E-commerce businesses or those that are highly dependent on visuals understand that a picture paints a thousand words. A cold, lifeless product on a white background may look clean but also doesn’t capture the buyer’s attention and encourage them to click on a product. This is where product photography comes in.
Product Photography Basics
Product photography is photography specifically aimed at helping customers to understand, trust and compare products. Photography skills are used to showcase a product in a way that accurately reflects the item being sold. It’s not about making a product look pretty — it’s about portraying it as the product that your buyer needs
When used for e-commerce sites, product photos consist of a collection of images that show how the item is used in real life, like a facial roller shown being used, what the product features are, like a tool where the different uses are pointed out, or where scale is indicated, like holding the product in your hand to show that it is small.
Why Should Small Businesses Care?
According to Salsify’s 2024 Consumer Research report, 45% of shoppers abandoned a purchase because of poor product content such as low-quality or insufficient images. Shoppers didn’t have enough information to make a purchasing decision. Additionally, 78% of shoppers said they decided to buy online because they saw engaging product images. This indicated that good product photos are key to moving shoppers from browsing to buying.
Since 83% of shoppers would abandon an e-commerce site with insufficient product information, good visual communication through product images can help the buyer fill in any missing information they might have about product size, finish, colour, included components, and overall quality.
Lastly, a factor that shouldn’t be overlooked is user experience (UX). A page that is effectively designed, well-laid out and easy to navigate wins every time over one that is not. Excellent product photographs are the cherry on top!
As a new brand or one whose awareness is still growing, product images work extra hard at convincing new customers to click ‘add to cart’
Elements of Effective Product Photography
Entrepreneurs who cannot turn to an expert for professional photos, especially in their early days, can improve their product images by focusing on the following elements.
- Lighting: Use soft, even light to enhance shape, texture, finish, and colour clearly.
- Composition: Product photos have the item as the focal point, and nothing else should distract from the photo.
- Angles and detail shots: Photos should show the item from multiple angles so customers can inspect details.
- Scale and context: Size, use, and what ownership would look like should be easy to understand from the photos.
- Consistency: A consistent style and background should be used across all your product’s photos to add to the professional appearance of your online store.
- Support graphics: Sometimes, it might be worth it to include graphics that improve the overall understanding of the product, like “what’s included” graphics, charts, variant panels or even dimensions.
So considering the above, where do you start?
A quick starting point is to aim for the following for every product:
- One clean, white-background image for your main listing photo
- One lifestyle image showing the product in use
- One close-up highlighting a key feature or material
Steps to Shooting Product Photos as a Beginner
1. Studio Setup
Your home studio setup should have ample access to light and no distractions. Aim to:
- Shoot near a large window for soft, natural light.
- Use a white sweep or infinity wall. A clean white sheet or a large piece of white paper is ideal for this.
- If a curved background isn’t possible, create an L-shaped setup between the backdrop and the table so products sit naturally against it.
- Add a reflector opposite the window to bounce light and reduce harsh shadows.
Quick tip: White cardboard means reflecting light, whereas black absorbs light and increases shadows.
2. Focus on Light
To achieve soft light, you don’t need to invest in expensive lighting. Windows work well, but when the day is overcast or you don’t have access to good natural light, you can opt for artificial light. However, you need to ensure that these are consistent from one photo to the next. Prioritise brightness for the sake of capturing details like texture and colour.
If shadows are heavy, use a diffuser (like a sheer curtain or tissue paper) or add reflectors.
3. Composition is Crucial
Composition is vital, but it shouldn’t be over-complicated. It should be clear that the item being showcased is the focal point of the shot.
- Avoid clutter, busy backdrops, and props that compete for attention.
- Leave enough space around the item so the image feels clean, but crop tightly enough that the product still dominates the frame.
- Balance creativity with clarity.
- Try different compositions like eye-level shots with depth and flat-lay (C-shape) layouts.
4. Learn Camera Settings
Assuming that you are a camera novice, it’s important to learn about the camera settings. The right camera settings provide sharpness, even lighting, and consistency. Investigate the following settings:
- A small aperture (higher f-stop) to keep the whole product in focus.
- If using a phone, use portrait mode for natural background blur, and lock exposure and focus.
- Use a tripod to prevent blur and keep images steady.
5. Consider Angles
As mentioned, more images mean more information that helps move purchasing decisions along. Use multiple angles and close-ups to show off features that influence the perception quality.
- Take standard front, side, and back shots.
- Add close-ups of textures or details.
- Include group shots for bundles or accessories.
6. Styling Enhances, Not Just Decorates
This is of particular importance when it comes to lifestyle shots. ‘Lifestyle photos’ means photos that help buyers envision how it would be to own the product. This can be a staged image of a pool floaty next to the pool, someone wearing your jewellery, or homemade rusks on a decorated plate next to coffee. It once again informs the customer of how the product is used.
7. Edit for Accuracy, not Enhancement
Review your photos to choose the best images, and lightly edit them. Editing should correct exposure, crop consistently, remove distractions, and keep colours as true to life as possible. The process also ensures that the tone is consistent. Do the following:
- Review images for clarity and consistency.
- Adjust white balance, sharpness, and contrast so colours look natural.
- Use free tools (e.g., GIMP, Canva) or AI-assisted editors to speed up retouching.
8. Optimise for E-commerce
Creating product images for your online store means that the images should improve your site, not weigh it down.
- Compress images to balance quality and load times.
- Add SEO-friendly alt text that describes the image using relevant keywords.
- Load the right images for the right type of store front.
If you need more practical guidance, you can turn to video tutorials that show you how to shoot product photography as a beginner
Know When to Opt for Professional Photography
DIY product photos save costs, but it’s not always the best choice for all entrepreneurs. Some types of photography is best handled by a professional, or some entrepreneurs might not have an eye for the right images.
Opting for a pro can be expensive, but it is an investment too. Choose a photographer if:
- You sell high-value or highly detailed products.
- You need consistent imagery across a large catalogue.
- Your products require advanced lighting or styling, like packaging or materials that have a lot of glare.
