Good product photography is essential for selling products online.
Shoppers like to be able to hold a product in their hands, and look it over from different angles. This is easy enough when shopping in-store. When shopping online, however, shoppers rely on product photography to provide a similar experience.
A good product photo doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to put some work into it.
No worries, though. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to capture the best photos. Just follow these pro tips, taken from the latest episode of our podcast. (If you haven’t already, you can subscribe here!)
Sections
How to take product photos that sell
When it comes to product photos, the more you have, the better. But there are two specific types of product photos you’ll want to capture:
- Photos that show your product against a white background
- Photos that show your product in a lifestyle setting
Here’s how to capture both.
How to take product photos with a white background
These types of photos are great for showing your product from all angles (right, left, top, bottom, etc.). If you sell on other websites, such as Amazon, they may actually require you to upload product photos that have just your product against a white background.
Even if you don’t sell on other websites, customers will expect to see this style of product photo on your website. Plus, the white background makes it easy to repurpose them in social media graphics.
The easiest way to capture pure product photos is with a lightbox. You’ll find plenty of affordable options on Amazon. Lightboxes are like a miniature portable photo studio, with an opening on the top and one side. You’ll be placing your product inside the box, so make sure you order one big enough to fit your product inside, whether it’s a suitcase or a small vase.
Pro Tips:
- Zoom in to capture details on your products, like the laces on a shoe or the engraving on a bracelet.
- Show your product at its best. Do what you can to make the product look more exciting, while still maintaining a white background. If you’re selling a vase, place some flowers inside. If you’re selling a necklace, place it on a bust so shoppers can imagine how it will look on them.
How to take product lifestyle photos
You can do a few things here and there to add a little more life to isolated product photos, but nothing gets the job done like a true lifestyle photo.
With these, your goal is to help shoppers envision themselves using your products, and to see your product as a tool that can help them achieve a desired lifestyle — whether that’s a glamorous night out or a cleaner house.
You can use backgrounds to set the vibe, and feature models that match your target audience. Lifestyle photos are also useful for helping shoppers glean more information about the size of your product and how it works.
For example, eCommerce brand Roam Often uses a mix of isolated and lifestyle photography on their website. They have photos that show the product on a white background:
They also have photos that show a representative from their target audience using the travel jewelry organizer, or holding it while relaxing at the beach.
This kind of lifestyle photo shows shoppers just how large the product is, while also suggesting it can help them enjoy their next beach vacation (and who doesn’t want to take a beach vacation?)
Pro Tips:
- Take your photos outside. There’s nothing better than natural lighting!
- Capture both candid and posed photos. Let your models do their thing, and you’ll end up with more than a few gems to choose from.
- Keep pressing that button. It’s better to have too many than too few photos. Plus, whatever you don’t use for your product pages, you can use for social media.
What type of camera is best for product photography?
To take great product photos, you need to invest in the right equipment. You’ll want:
- A mirrorless camera or a DSLR with a 50mm lens and max aperture of f/1.8
- A lightbox
- A tripod
Subscribe for More eCommerce Tips
From product photography to building your online store, we break down everything you need to know in our podcast series, How to Start a Successful eCommerce Business in Less than 30 Days.Catch the latest episode and subscribe here.
