Do you want to take your product photos to the next level?
Photography skills may not have been something you knew you needed when you first decided to start an online store, but now that you have your website up and running and need to construct multiple product pages, you’re starting to realize just how necessary they are.
In this post, we break down why photography matters for your store, the types of product images you can take, and we share a few tips you can use.
What is ecommerce photography?
Ecommerce photography is the practice of taking high-quality images of products for the purpose of displaying them on product pages.
Typically, products are set up on a white surface against a white background so that the product image features nothing but the product itself.
Most ecommerce stores take multiple images of products at different angles, which helps customers shop virtually and better visualize what products look like in real life. This is something that’s missing from the ecommerce experience versus shopping in store.
Why photography is important for your ecommerce store
Photography is important for ecommerce because of the effect images have on the way a customer perceives a product. Product images are what customers notice first, either in an advertisement, in your store or on the product page itself.
Product details and reviews only tell customers so much about a product. Being able to actually see a product just as they would if they were shopping in a physical store can do a lot to pique a customer’s interest.
If you have a good product that’s highly photogenic, you’re better off taking the time or money to produce high-quality images of it.
It’ll help increase online sales as customers will be more willing to take a chance on your brand. Showing customers exactly what they’ll receive is a great way to establish trust with them.
Product images can also help you establish your brand.
For example, Amazon pioneered the classic product-against-white-background product image style. They even patented it in 2014. Now, almost every online store uses product images that feature white backgrounds.
You can do something similar with your own product images by coming up with your own styles and sticking with them.
Ecommerce photography styles
There are four primary styles of photography that are optimized for ecommerce:
- White background
- Static background
- Lifestyle photography
- Product in action
Let’s talk about each of them.
White background
This is the classic product image style that most stores use.
The product is placed on a white surface against a white background. You typically won’t find creases, folds or corners in the background or surface, making both appear as a single plane.
This makes the product blend in nicely with the background of the website itself.
White is also a neutral color, so the product stands out more as do any colors, designs and features it has.
The white background also makes it easier to cut the product out of the image so you can paste it over a white or transparent background in your editing software, if you wish.
Non-white static background
Not all static backgrounds need to be white. You can use just about any color or pattern as your background for product images, so long as it complements your product well.
Maybe you have a white product that’d look great against black background. Maybe a certain shade of green is important for your brand, and you want to use it as a backdrop in product images to keep them in uniform with the rest of your site’s design.
Maybe a darker background would simply make your product appear more defined.
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Certain patterns may also look nice, such as a retro pattern for a retro-themed product.
Lifestyle photography
Lifestyle product images feature your product in natural environments.
Let’s say you’re trying to sell kitchen knives. In this case, you may want to take a few shots of your knives on the counter among cut ingredients, such as carrots or green peppers.
In this photo of a lamp on Amazon, the lamp is featured in a home environment with other items you may find on a table.
It’s a simple image, but it accurately depicts how the lamp looks in a common interior design style as well as how it looks in a home environment while illuminated.
Product in action
Some products are meant to be actively used, such as a pencil set designed for sketching:
In this case, it’s best to include a few photos of the product actually being used. This will help your customer visualize themselves using your product.
These types of photos sometimes show a good portion of the model’s face. Other times, they just feature the model’s hands.
Types of product images
Now that we’ve covered photography styles you can use for ecommerce, here are the types of product images you can use:
- All angles
- On model
- Up close
- Size comparison
- Product packaging
- Group photos
- Process shots
- CGI
You’re likely familiar with each one if you’ve done any online shopping in the last decade.
All angles
This is a common commercial photography style, one you should use for your store no matter what.
It’s a collection of images of your product that feature it at different angles.
This is designed to mimic the way customers are able to pick up products they’re interested in when shopping in store and inspecting them.
The product should be out of its packaging for these images.
On model
Some items require a model in order to showcase them properly.
This mostly means clothing items and accessories, but it can also mean workout equipment, certain pieces of furniture, handheld tech devices and more.
Consider taking images that feature models wearing or using such products.
Up close
Another aspect of shopping in person that’s missing from ecommerce is the ability to inspect products up close, even going as far as bringing the product up to your face to get a better look.
Customers can’t do this online, so your best bet is to take photos that feature your product up close or zoomed in.
You can also take high-quality product photos but give your product images a “zoom in” feature that allows customers to zoom in on product images you showcase across your site.
Again, the product should be out of its packaging.
Size comparison
Yet another drawback of shopping online is being unable to truly determine how large or small a product is.
Is it tall enough? Wide enough? Deep enough? Size comparison product images can answer these questions.
You can either take an image of the product next to a common object, such as a soda can, or take it next to similar products in its niche.
For example, it’d be wise to take an image of an actual cat for a cat tree you’re trying to sell.
Product packaging
If a product you sell comes in packaging, take photos of it in its packaging.
Make sure the photos are high-quality images that don’t blur when you zoom in. This will allow customers to zoom in and read the packaging themselves as if they were physically shopping in your store.
The alternative would be to take both zoomed out and zoomed in product photos.
Group photos
If you sell products that complement one another, take group lifestyle or action shots that show both products.
This is a natural way to demonstrate how well both products go with one another.
It may even help you generate higher average order values.
You can even use group photos to demonstrate product variations, such as a product that comes in different colors.
Process shots
If you make your own products by hand or at least manufacture it, you can really make a connection with your customer by showing the process of the product being made on your product page.
You don’t need to put this type of image with other product images in your gallery. You can simply insert it further down on your product page.
CGI
Computer-generated images have made their way into the ecommerce industry.
Stores use them to create realistic product images that zoom in without losing quality.
Computer-generated imagery allows you to give your customers a true in-store experience as it allows them to zoom in as much as they want just as they would if the product were in their hands.
It even allows you to create stylistic images that’d be difficult to achieve with regular photography equipment.
You can also use it to create 3D product animations that rotate 360 degrees so your customer can examine your product at all angles.
Taking your own shots vs hiring a professional photographer
If you’re a new store, you may feel as though professional ecommerce product photography is too far out of your budget, and you might be right.
Professional photographers are expensive, but doing things yourself may either mean spending a lot of money on camera equipment or sacrificing quality to keep things cheap.
It can also mean spending a lot of time consuming content like this to learn how to produce high-quality ecommerce photography.
Sure, it may eat up quite a bit of your budget, but working with a professional photographer means you won’t need to spend money on your own equipment or learn an entirely new skill.
A professional photographer already has first-hand experience in taking product photos. They’ll complete the photo shoot at a much quicker rate, even if you have a lot of products to prepare photos for.
Professional photographers also know how to optimize your photos for your website and different social media platforms.
They even have access to models and sets.
Tips for taking your own product images
Here are our photography tips for product images:
- Choose a style before you get started
- Set up a dedicated photography set
- Choose a camera that meets your budget
- Take multiple images
- Optimize your photos for the web
Choose a style
Decide what styles you want to use before you get started. This will help you determine what camera equipment you need.
You can use multiple styles and upload them to the same product gallery.
Again, white background is the most popular style, but choose what works best for your product and customers.
An ecommerce business can only achieve success if it can prove to passing website visitors that its products are worth buying.
Set up a dedicated photography set
You’ll likely need to take a lot of photos to get your shop up and running, and you’ll need to take more as you acquire more and more products to sell.
If you know what photography style you want to use for product images, set up a dedicated photography set that’s ready to use whenever you need it.
This can be as simple as a spot on your kitchen table or an entire corner of your office you’ve set up as a mini photography studio.
The set should have your background. Use these techniques to achieve color backgrounds:
- Tape three foam poster boards together to create a half-box that has a floor and two sides. The two sides should form a corner.
- Use a sheet.
- Use a table against a wall.
You can use natural or artificial light. Natural light works great for lifestyle photos. Natural lighting can be achieved by taking photos in a room with at least one window and waiting for the right time of day where the window receives the desired lighting.
Use a ring or box light for backdrop photos.
Choose a camera
Flagship smartphone devices have pretty decent cameras these days, so you’re better off using the best camera you can afford at the moment.
If that is your smartphone, simply buy a tripod for it.
Otherwise, consider investing in a DSLR camera and multiple camera lenses.
This type of camera will allow you to use different shutter speeds for different purposes. For example, a slow shutter speed is best for product photos that use a backdrop while a fast shutter speed is best for action shots.
It will allow you to capture all the details of your product even if you use a model or take action shots.
Take multiple images
On shoot day, make sure you take multiple images.
Experiment with different lighting and different angles. You can even experiment with different backdrops if you have the budget.
This will give you multiple options to choose from during the editing phase.
Optimize your photos
You can edit and resize photos with photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop or ON1.
You shouldn’t need to resize the product files themselves as most ecommerce platforms do this for you upon upload. Some have third-party image optimization apps/plugins you can install.
Final thoughts
Putting some effort into the photography for products you sell will help you sell more.
Some companies rely too heavily on photos from manufacturers and that can often lead to disappointment. Especially for more specialized products.
Taking your own photos or hiring a professional photographer puts the control in your hands. Going the extra mile will help you drive more sales and give you an advantage over competitors.
Just be sure that your photos are true to the actual product. You want the photos to match the product people receive.
