Tips to improve your product photography skills

Posted by Himanshu Goyal on November 30th, 2022

Making your ecommerce products stand out on online marketplaces, such as eBay or Etsy, is critical to increasing visibility and sales. High-quality product photos are the first thing potential customers see when browsing your product listings. They’ll help sell your items faster by conveying them as something desirable and ready for sale. The best way to ensure you’ve got the most appealing e-commerce images possible is by taking the time to improve your product photography skills. Whether you take a photo of an object from above, shoot it from a side angle, or snap it straight on, you can use tricks and techniques to get the perfect shots every time. Here are five tips for improving your skills when it comes to shooting products.

Plan ahead

Before you even start to unpack your product, you should have a clear plan of action for how you will photograph it. This can help you avoid certain mistakes and produce more polished results. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are a few things to consider when planning your shot. First, consider the environment in which you’ll be photographing your product. Is there sufficient light? What about background noise? Are there any other potential distractions? You can use a large tablecloth or a blanket to cover the surface of your table or the floor to avoid having a distracting background. This can be particularly helpful if you’re shooting in a room with tile or concrete floors. Next, consider how to position your product on the table. Position it as naturally as possible and try to avoid tilting it. Doing so can make your product look awkward and unappealing. Finally, consider the product itself. What is this product, and what is it used for? What are its benefits? How can you convey these in your product photos?

Be mindful of the lighting.

Lighting is the most important aspect of any type of photography, and product photography is no exception. You must consider the light source, direction, and brightness to create the perfect lighting for your shots. A consistent light source will make your photos look clean and polished, and it’s key to highlighting the texture and color of your products. You can use natural light or a lamp, but natural light is often the best option for product shots. If you’re using a lamp, ensure it has a consistent brightness and avoid using a light with a strong yellow or orange hue. Not only do you want your product to be visible, but you also want it to look its best. Products are often brightly colored and can benefit from the enhanced brightness of a light source. You can also use light modifiers, such as reflectors or diffusers to shape light and focus it on your products. This will make sure that all areas of your products are evenly lit, avoiding a distracting patch of light in one corner of the shot.

Use a tripod

A tripod is an incredibly useful tool for product photography because it stabilizes your camera, making it easier to take a clear, crisp shot. When taking photos of products, you want to be as precise and steady as possible. A tripod will help you create a consistent and controlled environment that gives your photos a polished, professional look. It will help keep your camera steady while you’re shooting and also allow you to compose your shots and frame them exactly as you want. Depending on the type of product you’re shooting, a tripod is a must. If you’re shooting an object with a curved or rounded shape, a tripod will ensure that every side of it is in focus, without any unwanted blur. When framing your product and composing the shot, take care to avoid any parts of the background that you don’t want to be visible in the final shot. If the tripod is too close to your product, the camera might pick up the details in the background, which will be very difficult to edit later.

Utilize a remote shutter

Many photographers use a remote shutter to avoid touching the camera while they’re shooting. This can help you avoid smudges, fingerprints, and scratches on the camera, and it will also keep your hands out of the shot, preventing unwanted shadows and fingers from showing up in the photos. A remote shutter can also allow you to adjust your camera settings, such as the ISO and shutter speed, to get the perfect shot. This is especially helpful when shooting in low light or when you want to use a slower shutter speed. When shooting with a remote shutter, make sure that you select the appropriate shutter speed for your shot, whether that’s 1/60th or 1/30th of a second.

Edit your photos

Once you’ve taken your photos, you can really bring them to life with a few simple edits. Most editing apps, like Photoshop or Lightroom, have many photo filters that can dramatically alter your images. It’s important to edit your photos to make them fit in with the overall aesthetic of your ecommerce store. This can be as simple as applying a photo filter. You can also use apps like Canva to create custom-made backgrounds and graphics that improve your images and make them fit with your branding. If you’re shooting products in color, you have the option to convert the images to black and white, which can give them a timeless look. This can be an especially helpful editing trick if you’re selling products from a specific decade. Finally, consider adding text to your product photos. This can be a great way to highlight important features or benefits of your products.

Conclusion

Product photography is a critical part of any ecommerce business. It’s the first thing customers see when browsing your store, and it can make or break their shopping experience. It’s important to spend time improving your product photography skills so you can capture your product images at the highest quality possible. When shooting, it’s important to plan your shot, consider the environment and background of your setup, use a tripod to stabilize your camera and use a remote shutter to avoid touching it while shooting. You can also edit your photos to make them fit with your brand’s image and add text to highlight important features.

Author Bio

Abhishek Kumar is your common digital hooman with marketing as profession, finance as a curious habit, and sports as a survival mechanism.

He has written this article for Flixstudio - AI Powered Photo Studios