Tips For Taking Great Website Photos
04/01/2023 | Share:
Do you have an E-commerce business? If so, then you know how important it is to have great product photos. After all, your customers can’t touch or feel the products they’re buying online, so it’s up to your photos to give them a sense of what they’re getting.
Taking great e-commerce photos doesn’t have to be difficult, though. With a few tips and tricks, you can get professional-looking results without spending a lot of money on equipment or hiring a professional photographer. Here are some tips to get you started:
Camera or Smartphone?
If you are about to embark on taking some photos for your website you may be tempted to go out and buy yourself a new camera but first how about looking at your smartphone? You may find that its camera is perfectly capable of taking professional-looking e-commerce photos. If you have the budget for a new camera then go ahead and invest in one as it will give you more control over your images allowing for wider angle shots or closer up details but you may be surprised at what your smartphone is capable of so perhaps give it a go before splashing out the cash.
Use Natural Light Whenever Possible
Natural light is a great way to bring out the beauty and details of any subject you are trying to photograph. Photos taken without natural light can often look artificial and flat. However, sometimes it’s just not possible or practical to take pictures outdoors in the sun.
If you are using a flash on a camera phone or standard built in flash on a camera, your flash may be too bright, bleaching out colours and causing bad shadows. If you are doing small product shots there are ways round this. You can add other lights such as angle poise lamps etc. to take the shadow from behind the product or soften the flash. The key is to find that perfect balance between having enough flash to illuminate the subject while still giving it a flattering effect.
Use a Tripod
Investing in a tripod for your camera or smartphone can be one of the best decisions you make as a photographer. By being able to keep your camera perfectly stable on a flat, even surface at any height you choose, you’ll be able to capture sharp and beautiful photographs with ease.
If you are taking still product pictures this will cut down your need for bright lighting (as discussed above) as you can have a slower shutter speed without the worry of any movement. You’ll avoid all manner of blurriness and motion distortion, meaning your photos will look picture perfect.
A tripod is also helpful if you want to experiment with different angles or take stunning night time pictures allowing you to take fantastic pictures of moving vehicles or night skies.
Finally a tripod is also useful if you are thinking of doing any videos for social media or your website, a great way to build up an audience.
Get close to your subject and fill the frame with what you’re photographing
When it comes to photography, the devil is in the details! The best way to capture those details is to get close enough to your subject that it takes up most of the frame. Of course, this means if you have a DSLR camera with a zoom lens, you should use it to get closer, but don’t be afraid to move in physically or lower yourself down so you can fill the frame with your subject – it’s worth it for that beautiful shot you know you can take. There’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve captured everything in complete detail, so start getting closer and watch your photography come alive.
Pay Attention to the Background of Your Photo.
When you’re taking a photo, it’s easy to get lost in only paying attention to your subject and details like lighting or styling. However, one detail that can easily be overlooked is the background of your shot. It’s important to take a few moments to make sure the background of your photo; this may involve removing any unnecessary objects as well as tidying up a space before starting.
Alternatively the background may be adding something to your photograph, giving it context. You may wish to have the background somewhat out of focus though to make the product stand out more. At the end of the day, this simple step can truly elevate your photos to something special and help create the beautiful shot you envisioned from the start.
Take Multiple Photos from Different Angles
Make sure you take plenty of photographs from different angles. Once you have your product set up, take lots of pictures. It is so frustrating when you are adding your pictures to the website to realise you have missed an aspect of the product you wish to highlight or that the photos you have don’t fit the layout. Remember to take some landscape and some portrait so you have options to choose from when you start to add them to the website.
Edit Your Photos
Editing is an essential part of creating great photos, especially when it comes to e-commerce photography. Even if you get the lighting and composition perfect, there are still a few minor tweaks that can make all the difference between good and great pictures. With software such as Adobe Photoshop or even free programs like Gimp, you can easily retouch your photos, crop and resize them, or even adjust the colours and brightness levels
These minor adjustments can make all the difference in how professional-looking your pictures are. They can really help boost the look of your website and say so much more than words. Make sure your photographs do your products proud and help them stand out from the crowd.
