t turn on the camera flash, as you already have natural/artificial lights for product photography.
- Image Quality
Choose the Raw file for the highest quality image.
- Adjust ISO
Keep ISO (International Standard Organization) as low as possible in studio light. But, in the case of outdoor shooting, you require a higher ISO setting.
That’s all! With this basic knowledge, you are all set to capture almost next-to-perfect product images for your businesses.
Essential Tools/Equipment For Product Photography
eCommerce product photography requires minimum yet high-quality tools to capture best-in-class photographs. Here we have handpicked some essential tools you must consider having –
Note: Even if you are a newbie, we will give you alternative options that won’t hurt your pocket.
1. Camera
If you want great product photos for your eCommerce business, don’t save your money on cameras, as it’s the foremost factor that determines the picture quality.
Now, what camera should you go for?
It’s great if you buy any DSLR with at least 12 megapixels and an auto-focus function. You can adjust it further by changing other setting options like ISO, shutter speed, White balance, etc., for professional images.
Now, If you are a newbie business owner with a tight budget, you can use smartphones like iPhone or Samsung for better picture quality.
2. Tripod
No matter how good your camera is, always use a tripod to avoid blurry images and maintain picture stability.
However, a tripod also comes with a mobile grip. So, whether you are using a camera or a smartphone, a tripod will work for both.
3. Light
Lighting is another aspect that directly impacts picture quality. If you adjust the proper lighting, everything looks beautiful and attractive.
For lighting, you mainly have two options – 1. Natural lights, 2. Studio lights.
Now it depends on you!
Sometimes sunlight creates brighter colors and contrast. Thus, it’s definitely a better yet cheapest choice for photography.
However, you can also choose artificial lights. A professional studio mainly has 4 lights – key light, fill, hair light, and background light. But if you have a limited budget, go for only the key and background lights.
4. Shooting Table
When you have a huge product to shoot, you need a shooting table or a white sweep for the photo session.
But if you have small products, you can use a chair and craft it with white paper and tap to create the same without spending money.
5. Lightbox
eCommerce is evolving day by day. Thus you have to take a step further and invest in a lightbox/light tent. It’s a box-like object with translucent sides and a white backdrop that helps you allocate the light throughout the product and eliminate distracting shadows from the photos.
9+ Killer Tips for Taking Top-notch Product Photos that Sell More
We have already discussed some basic knowledge or tools you need for eCommerce product photography. Now, it’s time for some ultimate tips you can use for all types of eCommerce photography to set your brand apart from the crowd.
1. Experiment With Different Props
Product styling is as important as capturing product images. Depending on the product you are going to capture, you must experiment with some props to spotlight its looks and features. But remember, these props should align with the color combination of the product; otherwise, it’s a big turn-off.
For example, if you are capturing some product images for jewelry, use charcoals or black powder as props to give it a rich look.
2. Try Your Hand At Floating Images
Nowadays, the floating effect on product images is trending. If you want to capture this type of photo, all you have to do is to take a thin thread and hang the product in the air. And then remove the thread while editing the image.
3. Take Scale Shots
Most returns occur because the products don’t match customers’ expectations in terms of size and color. Thus, we highly recommend taking scale shots to give them an overview of the product size. On the one hand, it diminishes return rates, and on the other hand, it boosts user experience.
4. Feature Multiple Photos Of A Product
Customers love to see a product from multiple angles. Thus, when inserting product images on your eCom store, ensure to add more than one image from different angles, such as side shots, front shots, back shots, and lifestyle shots. This technique certifies your product quality and helps customers decide if they should buy it.
5. Adjust The Product Image Size
Different marketplaces or eCommerce platforms demand different product sizes. For Example, amazon prefers 2000×2000 pixels. Likewise, Shopify recommends using 2048×2048 pixels.
Thus, we advise you to take 2000×2000 pixels images that will go with any eCommerce platform.
6. Use Acrylic Glass
Place an acrylic glass under products to make a great reflection that’ll create a very sleek and modern image for your eCommerce store.
7. Take Multiple Shots
You can’t take a perfect shot with just one click. The first picture will always be blurry and rusty. So, take multiple shots from the same angle and then evaluate the best one. It’ll be pretty time-consuming as you have to take more than one shot from different angles, but it will be rewarding in the editing process.
8. Focus On Post-Production
You can’t ignore this technique if you want a catchy outcome for your product photography. If you find any unrealistic disturbances in the images in terms of blemishes, or color correction, use some great photo editing tools for the ultimate presentation.
Here are some examples of excellent photo-editing software –
- Pxlr
- Snapseed
- Canva
- Adobe Spark
- Fotor
9. Optimize Product Images
All the above tricks and techniques aim for one ultimate goal – better selling. But, if you forget to optimize your images for SEO, they all will go in vain.
Thus, choose proper image dimensions and optimize its alt attributes for faster loading and higher ranking.
eCommerce Sites With Amazing Product Photography
There are lots of brands that are nailing product photography for their business growth. Here we have mentioned three of them you can take inspiration from –
1. Mulberry
Mulberry is a British lifestyle brand. When you visit its site and click on a product, it’ll show the best shots of the products in an attractive way. This brand has left no complaints about its visual representation, and you can consider adopting its style for your store.
2. American Tourister
American Tourister’s official site is another great example of perfect eCommerce photography. From different product shots to in-context images, this luggage brand has portrayed every subtle feature of its products through images to better connect with its customers.
3. Mac Cosmetics
When it comes to beauty brands, product photography gets a bit trickier as here you need to show the product quality and texture in the best possible way to your customers.
And Mac Cosmetics is nailing in this field. Not only does it show the product itself, but it also shows the product’s texture and real-life images. This technique eliminates all the confusion people have about a makeup product.
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Are You Ready To Take The Shot?
eCommerce product photography is simple but not easy. This guide showed you every subtle aspect you need to consider to take that perfect shot ready for selling. If you are just starting out, all these processes might seem daunting, but don’t worry! With time, you’ll become a pro product photographer if you follow all the aspects given here.
However, if you have a limited budget, you can compromise on a few things but never save money on studio lights and cameras. They bring the main twist in an image.
With this being said, it’s time for us to wrap up and for you to take action!
