Are you ready to catch some eyes? And drive up your online sales? Because we are ready to spill the secrets that will level up your e-commerce photoshoot game.
A good e-commerce photo session will sell your products in the best way possible and grab the attention of your target customer, improving the sales of the products. Excellent quality and well-focus pictures directly affect a customer, increasing traffic and yield.
Plan Your Photoshoot
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” – Ansel Adams.
Just as the popular quote by the famous photographer Ansel Adams said, make your photograph by planning out your photoshoot.
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Define Your Goals And Objectives
To help you get started, keep a clear objective for your photoshoot before proceeding to the details. It is necessary to understand whether your goals include new concepts, ideas, or social media advertising content. Defining your goals and objectives will go a long way in shaping the overall strategy.
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Select The Right Product
Start with the selection of the right products that would be fit for your photoshoot. Make sure that the items are clean and in their best state, capable of giving a good photograph. Identify which aspects of the product should be highlighted with regard to the concept that is being sold. For instance, if you were photographing fashion items, ensure you capture stitch lines, the texture of the fabric or the quality of the fit.
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Create A Shot List
Make a comprehensive shot list to ensure that your photoshoot is well coordinated. This list should contain different perspectives, close-ups, and contextual shots. To complement the product, try taking shots of it from various angles—front, side, and top views—along with any unique features that need to be highlighted.
Set Up Your Photoshoot Space
Setting up your photo shoot in the right location with good lighting, background, and composition can enhance or ruin the end result of your photo.
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Choose The Right Location
The location of your photo shoot can greatly affect the outcome of the photos. You can use an indoor studio where you can fix any lighting and background or an outdoor location that is natural, clean, tidy, free from clutter, and appropriate to your type of product.
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Lighting
Lighting is considered one of the essential elements in photo shoots. Good lighting helps improve the presentation of the product and identify the correct colour of the product. The best light source for indoor shooting is natural light, but if it is not possible, use softboxes or LED lights to ensure you get the right illumination. It is also important to avoid dark shadows and overly bright areas in the scene, which can be done by using diffusers.
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Background And Props
The background should complement the product without taking or stealing the limelight from it. White or light grey backgrounds are popular in shootouts for online stores because they do not distract attention from the products. For a more creative approach, choose textured or coloured backgrounds that are more appealing to customers. They can be very handy as they tend to establish context or interest but should not in any way overshadow the main product.
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Camera Equipment
Investing in good camera equipment is essential for capturing high-quality images. A DSLR or a mirrorless camera with a high resolution is perfect for e-commerce photography. A tripod is also used to provide support and steadying for the video camera to get high-quality images. Further, using different lenses makes it easier to capture various angles and details effectively.
Photography Techniques
You can utilise various techniques to improve the quality of your picture by experimenting with angles, compilation and retouching.
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Composition, Focus, And Sharpness
Composition plays a vital role in how the product is presented. Use the rule of thirds to create balanced and engaging images. Ensure that the product is in sharp focus to display each feature and detail. A tripod helps prevent camera shake and maintains consistency in sharpness across all images.
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Angles And Perspectives
When shooting the commercial with the product, experiment with angles and points of view as much as possible to capture the product’s details. Capture the front, side, and top views, but do not limit the shot to these standard views to capture the unique features of the product. For example, using the 45-degree angle can make a product that has a three-dimensional look more elating.
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Editing And Retouching
The last thing you can do is to enhance an image by post-processing it. To make the product look real, adjust the brightness, contrast, and colour balance. Use editing software to delete any marks or imperfections and set uniformity throughout the images. This step helps create a professional and polished look, therefore improving the outlook of the product.
Product Representation
Include probs and models in your photoshoot while performing a detailed close-up or contextual shots.
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Model And Mannequin
For apparel and accessories, using models or mannequins can provide context and help customers visualise how the product looks when worn. Models can demonstrate the fit and style of clothing, while mannequins are helpful for showcasing accessories or items where wearing isn’t feasible or when models aren’t available.
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Contextual And Lifestyle Shots
Contextual shots are when a product is shot in a real-life environment with the intent to help the customer understand how that product would look in his or her life. For instance, a kitchen gadget might be photographed in a kitchen environment, an umbrella photographed in a rainy environment, and so on. Lifestyle shots tell a story in the commercial, which makes the product seem more relatable and familiar.
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Detailed Close-ups
Close-up shots should capture fine details, including designs such as the texture of the fabric, stitching, embroidery or any other special work. These images allow customers to get a glimpse of the quality of the product in addition to the workmanship that goes into it, which may sometimes be crucial in deciding to purchase the product.
Optimise Photos For E-Commerce
It is also essential to optimise the image resolution and size, the file format, the alt text and the description so that the onlookers feel the message you want to impart through the picture.
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Image Resolution And Size
High-resolution images are essential to capture every detail of the product and to look professional. To get a nice view of the product, it is ideal to go for a minimum of 1000×1000 pixels. However, you can optimise the file size to boost the quality of the image and ensure that loading times are optimum for users.
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File Formats
JPEG and PNG are the best file formats for taking photos for e-commerce. JPEGs offer an optimal quality proportional to the size, while PNGs are best used when the particular picture has an element of transparency. Select the format that is more convenient and will provide high-quality images.
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Alt Text And Descriptions
Including descriptive alt text to the pictures benefits SEO and makes the site more optimised for a screen reader. Optimise the keywords and create more precise descriptions to enhance the search engine results. This also benefits visually impaired users who use screen readers to navigate through the website.
“If you can’t feel what you are looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures”. – Don Mc Cullin
The Perfect Snap!
Enhancing your photoshoot involves careful planning, the right setup, and attention to detail. From defining your goals and selecting the right products to optimising images for web use, each step is crucial for creating compelling visuals that attract and engage customers.
Whether you’re working with a creative agency or handling the shoot in-house, investing time and effort into your product photography will pay off in a more appealing and effective online store. At Blacklisted Agency, we utilise innovative techniques that will significantly improve the quality of your e-commerce photoshoot, therefore leading to better product presentation and increased sales.
