Find out how to capture gorgeous product photos for your ecommerce websites without spending a lot of money.
Your website’s visuals play an important role in building trust in your brand and your product. So don’t let bad product photos ruin all your hard work.
Photos that feature low resolution, bad lighting, distracting reflections, and a lack of detail aren’t going to convince people to buy what you’re selling.
Now, you could pay someone take shoot your products, but that can get really expensive — and take far longer than your looming deadline allows. Fortunately, you can take brilliant photos of your products on your own.
Let’s find out how.
Let your photos tell your product’s story
The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.
We know you love your products, but that doesn’t mean you should write an essay in describing them. Your product descriptions can add a little fun, but there’s no need to go overboard.
Usually, you just need the products specs people want to help them make a buying decision. Let your photos communicate the rest.
Your images need to highlight what’s important about your product — from the buyer’s perspective, not yours. Multiple photos taken from different angles build a complete picture for buyers, while close-ups can help them appreciate design details or less-noticeable features.
Getting started — without going broke
You don’t need a bunch of expensive equipment to take great photos.
Sure, a fancy Canon 5D rocks, but it’s financially out of reach for most of us. So trying working with what you have. At the very least, most modern phones have built-in cameras capable of producing quality, high-resolution images.
The camera you use matters — but it’s only a small piece of a much bigger process
Going a step beyond your smartphone, you’ll find quite a few inexpensive digital point-and-shoot cameras that take great photos without expending much brainpower. Just be sure to do your homework first. Learn their limitations so you don’t end up with something that won’t work for your project. For example, many lower-end cameras may lack a decent macro mode or pack a lens that’s no good with details.
For more experienced photogs, and those who need really detailed photos, the next step up is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR). These allow for more manual control, including the ability to adjust white balance, f-stop, and focus, plus use different lenses.
