13 product photography tips to boost your online store

For e-commerce companies, high-quality product photography is key to sales: 93% of consumers consider appearance to be a key factor in their purchase decision. So let’s take a look at some simple product photography tips and techniques that will take you from a beginner selfie photographer to an almost professional business photographer.

Keep things tidy

Cleanliness, tidiness and once again – to be sure – cleanliness and tidiness. Sometimes even the most obvious things are overlooked. When taking pictures of your goods, you should take care of the appearance – a quick wipe with a cloth is enough to remove dust or greasy fingerprints. Also pay attention to the background and get rid of clutter or unnecessary objects from the frame.

Use appropriate lighting

There are two lighting options for product photography: studio lighting and natural lighting. The product you’re photographing, the purpose of the shoot and the platform you’re advertising it on will help you decide which setup to choose. Natural lighting can work very well for product photos featuring edible objects, people and clothing, and these natural-looking photos can work well in a social media context such as Instagram.

Use a tripod

 Tripods may sound like an unnecessary piece of technical equipment, but they make a huge difference to the clarity and quality of product photography. And they are not necessarily expensive or difficult to use! Tripods are essentially stands that stabilise your camera from your trembling hand. Using a tripod will ensure that blur is reduced, which is crucial if you want your product photos to look professional and high quality.

Take care of colours and contrasts

I know that not everyone is a fan of advanced technical processing – especially in e-commerce, where we’re keen to make sure the images look as real as possible. It is therefore a good idea to take care of the white balance when processing product photos. The white in the photos should be neither too yellow nor too blue.  The photos should also have sufficient contrast. The product photo in the shop must show the colours of the products on offer as accurately as possible.

Get inspiration from others

It’s always good to look to others for inspiration. You probably already have a few brands in mind that you love. Take a look at their product photography and ask yourself how a similar shot or technique could work for your products.

Apply the tri-partite principle

To understand the three-division principle in practice, let us cut the picture with two horizontal and vertical lines. This will give us nine equal, smaller rectangles. The points where the dividing lines intersect are the strong points, i.e. places where our eyes go first. They are the first to attract the viewers’ eyes and it is worth placing the most important elements of the photo there.

Add props to your photo

When choosing props for product photography, don’t overdo it! Remember that the main focus of any product photo should be the product. As such, props can be welcome and help brighten up the photo for viewers.

Show the product from different perspectives

If the product has strange elements, e.g. it opens up and you can show what it has inside – do it! Spend a few more minutes on the product so that later you don’t have to answer emails like, “What does it look like inside?”.

Create emotions

A buyer who cannot hold a product in his hands is less emotional than when he can touch it. That’s why it’s a good idea to increase the excitement by using additional photos on the product page. If you sell a toy, instead of just pictures of the product, show a joyfully smiling toddler while playing.

Create graphs and charts

This product photography tip is primarily aimed at those of you who sell products with features that cannot be fully explained with standard photos. Needless to say, people will not buy your product if they do not understand how it works.

Perhaps the biggest problem for online shoppers is not being able to see and touch products in person before buying them. That’s why quality product photography for e-commerce is so important! If you want to be the best – contact me and let’s improve your online shop together!