How to Take Good Photos of Products: A Complete Guide for E-Commerce Success
Product photography plays a crucial role in the success of an e-commerce business. High-quality product photos can be the difference between a potential customer clicking away or making a purchase. Whether you're selling on Shopify, Amazon, or your own website, learning how to take good photos of products can make your online store more appealing and trustworthy.
In this guide, we’ll explore practical tips for DIY product photography, suggest the best backdrops for product photos, and discuss how to optimize your photos for platforms like Shopify and Amazon.
1. Preparing for Your Photoshoot
Before diving into the technical aspects of product photography, it's essential to understand the significance of good planning. A successful photoshoot starts with preparing both your products and your shooting environment. Here's how you can get ready:
Clean Your Products: The first step in taking good product photos is ensuring that your products are clean and free of dust, fingerprints, or smudges. Any imperfections will show up in the photos.
Choose the Right Time and Light: Lighting is a key factor when it comes to taking great photos. Natural light is often the best option for DIY photography. Shoot during the day near a window with indirect sunlight. If you're shooting at night, consider investing in affordable studio lighting to get the best results.
By ensuring your products are clean and set up in the right lighting conditions, you'll start your photoshoot on the right foot.
2. The Best Backdrops for Product Photos
Your product’s backdrop plays a vital role in how it’s presented. The right background not only makes your product pop but also provides context to its usage.
Simple White Backdrop: A simple white backdrop is the most common choice for e-commerce photography. It ensures the focus remains solely on the product and helps maintain a professional, clean look.
Colored or Textured Backdrops: If you're aiming to evoke a certain mood or brand identity, colored or textured backdrops can help set the tone. Think of how your background contrasts with your product’s color scheme.
Lifestyle Settings: For products that are lifestyle-oriented, such as home goods or fashion, shooting your product in a real-life setting can give potential buyers a better idea of how the product will look in their own home or wardrobe.
Remember, the backdrop should never overpower the product. It should complement it, drawing attention to the key features.
3. Camera Gear and Equipment for DIY Photography
You don’t need an expensive camera to take good photos of products, but investing in the right gear can make a big difference. Here’s a list of the equipment you’ll need:
Good Camera for Product Photos: While smartphones are increasingly capable of high-quality photography, a DSLR or mirrorless camera will give you more control over settings like exposure and focus. Some popular options for e-commerce photographers include the Canon EOS Rebel series or Sony Alpha series.
Tripod: A tripod is essential for ensuring that your photos are steady and free from motion blur. It’s particularly useful for product photos that require precise angles.
Reflectors and Diffusers: To avoid harsh shadows, consider using reflectors and diffusers. These tools help you manipulate light, filling in shadows and providing a softer look to the photos.
With the right camera gear and accessories, you’ll be able to capture your product photos with sharp focus and professional-level quality.
4. Tips for a Successful Photoshoot
Now that you have your setup, it’s time to start taking pictures. Here are some expert tips to follow during your photoshoot:
Shoot from Multiple Angles: Potential customers want to see every angle of your product. Take photos from the front, back, sides, and even close-up shots of important details or features. This is particularly important for e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon, where customers can't physically touch or try out the products.
Use Depth of Field to Your Advantage: A shallow depth of field can help blur out the background and keep the focus on the product. Adjust your aperture setting to create a blurred background that makes your product stand out.
Focus on Product Details: Customers like to see the small details. If your product has unique features, textures, or packaging, make sure to highlight them with close-up shots.
Consistency Across Photos: If you have multiple products, maintain consistency in lighting, angles, and styling. A consistent style will give your product images a cohesive, professional look across your online store.
By following these tips for a successful photoshoot, you’ll ensure that your photos provide customers with a complete and accurate representation of your product.
5. Product Photo Editing
Once you’ve captured the perfect shots, the next step is editing. Product photo editing can elevate the quality of your images by enhancing lighting, removing imperfections, and ensuring color accuracy.
Color Correction: Ensure that the colors of your products are accurately represented. What you see in person may not always match what the camera captures, so adjust the colors to reflect reality.
Remove Backgrounds: If you want to remove distractions from the background, you can use tools like Adobe Photoshop or online editors like Canva or remove.bg. A clean background makes your product the focal point.
Enhance the Lighting: Editing tools allow you to tweak brightness, contrast, and saturation to make your product photos look more polished.
Editing is an essential step in ensuring your product images are ready for e-commerce. It helps give a professional finish and ensures your products stand out from the competition.
6. Amazon Product Photo Size
If you’re selling products on Amazon, it’s crucial to adhere to their product photo size requirements. According to Amazon’s guidelines, your images must be at least 1000 pixels in width and 1000 pixels in height, with a pure white background. Having high-quality images that meet these specifications will help improve your product's visibility on Amazon and make it look more professional.
7. Shopify Product Photo Success
For Shopify users, product photos are equally important. Shopify recommends using high-resolution images that are at least 2048 x 2048 pixels. This ensures that your images look sharp across all devices, from desktop to mobile. Consistency in image quality and style is key for a cohesive online shopping experience.
8. The Future of Product Photography: AI Tools like Deggie.ai
While traditional methods of DIY photography and editing still have their place, there are now innovative tools that can streamline the process. One such tool is Deggie.ai, an AI-powered photo editor that can generate backgrounds for your product photos with just a text prompt.
Deggie.ai simplifies the process by using artificial intelligence to automatically generate backgrounds that fit the style and aesthetic of your product. Whether you need a minimalistic white background, a textured backdrop, or a completely custom setting, Deggie.ai can create it in seconds. This eliminates the need for complex editing software and saves you time and money.
With tools like Deggie.ai, you can create stunning product photos without hiring a photographer or spending hours on manual editing. This is especially valuable for e-commerce businesses looking to scale their operations quickly and affordably.
Conclusion
Taking good product photos is essential for any e-commerce business. By following best practices like preparing your products, using the right backdrops, and optimizing your photos for different platforms, you can significantly improve your online store’s appeal. Additionally, with the advent of AI tools like Deggie.ai, creating high-quality product photos is now easier and more cost-effective than ever before.
Investing time and effort into mastering DIY product photography or using AI-generated tools will undoubtedly give your business a competitive edge and help drive sales. Whether you're selling on Shopify, Amazon, or another platform, professional-looking product photos are a must for building trust with customers and increasing conversions.