The Complete Guide to E-commerce Product Photography

It is true that e-commerce is becoming even more competitive in an online world of millions of stores vying for the patronage of people. With such high numbers, product photos level the playing field. 

Excellent photos are the ones that differentiate whether a customer clicks on the button “Buy” or “bounces” away to a competitor’s site. Be it your start in e-commerce or trying to amp up your existing product images, this complete guide to e-commerce product photography will surely guide you through it. Moreover, even after having the best product photos, the need for editing mostly arises. In that case, contact Global Photo Edit- a leading e-commerce image editing company. 

So why exactly product photography is important in e-commerce?

It is the same reality with customers when they are shopping online; they cannot hold, feel, or try out a product while looking at images of it overall. Images become the primary tool for evaluating what you’re selling: how well the customer thinks a product is made, designed, and used. 

They speak volumes when they are clear, professional, and high-quality photographs for a product. It informs the customer, becomes a great entry point, and, most importantly, makes them feel comfortable buying.

Bad product photography will usually repel potential buyers as it seems to imply that the product or brand is automatic quality. This is damaging to sales and reputation in the business.

Types of Commercial e-Commerce Product Photography

There are many types of product photos you may want to use on your e-commerce site. Each type serves its different purposes, so you may want to mix and match them depending on what your brand requires:-

Product Photography on White Background

The most common type of product photography for e-commerce stores is that which features the product and pure white background without any distractions. To achieve an ultimate clean-simple look, the focus entirely is on the product. This is especially important for the offers more like Amazon which requires it. 

Lifestyle Photography

This form of photography includes an actual photograph of the object in use. For instance, if you are selling furniture, you will take a photograph that displays it in a living room to show what it looks like in context. Emotional feelings can be easily drawn, and a customer is made to envision the product within their lives. 

Photography of Products at 360 Degrees

Online stores also keep 360 degrees shots of products, thereby allowing customers to rotate the product to view it from all angles. This becomes very useful in a product that has several sides such as shoes, gadgets, or even accessories. Choose Global Photo Edit’s image editing services for ecommerce, to have a stunning, and unique product photo. 

Detail Photography 

Some intricate details of a particular product should be highlighted using close-up photography-such as stitching on leather goods or texture of a fabric. Close-up shots are simply focusing on these and allow customers to see the finer points of the product.

Scale photography is that it shows the comparative size of your products in connection with their surroundings. For instance, if you are selling a smaller object, you might put it beside an object common in everyone’s day- say a coffee mug, or hand- to let customers realize what its size is.

Product Group Photography- If you are selling bundles, sets, or collections, group photographs can show how the items look when grouped with one another, so customers can see how products complement one another.

Important Tips for E-Commerce Product Photography

Having known what product photography is all about; all the different types of such photography, time to dig into the actual really practical steps or tips to take great product images for your e-commerce store.

1. Invest in the Right Equipment

While you can still create decent product photographs using a smartphone, it doesn’t really compare to what professional equipment can do in terms of improving one’s product image. Here is what you may need:

Camera: Whichever model of those available in the Canon EOS Rebel series and the Sony Alpha series, it is always better to have a DSLR or mirrorless camera to capture your pictures at high resolution, and even better control the settings on the device as you are shooting.

Lens: A good macro lens or a 50mm prime captures clear, sharp images that feature great depth of field. A more versatile option would probably be the 24-70mm lens for general product photography. 

Tripod: A tripod stabilizes your camera and therefore sharpness and focus, especially for close-up shots. 

Lighting Equipment: Lighting is essential for the professional quality of photos taken. Buy softbox lights or LED panels to obtain regular and soft lighting. Lightbox works also if the target subject is small objects.

2. Lighting Perfectly

It can create or break your product photography. Bad lighting makes images appear flat, blurred, or overexposed. These are serious deterrents for customers.

Natural Light: If you are starting with photography, light can make miracle effects. Place the product adjacent to an opening which gets enough sunlight for soft yet even lighting. Be careful with bright midday sun rays, as deep attention to shadows will create strong shadows.

Artificial Lighting: Try softbox lights or ring lights for very controlled light. They provide diffused, even light, which minimizes harsh shadows. Set the light 45 degrees apart from your subject, making sure the light source is soft but not direct.

Avoid Shadows: Shadows can be objectionable to the product itself. Minimizing shadows, producing desirable, well-balanced light, can be obtained by the use of diffusers, reflectors, or multiple sources of light.

3. Use a White or Neutral Background

For your product to shine, the background must be distracting-free. The cold white background is now a classic and enforces attention solely on the product.

DIY White Background: This is for those who have a very tight budget: just use a white sheet or paper and, if possible, get it wrinkle-free and lit evenly to avoid shadows.

Seamless Paper: A continuous stretch in white or neutral seamless-ranging backdrop paper will give you that professional touch-look with a clear polish finish to your images.

No Mess: When shooting photos of your products, ensure that it is clean and distraction-free in the background. Minimalist backgrounds highlight features of a product without pulling attention away from it.

In case you need to change the background of your product, or looking to correct any issues- avail our e-commerce product photography services.

4. Take Multiple Close-Up and Angle Shots

Customers cannot touch or examine your product therefore, it is quite necessary to include various angles and detailed close-up shots to enable them to have the best view they can get.

Various Angles: Take different shots of your product from one side-front, back, and sides-so that customers can get a visual understanding of the entire shape and design.

Close-Ups: For something as fine and intricate as textures, stitches, or any other features, close-ups are used.

Size Shots: Always remember to shoot a size-relative photo of your product so that customers can visualize its dimensions.   

5. Edit Your Photos Like a Professional

Post-processing is very important in product photography. Even the best lighting and setup needs a bit of editing to take your images further. 

Brightness and Contrast: Modify brightness, contrast, and exposure to make sure your product pops up as clearly visible and colors look true to reality.

White Balance: Your white balance should be upbeat so that the colors of the products are accurate and consistent.

Cropping and Alignment: It must find your product exactly in the frame and be cropped neatly. These kinds of images do not appear professional.

Retouching: Remove the dust, scrape skin, and imperfections produced in your image. However, remember, don’t over-retouch; the image must have a normal impression.

If you can’t do the editing by yourself, or doesn’t have a team- contact Global Photo Edit. We’re an ecommerce image editing company offering quality image editing services at an affordable price. 

6. Do Web Image Optimization

Too large files slow a website down, thus making visits unpleasant, if not resulting in lost sales. To avoid immolating or scaring customers, it is important to optimize any digital image associated with your product:

Image Compression: When optimized, images or photos should be compressed using such tools like TinyPNG or Adobe Photoshop with little or no loss of quality. The smaller the file size, the faster it loads.

File Type: JPEG is normally the recommended file type for ecommerce products. It combines good quality with pretty small file sizes. PNG is reserved for images with transparency, such as logos or icons. 

Image Size: Avoid having images of incredibly high quality, but not unnecessarily too large. Normal size will be 1000 by 1000 pixels for square product images.

7. Keep Consistency Matching the Brand Voice 

To keep a uniform appearance on your product catalogue, then consistency would be a requirement. All images should share the same type of style, same effect of lighting and same background. This helps create brand identity and, on the other side, makes your online store appear standard and professional.

Conclusion

Product E-commerce photography is a powerful sales booster as well as keeps the trust for customers. You really can create images that are awesome and show the best of your product by investing in the right set-up, proficient in the lighting technique, and paying attention to the details. Remember, customers trust much more when they find that the online store they are purchasing from has clear and quality pictures ready for them. 

From the newbie to the upgrading enthusiast of already existing product photography, these principles would go a long way in convincing you to create an alluring online store that appeals through the eye. And don’t miss to contact Global Photo Edit, and avail our image editing services for ecommerce.