Whosoever wrote the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” had no clue that in the 21st century, a stunning product picture will be worth a thousand website visits. Whether you believe it or not, an eCommerce product photograph can be a precious tool in your arsenal to beat the competition and generate sales.
To quickly push your products above the competition and reach out to customers, you must provide them with clear, eye-catching product images. Over 90% of online buyers make their purchase decision based on the product images. This cannot be a coincidence and clearly outlines the importance of eCommerce product photography.
The eCommerce product photography services are more than just point and shoot. We discussed eCommerce product photography with several industry experts and developed this guide to help you create professional-looking product images easily.
Let’s find out how to do an easy eCommerce product photography shoot.
Get the right equipment for eCommerce product photography
While hiring professional product photography services is the easiest way to get accurate product images for your store, you can do it independently.
To get started, you will need some gear.
Camera
No, not your iPhone camera but an actual camera. You don’t need a $ 2000 camera; a budget device will do. You can search for a budget camera as hundreds of review articles are on the Internet. If you are not in the mood to explore, we recommend any Canon G series point-and-shoot camera.
Tripod
When professional eCommerce photography Atlanta services create quality images, they use depth of field to make the product appear more realistic. When shooting product images at home, you must set the shutter speed slow to create the most depth of field. In this scenario, if you click the product holding camera in your hand, the final images will be blurry due to the fast speed of the aperture. This is why you need a tripod to stabilize the shots.
White background
The opinion is divided on white backgrounds, but if you take product images for the Amazon listing, you will need a white background. Just buy a cheap poster board from the local drugstore, nothing too fancy.
White bounce cards
If you are staging the eCommerce product photography at home under the natural light from the window, there will be an unbalanced illumination. The side of the product that’s directly in contact with light will be brighter, and the other side will be under the shadow. This is why we use white bounce cards to reflect light into the shadow and brighten the product from all angles.
While these are the props to create a professional eCommerce product photography session, you might need other objects such as a staple, tape, nightlights, and the right room.
How to click shots like eCommerce product photography services do?
Alright, let’s get started.
Set up the base for the product
It would help if you placed the table as close to the window as possible to get the most natural light on the product. Turn off the room lights. Try to keep the product so that the window is at 90° and soft and natural light falls on the product. However, avoid direct sunlight hitting the product, primarily if you use dummies, as the light is too harsh and will make the product look bad. Use the whiteboards to soften the light.
Set up the camera
Depending on your camera, it might have full auto or some manual settings. While the natural white light works with any setting, if there is scope, make the following adjustments:
- Set the white balance setting to auto white balance.
- Turn the camera flashlight off.
- Set the default image type for professional quality eCommerce product images to RAW. This file format is the largest a camera has, and it utilizes the full bit depth of the camera, creating high definition & best quality product images.
Set up the product and the reflector card
Setting up the product is simple but a skill that needs practice. You have to figure it out independently, but the feature you want to highlight is at the center. For instance, if you capture a bottle, its label must be centered. The white card is one of the most significant gears that acts as a light modifier to fill in the shadows. You have to adjust it depending on the formation of shadows around the product.
Take the picture and post-process
Once you click the product picture, evaluate what you have created. They might be things that appear to be out of place. Experiment with different methods and angles to create better quality images. Do not evaluate the product pictures within the camera screen but upload them to your computer to get a better view.
All eCommerce photography Atlanta services use software like Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom to adjust the final product image for the best quality.
Conclusion
You can do in-house eCommerce product photography shoots, provided you know the basics. We hope this guide will give a reference to get started and create professional-quality eCommerce product photographs on your own.