The human brain can process images in only 13 milliseconds — which means you don’t have much time to make a good first impression on your customers.
What shoppers see is often a deciding factor in whether they will stay on your site or lose interest, so it’s crucial that you invest in building an online store that catches their eye and keeps them intrigued.
One of the best ways to do this is through great product photography. If you’re running an e-commerce business, you probably already know how amazing your products are, but until a customer has your product in hand, all they have to rely on are the pictures on your website.
This is why the best e-commerce websites not only have great products but also great photos of their products. These images testify to the quality and value of your products and establish transparency into your e-commerce business.
In this blog post, we’ll give you the full rundown on all things product photography so that you can be on your way to getting that perfect shot.
What is product photography?
Product photography or e-commerce photography relates to photos created for e-commerce websites or social media, with the goal to draw the attention of the customers and increasing sales of your products or services. Regarding the fact that more and more customers shop online, photos they see on the website, or on social media, are crucial for their choice. The reason your customers have chosen exactly your products can largely depend on the photos.
What are the Different Types of Product Photography?
In general, most product photographers have experience with all the different types of product photography. The only exception being some product photographers will specifically focus on the clean-cut, white backdrop images that show off the features of a product, while other product photographers are more drawn to the highly stylized images.
Generally speaking, if you’re interested in building a career as a product photographer, you should have experience with all the different types of product photography.
Here’s an overview of the different types of product photography you should know:
Individual shots
This is probably the most important photo you’ll take. It’s the hero image featured in product catalogs, on the homepage of a website, throughout product pages, and even in a newsletter.
The individual shot only has one product in the frame and its goal is to be clean, crisp, and attention-worthy without being distracting.
Group shots
While individual shots are most often used for selling purposes, on occasion, clients require a group shot of various products. For example, if they sell gift boxes or product kits. In addition, sometimes, clients want to display a variety of their products in one image for social media or on the banner of their website.
Knowing how to arrange a grouping of items so they are displayed well is essential for a product photographer.
Lifestyle shots
This is where product photographers’ styling capabilities come into play.
All about displaying the product in action, a lifestyle shot might be a man wearing a new style of jeans while out for a walk, or a woman on her brand new computer in a cafe setting.
Lifestyle shots often require you to work with a model, which means having some experience with portrait photography or editorial photography will help you.
Scale shots
Don’t forget, that product photography is all about trying to sell a product to someone without them having the product physically in front of them. Because of this, most customers have a difficult time judging how big or small a product might be.
Product photographers need to be skilled in photographing products in a scene to help give customers an idea of the product’s size. Again, this is where styling skills can come into play.
Detailed shots
If you’re working with small products like jewelry or tech gadgets like earbuds, you’ll need to know how to take detailed shots that are clear. There is nothing that will make a shot look worse than blurry imagery.
You will need to have good knowledge of lighting and camera settings for these shots, as well as special equipment like a macro lens.
Packaging shots
You won’t always be required to shoot packaging, but in some instances, customers care about those extra details, like what packaging their purchase will come in. In these instances, making the packaging look like an appealing part of the whole purchase is important.
This is especially important if you’re working with a brand that sells subscription boxes. The box itself can become a part of the whole purchasing experience.
The Two Types of E-commerce Product Photos
While there are lots of ways to get creative with your photography, there are two main types of product images that are necessary for different circumstances, so you’ll want a good mix of both across your product page.
1. Clean-cut, white background, product-only images
These are often the most common types of image you’ll see across product catalogs and product pages. With the simple, no-frills background, these photos focus primarily on the product itself, often displaying the item from multiple angles and distances.
2. In-context or lifestyle photos
To really bring your brand to life, these photos feature your product in action, often photographed with a model or other complementary products. This helps your customers envision what it would look like to use your product in their everyday lives and create a more personal connection with your brand.
Tools to Get Started With Product Photography
Now that you know the process of creating an eye-catching product image, it’s time to gather the necessary tools.
Although you definitely can go all out on top-notch photography equipment, if you’re just starting out, feel free to take the DIY route. Here are a few things you’ll need to get started.
1. Shooting table.
To display your products during a photoshoot, you’ll need a surface that’s stable and sturdy. This can be a table, a chair or, if you’d like, a professional shooting table sweep — there are plenty of good options on Amazon.
2. Light tent.
As mentioned before, you’ll need something to use as a backdrop, such as a light tent (aka lightbox), which you can build on your own using a plastic storage container and a white cloth or paper.
3. Studio lighting.
Unless your photo studio gets good natural light, you’ll want to invest in some decent studio lights — at least two softbox light setups. These will help diffuse harsh lighting and adjust for shadows to achieve desired results.
4. Tripod.
Setting your camera on a tripod will allow you to achieve consistently clear and focused product images time and time again. Luckily, you can buy them for as little as $20 on Amazon, and they’ll last you for several years.
5. Mobile grip.
If you’re shooting with a camera, it likely already has a screwhole in the bottom that attaches to the top of a tripod. However, if you’re using an iPhone for your photoshoots, you’ll need a mobile grip like the one below to grip the smartphone into place and screw it into your tripod.
6. Photo editing software.
As the final step in your product photography process, you’ll need access to some sort of imaging editing tool — luckily, there are several free options on the market.
Adobe Photoshop (they also offer tons of free tutorials to help with all of your photo editing needs).
- Pixlr.
- Canva.
- Fotor.
- Snapseed.
7. Photography guidelines for consistency.
As you continue to take more photos of your products, it’s important that you maintain a consistent style across all images. To help with this, try creating your own technical style guide and template, making sure to include these key elements:
- Color Palette.
- Saturation.
- Focal Length.
- Shadows.
- Composition.
- Location and Context.
- Consistency.
Why Product Photography Increases Conversions
We are highly visual consumers. So, while the quality of your copy and product may be top-tier, if your product images don’t match that same quality, your customers will notice.
Your photography represents your product’s quality and value as well as your brand image as a whole. If done well, it has the potential to increase conversions and drive sales in the long run.
1. High-quality images enhance every buyer touchpoint.
According to studies by Justuno, 93% of shoppers say that visual appearance is the key deciding factor in their purchasing decisions.
If that’s the case, then your product photos shouldn’t be left on the back burner.
Most interactions that a customer has with your brand should contain some sort of illustration that helps them envision your brand instead of simply reading or hearing about it. This means your product photos shouldn’t simply stop at your product pages — they should be weaved throughout your social platforms, advertisements, packaging, and more.
With a mix of product images, lifestyle shots, and videos scattered across its site from the homepage to the final checkout, every stage of the purchase journey contains a visual element that keeps the shopper engaged.
2. Product images are a key element of branding.
Branding doesn’t stop at your packaging label or the logo on your website — rather, it should be the foundation for every element of your business.
With the help of product photography, you can tell your brand story through your social media posts, email updates, marketing events, and digital ads.
Bliss World, a clean, cruelty-free, planet-friendly skincare brand, does an amazing job of conveying its brand image through product photography.
The website’s product images are splashed with light and color, giving the brand a fun, youthful feel. Plus, these images stay consistent across all of Bliss World’s channels, all the way from its e-commerce page to its digital ads to Instagram and Facebook.
When to Consider Hiring a Professional Product Photographer
Although you don’t need to be an expert to create beautiful product photography, like any DIY project, there may be some limitations.
Of course, professional product photography can get pricey, but if you have the budget for it, it’ll be worth the investment. Here are a couple of reasons why:
1. Professional quality.
Unless you’re an experienced photographer, you likely don’t have the necessary equipment and software to achieve the highest quality photos. The quality of your equipment usually determines the quality of your photography and, most likely, a professional photographer will come loaded with the best of the best.
A talented photographer paired with top-notch equipment is a formula for high-quality product photos, and this is guaranteed to show on your website.
2. Consistent editing.
Especially if you work with the same photographer multiple times, they’re likely to provide consistency in both quality and style time and time again.
Suppose you’re an amateur photographer without much experience in photo editing software. In that case, it may be difficult to recreate the same lighting, color, and positioning every time, but this is a professional photographer’s forte. They’ll be able to provide you with consistency in brand image and quality, which will hopefully lead to consistency in the customers who visit your store.
Your Options for Professionals
If you’re looking to hire a professional photographer, here are a few product photography services that can help you in your search:
- ProductPhotography.com: This platform is an easy option if you don’t have time to seek out a specific photographer. ProductPhotography.com allows you to fill out an order form online and ship your products, and once their photographers have your products in hand, they’ll photograph them for you and send them back via online delivery.
- Thumbtack: If you’re searching for a professional in your area, Thumbtack is a great option for finding expert product photographers within a range of budgets. The website displays profiles for each photographer, which include ratings, the number of previous hires, and a portfolio of their work.
- Squareshot: With locations in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago, Squareshot allows merchants to ship products to their studios and receive high-quality product photos within a matter of days.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it — a toolbelt of tips and resources to revamp your product photography and start reaping the rewards.
Needless to say, you definitely do not need to implement all of these improvements at once. Creating consistent, high-quality product photos is not something that happens overnight, so it may take some trial and error to achieve the results you want.
However, once you’re in the swing of things, you’ll be able to wield your product photography to not only take beautiful product photos but more importantly, create a visually compelling brand and successful e-commerce business.
How Do You Get Started In Product Photography?
Did you know that product photography is one of the most lucrative fields of photography you can get involved with? It’s one of the reasons why we love helping photographers get set up in this field. Having said that, if you want to become a successful product photographer, you will likely need some high-end equipment in order to ensure you’re capturing high-quality photos that highlight the product.
Because of this, before you dive too deep into getting your product photography business set up, you’ll want to think carefully about whether or not this style of photography is what you want to specialize in.
If you’ve thought about it and you feel confident that this is a style of photography that you could see yourself pursuing, follow these steps to become a product photographer.
Step 1: Practice your photography skills (focus on light)
If you want to become a product photographer, you need to have a diverse set of photography skills.
As mentioned above, there are various types of product photography, and as a professional, you will be required to master all the different types.
This means shooting both big products and small ones, stylized images and white backdrop images, close-up images and big-picture images, and, with lifestyle product photos, you’ll even be likely working with models.
Needless to say, you need to be skilled as a photographer if this is a field you want to go into.
In particular, you’ll want to start paying attention to lighting. Lighting tends to be one of the key differentiating factors between professional product photography and amateur shots. There are very specific techniques and multi-light setups involved to achieve the desired final look. Not to mention, you can’t have shadows or dark images when you’re trying to sell a product through an image.
Brush up on your photography skills before you start pursuing product photography to ensure that your skills are up to par.
Step 2: Build a portfolio
As much as we recommend honing your skills in step one, it’s likely that, as an artist, you will likely never feel like your skills are perfect. The point of practicing is to get familiar with this style of photography and ensure it’s something that you can see yourself pursuing.
Once you have a firm grip on your photography skills, it’s time to start setting up your portfolio.
Don’t be concerned about setting up your portfolio before you have professional experience. We always recommend building your portfolio ASAP regardless of what type of photographer you are. The sooner you have your portfolio, the sooner you can start booking professional clients.
Tips for your portfolio
- Your portfolio doesn’t have to be all professional photos, but they do need to be professional quality. If you don’t have clients yet, shoot mock product photos to show off your skills.
- Consider working with clients at a discounted rate or even for free if you want to bulk up your portfolio.
- Only include your best work. You don’t need to include every photography project you’ve ever worked on in your portfolio. This is especially true if you have projects that are irrelevant to the type of work you want to do.
Check out our guide for more tips on building a portfolio as a product photographer. Step
3: Get the right equipment
When you’re just starting to build your portfolio and working with clients in the initial stages of your career, purchasing every piece of equipment might not be necessary. However, as your experience grows, you’ll find that you need specific gear to achieve the shot you want. You may also find that having the right equipment will help you upgrade the quality of your clientele.
In some instances, you may want to get your equipment sooner rather than later. When you purchase your equipment really just depends on the growth of your business. If you have clients who expect a certain style of photography that requires higher-end equipment, it is likely time to start considering some upgrades.
Equipment that you might want to consider purchasing includes:
- Shooting table
- Lightbox
- Studio lights – a mix of strobes and continuous lights
- Tripod
- A DSLR camera (recommended for any professional photography pursuit)
- Photo editing software for retouching
Keep in mind that all of these things aren’t necessary for the beginning stages of your career, and some of them can be made into a DIY project if you’re on a budget. However, as you become more experienced, you will likely be expected to have professional equipment. In fact, if you advance far into product photography, you will likely want to have your own studio specifically for shooting product photography.
Step 4: Book clients
By now it should be obvious that there’s no one linear path when becoming a product photographer. Some photographers might find they are able to book clients before they purchase equipment, and others might find the equipment gives them the edge to start booking higher-paying clients. In addition, some of you might be able to find clients to work with during the initial stages of your career, and others might take a more DIY approach when adding projects to their portfolio.
Regardless, every product photographer needs clients, and in most cases, will need to go out and find those clients with marketing tactics, word of mouth, and strong positive reviews.
This is why having a website and a portfolio set up from the beginning is so important. It provides potential clients with a way to see your work and easily connect with you.
For more tips on becoming a product photographer and booking those dream clients, this guide all about product photography. Did you know that product photography is one of the most lucrative fields of photography you can get involved with? It’s one of the reasons why we love helping photographers get set up in this field. Having said that, if you want to become a successful product photographer, you will likely need some high-end equipment in order to ensure you’re capturing high-quality photos that highlight the product. will help.
Because of this, before you dive too deep into getting your product photography business set up, you’ll want to think carefully about whether or not this style of photography is what you want to specialize in.
If you’ve thought about it and you feel confident that this is a style of photography that you could see yourself pursuing, follow these steps to become a product photographer.
