Look Like A Pro With These Product Photography Tips

Well-captured and edited product photographs have the inherent power to attract and retain a horde of customers and clients. A quality, eye-catching, image can convert a window shopper to a return customer. So the better your product photography, the higher your website conversions. At the end of this read, your product photography skills will go through the roof!

5 Failproof Product Photography Tips

Here are 5 fail-proof product photography tips that will help you take picture-perfect product photos and convert your visitors and prospects to instant customers:

Lighting is Non-negotiable

The use of proper lighting in any form of photography is non-negotiable. Lighting can either improve or mar the quality of your pictures, so choosing the right one is a necessity. Understand that potential buyers want to see all the details on your photo to help them make a buying decision, so you need to capture your products in the best light to highlight key attractive features. These features can be easily lost to the eye if the wrong lighting setup is used.

Bear in mind that different lighting setups work for different products. What works for A might not work for B. However, there are two main lighting sources you can work with; natural light and artificial light. The sun you see is natural light.

Artificial light on the other hand refers to candles, fire, light bulbs among other options. Natural light casts a soft glow on products and can be adopted for products that are shot outside, shot with a person, or used to highlight the object’s surroundings (and not key features of the product itself). In contrast, artificial light focuses and highlights product details that are poised to impress potential shoppers.

Use a White Background

This is referred to as using an “infinity cove”. An infinity cove is simply a curved, all-white, space that gives the impression that the background is endless. In the absence of an infinity cove, you can use Photoshop to erase the image background and replace it with a white background to give a clean and seamless look to your photos. However, plain white background is the go-to for standard product photos and not otherwise.

A Tripod Comes in Handy

Tripods might appear inconsequential until you realize how much better they make your images look. They improve the clarity and quality of your products and they are quite affordable. Shaking hands are a common photography symptom, and tripods work to eliminate this natural human factor. As such they remove the slightest blurry effect (as a result of shaking hands) from your photos. Thus, giving them a professional and high-quality look.

Don’t Be Quick to Delete

Make it a rule to view your product photos on a computer screen before using the delete button on your camera. Don’t erase pictures on your camera directly until you’ve seen how they appear on a computer screen because these are larger than your camera screen and will magnify hard-to-miss details. A not-so-great-looking picture on your camera might appear breathtaking on a computer screen.

Employ “Macro” Setting for Finer Details

This is especially important for fine products like jewelry with many gorgeous yet intricate details. This is where the macro setting on your camera comes in handy. It can capture these inconspicuous details and amplify their beauty for the public eye. Your customers will see up-close details of the product, which will appeal to their purchasing instinct. Hence, it is best to invest in a macro lens if you sell products like jewelry.

The Bottom Line

Now you know some great tips for taking high-quality, professional product photos even if you are not a pro! Remember to take some basic editing classes as well. And when you are done taking excellent product photos, don’t forget to preserve and share them with an image hosting website like iPhoto.