GETTING STARTED

How to take good product photos?

Your guide to creating pictures that sell

5 min. read

Jan 24, 2023

Starting a new online business can be challenging, especially when you think of the number of rivals competing for the top spot. If you are a first-time entrepreneur or business owner looking to take your business online, it is vital to understand the importance of product photos in driving sales and growing your business. That’s why we’ve come up with a product photos guide to help you and your e-commerce business make the right decisions.
A very common misconception is that you need a huge investment in product photography to get attractive and competitive product photos. That simply isn’t the case, with a few tips and hacks your smartphone can double as a great way to take amazing product photos. Read on to get simple yet effective ideas in this product photos guide on how you can create amazing product photos right at home, so you can create pictures that sell your products.

Why is a great product photo important for e-commerce?

Before figuring out how to take amazing product photos, you first need to understand why they’re considered so important. They act as a window into your online store and great product photos are vital to the purchase decision, ultimately driving sales and growing your business. Data sourced by Bargain Fox shows that 93% of consumers consider visual presentation to be vital to purchase decisions from e-commerce businesses.

Product photos are the first point of interaction with potential customers who browse products online. Therefore, they need to be professional, clear, and compelling
An excellent initial impression of your brand is created by a high-quality image, which suggests that your product is also high-quality.
Photographs are more enticing than text. It boosts the conversion rate.
Premium quality and detailed product images help you to showcase USPs that you’re your products.

So, what makes a great product photo?

The background of the product photo can enhance the product’s appearance. A contrasting background can bring the product in the photo to life and let it become the center of attention. A general rule is to use a background “sweep”, this means making the base and the background into the same color.

Note: It is generally recommended to use a background sweep effect for your product photos. A background sweep is essentially using the same colour for your base as well as the background. Giving your photo a "sweep" effect.

The photo should be clear and focused so that customers can easily see all the details and features of the product. The primary use of a product photo is for a customer to understand what they’re buying. A detailed photo is essential to accomplish this and the more detailed the better. You can also zoom into parts of the product (close-ups) eg: zooming into the buttons and fabric of a shirt.

There should be multiple photos of the product from different angles. This is so that a customer fully understands the product they’re buying and are the kind of pictures that end up selling your product to a customer on the fence.

photos of the product from different angles

Here is a quick product photography guide from our YouTube channel to understand how to take great product pictures for your online store, on a budget.

Types of product shots with examples

Product shots are photographs of a product taken from different angles and perspectives to showcase its features and benefits

1. Individual product shots:

An individual product shot involves photographing a single product in a frame. A product with a simple white background is a common form used on most web pages.

2. Lifestyle product shots:

Lifestyle product shots showcase how the product is used in everyday life. They often feature people interacting with the product in natural settings such as homes, offices, or outdoor environments.

3. Detail product shots:

These product shots focus on textures, colors, and patterns. They can highlight small details that may not be visible in wider shots.
For instance, photos of fabric, close-up or images of the buttons and zipper details on clothing items. Such a shot gives an in-depth glimpse of the product.

4. Group product photo:

It is generally taken for a range of products, like a new hair care or skincare kit. It helps to identify the whole range of products in one frame.

Examples include a hair kit range showing their full range of shampoo, conditioner, and oil. It showcases all the items in a range and gives an easy overview of the products.

5. Packaging shots:

These are images of the packaging of the product and are used to display the branding and design of the packaging itself and the product inside.

They are often used in e-commerce stores to showcase how the customer will receive the product.

Tips to take great product photos

Here are some useful tips to assist you in taking great e-commerce product photos.

Use natural light:
Natural light is the best way to showcase your products flatteringly. Find a spot with plenty of natural light near a window or shade. When using natural light, it’s also advisable to invest in a bounce board/ reflective surface that will light up the shadow areas cast by your product. This will give every part of the product good lighting. A simple search on Amazon or on your nearby store should equip you sufficiently.
Invest in a tripod:
A tripod will help hold your camera/ mobile phone steady and ensure that all your shots are sharp and clear. While this isn’t a ‘necessity’ its highly recommended unless your camera has advanced OIS/EIS (optical image stabilization/ Electronic image stabilization) equipped on it.
Focus on details:
When taking product photos, focus on the details that make your product unique. Take multiple shots from different angles so customers can get a good idea of what they're buying, with a good number of close-ups that showcase your product in all its glory
Use props:
Props can help bring your product images to life and give them more context. Try incorporating plants, flowers, fabrics, or other small objects into your photos. This can be exemplified by the use of props and accessories in a photo that accentuate the product that you’re aiming to sell. A great example is the use of rose petals in a product shot for rose scented candles, allowing viewers to better imagine the actual smell of the product. But it’s also important to not use too many as they can clutter the frame and distract a shopper from focusing on your product.

Use the Rule of Third:
The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places the subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.You can implement this easily by using grid lines settings on your phones/ cameras.

Rule of symmetry:
Another rule is the rule of symmetry, which refers to a line that divides a picture into two mirrored parts. This a powerful tool in photography and usually associated with beauty by our brain. However, sometimes, the disorder in photography can have a strong influence on the viewer because of its uniqueness and difference. You could use both rules in different product photos that you take for your product.

Do I need an expensive camera?

Although most e-commerce business guides might push you towards purchasing an expensive camera and setup, taking good product photos at home doesn’t mean that you need to purchase expensive equipment. You don’t need an expensive camera or a studio. Even a good mobile camera can help you take great product photographs and help you avoid images that have too much contrast or look washed out. While that doesn’t mean you go out and buy the current flagship phone for your product photos, being mindful of the image quality your phone produces are definitely a plus.

How to edit product photos?

Editing product photos is equally important as capturing stunning images. The tips below can enhance the look of the product.

Adjust lighting: Lighting must be even and not too harsh or too dark. Ensure the colors are accurate, and the image looks professional. True to life lighting and images are the recommended for all your product photos and the lighting must be enough to give the customer a detailed view of your product.
Crop and resize: It's important to ensure that your image is the right size for whatever platform you use (e.g., website, social media, etc.). Images that are too large/small can have a serious impact on a customer’s impression of product quality.
Color correction: You can use color correction tools to adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness levels to ensure your product looks its best. This doesn’t mean editing images to unreal levels of color correction. Your customer will be expecting what they see on your website and so acceptable levels of color correction are what’s expected.
Sharpen and blur: You could sharpen certain details of your product or blur out parts of the background to bring more focus to the product itself.

While editing product pictures, try to keep a balance as over-editing can negatively impact the impression of the image. Firstly, customers may be dissatisfied and lose faith if the image does not accurately depict the product. Second, customers may miss the product's most appealing qualities if the product's features are obscured by too much editing. Last but not least, if you edit a photo too much, you risk ruining its quality and resolution and making it appear fuzzy and pixelated.

Examples of great product photos for social media, e-commerce marketplaces and your website

Things to remember

Great pictures are undoubtedly an essential part of your online business. If you incorporate attractive and detailed pictures in your responsive website, it can do wonders for your sales. Keeping in mind the tips shared in this blog when taking product images at home will surely improve the images you click. However, understanding the challenges your business faces in other aspects is also important, along with working on improving your customer experience.

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With SmartBiz you can set up your website in minutes and focus on driving sales, growth and improving customer experiences. With our intuitive product listing tools, you can quickly and easily add unlimited product items to your website and start selling directly to customers in no time.

So, don't wait any longer – try SmartBiz for free today and get started on starting your own online business. After all, it all starts with a website. For more similar ideas and tips, follow us on social media and subscribe to our blogs.