3 Ways to Take Awesome Marketing Photos for an Online Store

Before purchasing from an online store, the user always carefully examines the product page. It is a key element influencing decision-making. The correct design of the product page is an important factor on which the quality of the user experience of the entire online store depends. Each element here must competently solve the problems of users. Today, we will talk about the main detail of the page – the product image.

Research shows that most buyers rate the quality of product images as “extremely important” – they pay attention to them more than to detailed descriptions or reviews. We will tell you how to make selling photos on your own without spending a fortune.

Taking a product photo that sells even without a description

1. Get along with a minimum equipment

You don’t have to shoot with expensive DSLRs and professional light to make selling photos. An inexpensive camera or flagman smartphone is enough. Any flagship model will do.

A lightbox that is the perfect option for product photography can be DIY-made using white cardboard or a cardboard box, and some incandescent bulbs. Thus you’ll have subject illumination and backgrounds of different colors, if necessary.

A tripod is also a useful tool that allows quickly photographing different products from the same angle. It is not worth buying a tripod that is too cheap: it will most likely be unstable and unreliable. But too expensive options are not needed: the main thing is that it is durable.

You can shoot in natural light. To do this, use, for example, a window sill (if, of course, the dimensions of the product allow). In this case, you can get shadows that can emphasize the feature of the product and make the photo more vivid. And, therefore, more pleasing to the eye of buyers.

Don’t forget about the realistic nature of the photo. Try not to edit the product images too much. Buyers may claim that the actual color is completely different. Use minimal color correction while editing. But it is possible and necessary to enhance sharpness that helps to see the product as it is. Among other things, if your store is a separate site, it is better to choose a white canvas as the background, so after shooting, if there are some extra objects in the frame, simply remove the background. You can do this using the online retoucher for images.

2. Shoot from different angles

The main hindrance of online trading is that the client cannot touch the product with his own hands. Therefore, if he sees it only from one angle, it can be annoying and even trigger the refusal of a purchase.

Well, there is a solution: take a photo from every angle and show it in 360 degrees. Use macro lens to better show product details that may be crucial to the customer.

Show the functionality of the item. If you can do something with it, do it and show how exactly it can be used (the photo in this case can be supplemented with a video).

After shooting, test the photos on your friends and family: is there enough information they get from the photos? Then adjust your strategy.

3. Use original composition

Potential buyers are attracted by originality. In a bunch of similar photos, it’s important to stand out. You can take a picture of a beautiful ring traditionally: on a beautiful fabric or inside a branded box. And you can attract pets to the process by placing the decoration on the dog’s nose, for example. Almost everyone loves them, and therefore attention is guaranteed.

Show your product from an unexpected angle, against an unfamiliar background. Choose atypical accessories for shooting – here you can only be limited by your imagination.

Use different backgrounds, which can be made, for example, from pieces of wood painted in different colors. Use fabrics – linen looks especially good.

Remember, the background should emphasize the advantages of the product, and not be distracting.

Learn the rule of thirds used by professional photographers. This is a compositional principle based on the Golden Ratio rule: position the object at the “points of force”.

Checklist: check if your photos meet these requirements

• The subject is in focus.
• The color is reproduced as close as possible to the original, not distorted by color correction.
• The product was photographed from several angles, and is as informative as possible.
• It shows all the details and nuances that the buyer may be interested in.
• The photo speaks for itself: it shows the functionality of the product.

Wrap up

8 out of 10 potential buyers will not click on a product item without a photo. It doesn’t matter what you sell – handmade decorations, custom-made cakes, clothes or paintings – photos must be in your store. If you upload beautiful photos, buyers will get the impression that you are a professional in your field, and the product is of the same high quality as the photo.