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Marketing and Branding

10 Photography Tips To Make Your Product Sell

As a professional photographer, I know how important it is to have high-quality images to sell a product. Your product photography is often the first impression your potential customers have of your product, and they can make or break a sale. In this blog, I share my top 10 photography tips to make your product sell.

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In order to sell effectively, you need to showcase a product in a way that highlights its best features and makes it look irresistible to potential buyers. From the lighting setup to the details of your shot, these tips will help you create stunning product images that will grab the attention of your target audience and increase your sales.

1. Use Artificial Lighting To Highlight Your Product Details

When it comes to product photography, lighting plays a crucial role in highlighting the details of your product. While natural light can be great, it is not always consistent and can be difficult to control. This is where artificial lighting comes in.

Using a ring light or soft LED light can provide consistent lighting that will make your product photography look more professional. This is especially important if you plan on taking multiple photos over time.

To get the most out of your artificial lighting, it’s important to position a light correctly. You want to make sure that the light is hitting your product from the right angle and that it highlights its features. This may require some experimentation, but once you find the right setup, you’ll be able to consistently produce high-quality product photos.

Good lighting is one of the most important aspects of getting great photos of your products. Having all of your store items photographed with good light shows your professionalism.

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When it comes to choosing your lighting, there are many options available. If you are more advanced in your skills and using a digital camera a softbox and a flash might be a great investment. Those combined will provide soft diffused light, which can result in more even lighting and fewer harsh shadows.

Other sources of artificial lighting might be using a good ring light or soft diffused LED as a main light for your product photography. This will enhance your photos if you are on a budget and need to use a smartphone. Smartphones take excellent photos with a little skill, and you can create beautiful product photography using yours.

Overall, using artificial lighting can be a great way to highlight the details of your product in your photography. With a little experimentation and the right equipment, you can produce high-quality product photos.

2. Pay Attention To Details

Buyers want to see every detail of the product they are interested in purchasing, so paying attention to details is crucial. It is important to use good lighting that evenly illuminates the product without creating any heavy shadows. This will allow customers to study the details of your product before they make a purchase.

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Whether you are using natural or artificial light, soft light is ideal for product photography. Even lighting without any harsh shadows will allow every element of your product to be visible. Heavy shadows will allow dark areas of a product to be difficult to see. Harsh lighting causes a lack of detail and can often result in incorrect color shifts on an image.

Soft even lighting in a photo makes it easier to add contrast, modify exposure, or make color corrections later if the product needs tweaking. Paying attention to the details of lighting and using the right type of light can make a huge difference in the quality of your imagery.

3. Consider Using Outdoor Light

When it comes to photography, lighting is everything. Natural light is a beautiful light source if you know how to use it correctly. Shooting at the right time of day will make a difference. Shooting early in the morning or using softly shaded light helps to avoid harsh shadows in a photo especially if the subject matter has a lot of depth.

Shooting lifestyle photos look great when shot outside and it is easier to control the quality of light and color balance with a little experimenting. Try to find a location that has beautiful soft lighting that will complement your product. Be aware of the time of day and the direction of the light. Shooting during the early morning or in a shaded area works best for a soft, natural look.

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Avoid harsh shadows if you’re shooting during the middle of the day. Find a location with soft, diffused light such as an overhang to avoid harsh shadows. The downside to shooting with natural outdoor light is that it can be difficult to control. Weather and constant sunlight changes don’t always provide the best lighting conditions so be sure to take this into consideration.

Overall, using outdoor light can be a great way to create beautiful, natural-looking images of your products. Whether you’re shooting early in the morning or using softly shaded light, taking advantage of natural light can help you create images that are both beautiful and professional especially if you are on a budget.

4. Bounce Light Into Your Product Or Subject

I’ve talked about the importance of good lighting to showcase your product in the best possible way. Sometimes a single light may not spread across your product completely, bouncing light into your product or subject is a technique that can help.

Bouncing light refers to placing a reflective surface in the path of your light source, which will push some of that light back into the subject. This technique can help fill in shadowed areas softly and create depth.

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One way to achieve this is by using a white card opposite your main light source. This will help bounce fill light into your product, which will help showcase the product’s details and texture. It’s important to experiment by positioning the reflective surface at different angles to see how it affects the lighting and shadows on your product.

Overall, bouncing light into your product or subject can help create a more dynamic and visually appealing photo. It’s a simple technique that can make a big difference in the final result.

5. Stabilize Your Camera

As a professional photographer, I know how important it is to have sharp and clear images of the products I shoot. I often use a tripod to help with continuity and sharpness, especially when shooting in low-light situations. Stabilization helps to eliminate camera shake and ensures that each shot is consistent.

To achieve this, you can also use a tripod or mobile grip to help with your own product photography. A mobile grip is also a great option for those who want to shoot on the go. It provides a stable base for your camera and allows you to capture steady shots without having to carry around a bulky tripod.

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A stable camera helps to ensure that a product is in focus when shooting under low light conditions. It allows you to experiment with different angles and lighting setups without having to worry about camera shake.

Stabilizing your camera is a crucial step in product photography. It ensures that your images are sharp, clear, and consistent. Whether you choose to use a tripod or mobile grip, make sure to invest in a reliable and sturdy option to get the best results.

6. Pay Attention To Your Composition

As a product photographer, I understand the importance of composition in setting up a great shot. Experimenting with different item pairings and considering product placement within the frame can lead the viewer’s eye to the product, making it more appealing.

Most product shots on e-commerce sites are simple, clean, and have ample negative space around the product. Leaving blank space around an item helps draw attention to it and create a more dynamic composition. It draws the eye into the product details and allows space for adding text details about the product when sharing online.

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Paying attention to composition is crucial in creating product photos that sell. By experimenting with different pairings, item placement, and post-production editing, you can create a photo that catches the viewer’s eye and highlights the best features of whatever you are selling.

7. Consider Having A Dedicated Space To Shoot Your Product

Having a dedicated space to shoot your product in doesn’t require a large space and it will allow you to keep your backgrounds, lighting, and tripod set up. This will save you a lot of time and allow for more consistency and continuity in your photos.

If you are selling multiple views of an item or similar products, will help keep your lighting consistent and ensure that everything is uniform across your e-commerce website or online store. It will also streamline your business workflow, making it easier to shoot new products as they come in.

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Make your products sell by having dedicated space that will allow you to experiment with different lighting setups and backgrounds. Once you find the perfect look you will want to be able to achieve that look over and over again with future products. The ability to keep things set up and ready to go, allows you to quickly shoot a new product that matches previous photos shot for your store.

If you plan to shoot a lot of different items over time, I highly recommend setting up a dedicated workspace for taking photos. It will save you time, increase consistency, and help you create professional-looking images for your e-commerce business.

8. Consider The Background & Angle Of Your Photo

The background and angle of your photo can make a huge difference in how your product is perceived by potential customers. A cluttered or distracting background can take away from the focus of your product, while a clean and neutral background will help your product stand out.

Choosing the right background color is crucial. Usually white is a safe choice because it will not distract from the product itself. However, depending on the product and its intended use, a colored background may add interest. For example, a brightly colored background may work well for a children’s toy, while a natural background such as wood or stone may be more fitting for a product with an earthy or organic feel.

In addition to the background, the angle of your photo is also important. Shooting a variety of images at multiple angles will give you more options to choose from when selecting final images for use in marketing materials. It’s important to capture both horizontal and vertical shots, as this will allow for more creativity when it comes to sharing the images on different platforms and with different text overlays.

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By considering the background carefully your images will look professional and well thought out. Shooting a variety of angles gives you multiple visually appealing choices for how you plan to market them later.

9. Keep A Steady Brand Consistency

Keeping brand consistency is essential in marketing a product, connecting with clients, and appealing to an audience. Incorporate that brand into the style, colors, and orientation of your photos. This consistency helps your customers to identify with your brand and keeps them coming back.

Conformity with your photographs over time look professional and will help your brand stand out in the market. Whether you are marketing your products on social media, your website, online shopping platforms, catalogs, or billboards, keeping a consistent look and feel is crucial to building a strong brand identity.

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Keep the same lighting, background, and props to maintain your desired look across all your images. This helps your customers recognize your brand easily and builds trust. Trust over time will make customers want to purchase their favorite items from your business.

Steady brand consistency is essential for building a strong business identity, increasing customer loyalty, and boosting sales. As a photographer, it is my responsibility to connect a client’s brand with any product images that I photograph in order to help them achieve their goals in selling their products.

10. Consider Using Props

Using props can be a great way to showcase your product’s features and make it more visually appealing. Props can help to create a story, showcase how it can be used in real-life situations, and make it stand out from the competition.

Props can add depth and interest to your photographs by generating a mood or feeling that connects with a potential customer. Use props that are relevant to your product and that help to tell its story.

Create your composition carefully and use props in moderation so you don’t distract from your product’s main features. If used correctly props can help you stand out from the competition and make your product sell.

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Final Thoughts To Make Your Product Sell

Product photography is a crucial aspect of selling a product, the quality of your photos can make or break a sale. It is important to plan and produce high-quality photos that capture the essence of your product.

The goal of your photos is to entice someone enough to make them want to click and learn more or add an item to their cart. By planning and producing quality photos, you can increase your chances of making a sale and growing your business. I hope that you enjoyed these expert tips on creating product photography that sells.

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