Are you an online business looking for ways to improve your product presentation? Look no further than this product photography blog! With the right tools and techniques, taking compelling product photos is well within your reach. Here, we share everything about E-commerce product photography – from different types of product photography, to where to look to hire a professional photographer, to tips and tricks to create stunning product photos! Read along.

Different Types Of Product Photography

Product photos are an essential part of any successful E-commerce store and can vary in style and purpose. Let’s explore the different types of product photography, from classic everyday shots to more creative and unique ones and how having a consistent look across your product pictures, or tastefully combining different styles can have a stronger visual impact.

Individual shots

The individual shot is basically a shot of an individual item or product. Here, the photographer will typically try to capture the product in all its glory – from texture, colour and design to shape and size. Product shots can be really exciting for buyers when they’re trying to decide if they want to buy something or not!

An excellent example is from BoAt in which they have shot the product on a grey background, giving it a clean and elegant look.

Credit: BoAt Website

Group shots

As the name suggests, a group photo displays a group of items, such as a set of books or clothes. By displaying different ranges and styles within one image, you’re showing buyers that there’s something for everyone in your product lineup!

Here we share an example of how Dermafique displays its different range of skin care products in a single group shot – from cleansing lotion to face serum.

Credit: Dermafique Website

Lifestyle shots

Lifestyle shots are a type of photography where products are featured in action with a model. This style allows businesses to tell their customers the story behind their products and show how they can be used in everyday life.

See how Farida Gupta – an online clothing brand uses lifestyle shots for the branding of its handcrafted men and women apparel.

Credit: Farida Gupta Website

Packaging shots  

Packaging shots are pictures of products in their branded packaging. These images give customers a taste of what to expect when they purchase the product.

For example, Juicy Chemistry provides beautiful images of its products alongside its packaging boxes to give potential customers an idea of the overall look and feel. Packaging shots can be a powerful tool to showcase your product’s unique branding strategy and make it stand out from the competition.

Credit: Juicy Chemistry Website

Detailed shots

Detailed shots are a form of photography that helps capture the tiny intricacies that might otherwise go unnoticed in traditional photography. These shots require specific lighting and camera settings, such as a macro lens, to magnify those details and make them more visible.

For instance, see how Anita Dongre showcases her jewellery designs on a white background so that you can easily spot the vibrant hues and intricate patterns of each piece.

Credit: Anita Dongre Website

Essential Equipment for Product Photography

For product photography there are a few essential items you’ll need:

1. Shooting Table – If you’re looking to capture the perfect shot of your product, you’ll need a sturdy surface. A shooting table provides a level, smooth surface and can be used in combination with different surfaces, backdrops and lights to create the perfect photograph. There are a variety of shooting tables available on various marketplaces.

2. Camera – Professional cameras are great for product photography because they offer high-quality images with accurate colour reproduction. However, you don’t need the most expensive camera out there; any good DSLR will do the job just fine. Furthermore, if you have a good smartphone like an iPhone, then also you are good to go.

3. Pro Tripod or stand – A professional tripod ensures your photos stay steady and give you the perfect shot. You can use different types of tripods for different purposes, such as light stands and ball heads that let you adjust the camera angle easily if needed.

4. Lighting equipment (reflectors, diffusers, etc.) – A good light setup can really make or break an image. A simple white background will give your images a natural look, but if you want to add extra drama or impact you’ll need to invest in more specialized lighting equipment such as reflectors, diffusers, etc.

5. Backgrounds, backdrops, and props – You can use backdrops such as light tents. A light tent, also known as a lightbox, is an inexpensive backdrop that photographers can use to take stunning and professional images.

Process To Take Professional Photos

Set up your table

Once you have gathered all the equipment, set up your table or lightbox to create the perfect shooting area! If you have a shooting table, make sure you choose a white background for better product photos. Ensure that you are close to the window so that shadows don’t invade your frame. A tip is to turn off all other lights as they might ruin the delicate balance of natural light entering through your window.

When you’ve chosen a spot, rotate the set around for different styles–try a 90-degree angle or go for 45. Either way, releasing the power of light is sure to bring striking results and provide you with stunning shots.

Adjust your camera

As mentioned earlier, having a professional camera is critical to successful photography. If you have a DSLR, here we share some suggested camera settings:

1. First, adjust the white balance of your camera. You can either set it to auto or to the same Kelvin temperature as that of your studio lighting
2. Then, depending on what kind of photo you’re taking, choose either a wide or small aperture to capture just the right depth of field
3. Turn off your flash as you should have already adjusted for either natural or artificial light in advance
4. Set your camera to use all available pixels so it can create an image with unrivalled quality – select both Large size and Superfine quality settings before getting ready to click away
5. Set your ISO to 100 for maximum clarity and minimal noise. The ISO of your camera is like the sensitivity sensor – if you crank it high, you get an eye-watering amount of grain in your shots and when you keep it low, you get clean, professional imagery
6. Lastly, check the exposure settings. If your camera has an exposure compensation dial, go ahead and give it +1 or +1½ for the perfect shot. But if all you have is running man photos to select from, go with ‘Sunset’ – that should do the trick!

Frame your product correctly

Capturing your product at the perfect angle and in the best light can take some time. Make sure your product is perfectly presented by arranging it front and centre on a sturdy surface like a table or lightbox. If it’s an item with labels or intricate design, you may need to make slight adjustments until everything looks just right.

Adjust your lighting

For quality product photos, good lighting is absolutely essential! Whether you choose natural or artificial illumination, carefully modulating both its strength and direction ensures that you capture stunning images with minimal editing required afterwards.

If you’re shooting a sunny-day lifestyle photoshoot, take advantage of the natural light that Nature offers! The sun at its peak is when you can get really beautiful, optimal light that’ll make your model or product shine like never before.

If you desire to shoot during random times of the day, artificial light could be the ideal solution for your needs. Utilizing reflector cards or diffusers that help fill in the shadows could give you perfect shots.

Click and evaluate

Now, put your product photography skills to the test! Make sure you get a variety of shots by taking pictures from different distances, angles, and positions. Remember that practice makes perfect—you might need a few tries before you’re really satisfied with your results. Once you’ve taken as many photos as needed, upload them to your computer so that you can view them in full quality. You can use Adobe Lightroom or a similar program if necessary for organizing and refining the images

Use software and editing tools if needed –

As the last step in your product photography process, use some sort of editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Pixlr, or Canva to turn those average shots into images that will exude professionalism.

With editing or retouching, you can ensure all product images across your website have consistent quality and positioning. You can do colour corrections, remove unwanted objects, and lighting adjustments easily and in no time with this editing software.

Optimize images for website/online store  

Time is paramount, and every second counts for shoppers who don’t have the patience to wait for a site that won’t load quickly. That’s why it’s essential to optimize images so they look great, but also ensure page loading times are speedy. Big images might look stunning – but can really slow down your website loading time and impact the site SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Also, make sure all your product photos are clearly labelled with relevant metadata and keywords as it helps in improving search visibility!

When To Consider Hiring a Professional Photographer?

Investing in professional product photography could be a game-changer for your business! Not only will the high-quality photos boost your appeal and professionalism, but they’ll also amplify your marketing potential. Here, we share some reasons for hiring a professional photographer:

Get professional quality images

Most companies don’t have access to the best equipment and software, which are typically in the hands of experienced professionals. A talented photographer with top-notch equipment is a guaranteed formula for spectacular product photos that will surely wow visitors to your website.

Consistency matters

With a professional product photographer on your side, they will ensure you get stunning results every single time. Working in unity with you to create a unified brand look across images; the same backgrounds, colours and logo use – which ultimately leads to consistency in branding! You’ll know that no matter what photos are produced, the quality will always be top-notch.

Maximize ROI

You can maximize your return on investment with professional photographers. By investing in quality product shots to create an original portfolio, you can stand out from the crowd and last longer over time. Professional photographers ensure that your photos look as good as they should – so you can get maximum return from every penny spent on your marketing campaigns!

Where To Look For To Hire a Professional Photographer?

Finding an expert photographer within our budget is no easy task. Here are some amazing product photography services that can help you in your search for the right photographer:

1. Picnara – This site will help you find the perfect professional product photographer, providing an overview of their past assignments, their portfolio, skills, the cities they are available to serve in and even the languages they speak. You can call or WhatsApp them directly via the contact number given on the site.

2. Creative pool – You just need to enter “product photography/photographer” in the search bar on the homepage and it will show profiles of different photographers with some personal information about them, their experience in different sectors, their clients, along with their location and languages were known.

3. Upwork – Upwork is a great option for finding expert product photographers. The website displays its extensive listing of talented individuals with ratings, the number of hires and a portfolio to show off each person’s unique style.

Also Read : How Porter’s Five Forces helps in E-commerce Business Analysis?

A Few More Tips For Photographing Products Successfully

1. Write great product descriptions – Product photography shouldn’t be the only thing your customers see when they browse through your product page! Great descriptions can help to draw in potential buyers and entice them to check out more details about the product
2. Utilize natural lighting whenever possible – It makes the photos authentic and warm
3. Experiment with different backgrounds – Adding texture or pattern to an empty background can add depth and quality to your photos
4. Test different camera settings to get the best image quality – Altering the angle of light, placement of lamps or reflectors, or changing the white balance on your camera can all produce different results in how your photo looks

Get As Creative As You Want!

That is everything about product photography!

Achieving remarkable product photos isn’t something that happens overnight – it’s part of an ongoing process, and you may need to experiment a bit until you get the perfect shot!

Good photos are a critical part of your overall creative strategy. Whether it is an Instagram post or conversion focussed social ads – you need beautiful product photos everywhere.

Want to know what kind of creative strategy will give you the best ROAS? We can help. Get a free performance marketing strategy session with our experts and get actionable insights to scale your E-commerce business.

About ANS Commerce

A Flipkart group company, ANS Commerce, is India’s #1 Full Stack E-commerce Enabler trusted by 200+ Brands!

From creating your online store, running profitable performance marketing campaigns, managing marketplaces to order fulfillment & warehousing – we do it all to supercharge your brand’s growth!

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