How you present your products on social media or in your online shop is an important part of selling them! If you are doing product photography by yourself, you have to think about some significant points first.
It is the very first impression the potential buyer or client gets of your brand and your products. In other words, the first couple of seconds are crucial before a buyer loses interest or wants to know more! Make the first impression count!
The ultimate pro tip is of course to invest in product images done by a professional photographer, ideally one who specializes in product photography!
But if you are still struggling to set aside a budget for a professional photo session, there are some things to take into consideration before you grab your cam. Although taking images of your products are maybe not your favorite part of your business, the Bible recommends doing our best as it was for Jehovah with whatever we are doing. If he would ask us to do some photographs of our work, how much time and preparation would you invest?
“Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as for Jehovah, and not for men.”
COLOSSIANS 3:23
10+ Tips to improve your product photography
The best part of it is, you don’t need expensive photo gear or a photo studio to do that! Here are some tips you can implement today!
- Correct lighting
Always use daylight! Use a bright location by the window or between two windows. If the images still turn out dark or show lots of shadows, use a reflector (e.g. a small mirror or aluminum foil). Avoid reflections on your products. You can also consider building a small lightbox. Here is an example of a DIY lightbox. - Composition
Apply the Golden Ratio (Rule of Thirds). Most cameras have a grid view to help with building interesting compositions. Jehovah created everything using the Golden Ratio, it is his perfect design guide for us! Learn more about the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio. - White Balance
Make sure your photos don’t turn out too yellow or too blue. That could happen if you were using yellow artificial lighting or too many different light sources. If you still are not satisfied with the outcome, you can adjust the white balance later! - Background
Avoid busy backgrounds. It distracts from what you want to show, your products. If you don’t have a nice clear wall, corner, or surface, consider using backdrops. - Clean products
Make sure your products and props are clean and free of dust or fingerprints. - Edit your photos
You don’t need expensive software or apps to do that. If you are using your phone or tablet to take pictures, there are some editing options in most free photo apps. The most important rule when editing your product images is: less is more! Adjust shadows and light, contrast and if necessary correct the white balance. My favorite tools to edit photos are the Photos app (preinstalled with iOS), VSCO, and Affinity Photo (advanced knowledge necessary). - Consistency
Plan a consistent style or color palette for your product photography. It now only gives a recognition value to your social media feed or website, but it is also visually appealing for potential buyers. - Different types of product images
Try to use various types of images for your product. There are product stills (for your product catalog), images of product details, the product in use, behind the scenes, lifestyle images, and user images. - Mockups
Product mockups are a very popular way of showing your product in different situations without having to shoot them by yourself. Mockups are not only used for digital goods but also for printed products. There are a lot of resources to find suitable and inexpensive product mockups. For instance, a very common shop is Creative Market. - Inspiration
If you have a bunch of new products to shoot and have no clue how to do that, go and look for some inspiration. For example, browse your favorite online shops for ideas or dive into the never-ending inspiration well that is Pinterest. BUT, DON’T FORGET TO GET INSPIRED AND DO NOT COPY! - Less is more
Last but now least, don’t overpack your images with unnecessary props. The potential buyers have to be able to focus on your beautiful product and why they need it in their lives.
In conclusion, I can tell you, that you will grow into product photography and as you develop a routine you won’t lose a lot of time doing it. Do you have any other tips that have already helped you when it comes to shooting images of your goods? Share them in the comments!
In addition to that, have you read my article about how to increase your product quality? You can find it HERE
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Wonderful tips Nadine! Practice makes perfect, so the saying goes but the more you practice these tips the better you will get. They are very practical especially for a small shop who doesn’t have the budget to pay a professional.