How to Make Your Product Photo Professional & Attractive

An engaging, well-layered image has been an essential sales driver for a long time. It is crucial to let customers view products in a real-world context. They must be able to access product images from different angles, compare colors, examine the details, and compare size options.

When it comes to product photography, the online shopping experience should be similar to an in-store experience. Your product’s image must be perfect while also reflecting your brand’s identity. This is why you see top business brands hiring professional photographers.

You need some basic ideas for small and developing brands that need a high-quality product photo. This article describes various tips for making your product photos professional and attractive.

1. Equip & Prepare Yourself

To produce a professional photo, you may need the following equipment and preparation:

• A digital camera or smartphone with a minimum resolution of 12 megapixels;
• A tripod;
• A flat surface;
• Photo editing apps;
• Natural light source;
• A place you can dedicate to shooting.

Remember to spend time getting to know your camera and its settings. Even if you’re using a smartphone, you should still learn how the camera works. Learn about focus, color balancing, and exposure. Many apps allow you to control these settings manually on smartphones.

2. Select the Right Lens & Use a Tripod

You will need a 35mm lens and a 100mm macro lens for a perfect shot on a DSLR camera. Smartphone users can get add-on lenses. Depending on what you want, you can get a telephoto, anamorphic, wide-angle, or macro lens for your smartphone.

Nobody likes blurry images. The purpose of a tripod is to keep the camera steady. This allows the picture to be produced clearly and in focus.

3. Capture the Biggest File Size Possible

It is better to start with a big file than create a smaller version. If you take pictures at a low resolution, you won’t be able to downsize the image. Some people may even want to use the hero image on your website for printed marketing materials.

Shoot in raw format if you’re using a digital SLR camera. If you are using a smartphone, use the rear-facing camera to capture the best images, and ensure your settings are fixed to the largest file size.

4. Avoid Mixed Lighting

Whether you choose to use artificial or natural light, you must be consistent. Each light source has a different effect and can create different hues on your object. If you need extra light, a reflector card will come in handy.

If natural light does not work well for you, you can buy an inexpensive lighting kit. There are several table-top lightboxes for small products, ranging from $20 to $150. You can purchase a studio lighting setup for bigger products, and the price ranges from about $150 to $200.

5. Check the Images for Color, Exposure, and Sharpness

Before uploading tons of pictures to your site, editing is very crucial. Check for sharpness, examine the exposure and check the color balance. Before uploading the images, you have to ensure everything is well balanced.

6. Shoot From Different Angles

Displaying products from different angles will enable customers to understand their features better. In physical stores, people can examine the top, back, inside, bottom, and front of a product. It would be best to make your online shoppers get the same experience. Doing this will also build credibility for the product you are offering.

7. Use a Photo Editing App

Editing gives the final touch to every photograph. There are different editing apps; some are free, while you have to pay for some. Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and Adobe Photoshop are the most used editing apps available. Pixlr is another excellent option with features for iPhone and Android users.

8. Research and Practice

The best way to take professional and attractive product photos is by using the right equipment, researching more, and constant practice. If you are not satisfied with the result, just look it up online. Watch YouTube videos to help you better understand the concept of product photography. You can even sign up for a photography class.

Final Thoughts

You need a perfect product photo to convince your customers to buy it from you. Any image you put on your e-commerce website should be professional, showing all angles of the product.

If you use Shopify or Shoplazza for your e-commerce website, you can even upload 360° photos. It requires advanced photography skills. Follow these tips above and explore more to get the best out of your product photography.

(Contributed by Ayotomiwa Omotosho & Hermes Fang)