If you already have an E-commerce, or are setting one up, know that it is more than essential to use high quality photos to be able to highlight your items for sale even more in your online storefront. But do you know how to take pictures of products for the virtual store? Know that the better the image, the more advantages and positive results you will have when selling.
As the visitor to the virtual store does not have physical contact with the product, the image becomes the first contact that the possible buyer has with the merchandise, so the images must always present an excellent quality if they really intend to sell.
Know that contrary to what many think, it is not necessary to make a large investment in professional photographic equipment to photograph the products of your virtual store. In most cases, a good smartphone that has an excellent camera and a few more tips can already produce excellent images.
So, stay with us until the end of this reading, and understand why quality photos are so important for your business and for your sales, and check out the best tips on how to take photos of products for an online store. Sell much more.
Why is it important to use good product photos in the online store?
As already mentioned at the beginning, there is no doubt that quality images are essential to improve the sales volume of products in any E-commerce. Because as said, the visitor cannot touch the product to check its quality, precisely for this reason all the visual part needs to be well worked.
The images have to inform and also have to be attractive, not to mention that they have to transmit the maximum amount of relevant information to the customer who is seeing it, as if he were seeing the product in person live and in color.
That's why it's so important, if the image is really of good quality, it will play its role in leaving customers wanting to buy. Where they will even forget to search a physical store in their city.
Not to mention that when products are searched on Google, whether on the network or on the Google Images Search, they will be shown next to your competitors' items. So if your photo is bad, you will have less chances to get some highlight among the others. Therefore, making use of quality images will only bring benefits in searches made by potential buyers.
Product photo tips for E-commerce for beginners:
As you know most of the existing tutorials only give free photography tips only focusing on people who already have semi-professional or professional cameras and more adequate equipment, but the small entrepreneur does not live this reality, especially if he is setting up your E-commerce from scratch. Where he will only have a good cell phone with a good camera.
In that case, you can also choose to set up your own mini photo studio, which doesn't require much initial investment on your part, so you can start taking pictures for your virtual store.
So to start using your mini home photography studio, you will need a table, a curved white EVA, to be able to give that infinite background touch, choose a good cell phone, energy for light, among others.
To save on ambient lighting, choose a place that has good natural light, such as places close to doors and windows. The results of course won't be the same as if you were using professional equipment, but they will already be much better than many online stores.
What to consider before photographing products for an online store?
We believe that by now you already know that taking quality photographs of products for an E-commerce is more than essential for your success, so for you to be able to take better photos than those of your competitors, check out other tips that we consider very important:
Understand the importance of photos for online stores:
For a few years now, the online market has grown enormously, thus demanding from brands even more quality in their content, having to make it increasingly attractive to the consumer. We're not just referring to product descriptions and text, keep in mind that photos are a game changer for your brand.
Never forget that in this field what really conveys credibility to the buyer is the good quality of the images of the products, so keep in mind that always using good photos will only bring you advantages and benefits, and with that you will be able to boost your sales even more in the Internet.
Use color as an attraction strategy:
In case you didn't know, the online store colors has the power to convey sensations when seen and observed, and if you want to convey that harmonious feeling in the photos of your products, then you should use colors that are different from those that convey the idea of tension or haste.
That's why our tip is, use a white background to photograph your products, and also test other colors until you get where you want. You can also align item colors to your plan.
Analyze the product concept well:
Another important tip is, before starting to take pictures of a product, focus on its concept, imagine the composition of the item, analyzing everything that will be around it in the image. And to find even more inspiration, search for similar images on the internet, so you can compare and see which of the photographs catches your attention the most, take the opportunity and ask other people too.
Another infallible tip for those who work with online sales is to take pictures of products in real situations, leaving the products close to other items that will accompany you in your day to day. Not to mention that in this case it is essential to use human models and not mannequins, this will certainly help to give the photo an extra context of reality.
Make good use of lighting:
Lighting can be your great partner if used correctly, but on the other hand it can be the villain, being in a professional studio logically that light becomes something much easier to be fully controlled, since in the studio you will have resources and equipment such as extra lamps, reflectors, among others.
But natural light, when well used, provides fantastic results, so the tip is that if you take pictures in outdoor environments, try to be very careful and create a soft shading on the product being registered, and that this shading subtly spreads.
Shoot from several different angles:
To be able to give even more reality to the products, and the visitor to be able to feel it, always photograph from different angles, always trying to find the best of all perspectives of the item, that way the customer will form the 3-dimensional image in his mind.
Therefore, a photo must always show the design of the product, its format and size. The more information the consumer has about your product, the better.
Attention when editing images:
Of course, after taking your photos, you won't publish them directly in the store, you'll edit them first, and you'll have to dedicate some of your time to that, if you have money in your budget, you can outsource the editing part. Always choose the best photos and treat them using some image editing software.
This edition will serve to enhance the colors of the products, make the necessary cuts in the image, making them more presentable. But don't confuse photo editors with ready-made smartphone filter apps.
What equipment is needed to take product photos for online stores?
If you happen to be just starting your e-commerce business, or if you already have some time in this market and have some capital to invest in quality images, then you can go far beyond the mini photo studio.
That way you will be able to take better pictures of your products, not to mention that with this you will be able to pass on even more reliability to your consumers. And to help you, we have prepared a list of the main equipment you will need:
Know right away that good equipment is not that expensive, thinking about the improvement that this will provide in the quality of your photographs, not to mention that using a semi-professional or professional camera your images will be much clearer and more attractive.
And best of all, you will learn how to use these equipment in the best way. Another tip is, also try to invest in some training that addresses photography techniques, there are great online photo editing courses with excellent cost benefit. Here is the list of equipment:
Camera to take the pictures of the products:
Never forget that it is always the consumer who will choose the product according to the photo shown in your store window, so if the image is bad, of low quality and with little definition, your possible customer will probably opt for your competitor.
For this reason, don't think that a good professional or semi-professional camera is expensive, but think about the benefits, advantages and positive results it will bring to your business. Do some price research and don't forget to check out what the camera's functions and main features are.
Quality lighting:
If you have quality lighting, the photos will be without that shading, and that way you will be able to present the product that is for sale as it really is. Often only daylight will not be satisfactory to be able to register good photographs of your products. So make use of reflectors, clear lamps will only contribute.
Tripod:
A tripod will help to take pictures that don't come out blurry, which is something unacceptable, not to mention that it will help not to take blurry pictures, and will only contribute to the photographic process of the products. There is no need to buy a very expensive tripod, there are many great ones on the market at affordable prices.
Image editing program:
As we already mentioned, investing in a photo editing course is essential, as you will learn to edit your images using professional editing software such as CorelDRAW, O adobe photoshop, O Lightroom between others.
With the resources available in these tools, it will be much simpler to be able to make adjustments to the contrast, brightness, saturation, and if you want, you can even remove some imperfections that often appear in a photo.
Best tips on how to take product photos for online store:
We believe that you have already understood that making use of good images for your e-commerce is essential for its success, this is because quality photos reveal much more about the product the consumer is looking to buy.
Not to mention high quality images will improve ranking position of your store in the organic search results of Google and other search engines.
So, so that you can effectively take pictures of your products for your online store, and turn your visitors into buying customers, see how to photograph products step by step:
- Always use images that are relevant;
- Never use the camera flash;
- Stability in the photographic environment;
- Always treat the photos before uploading them to your store;
- Avoid distractions during photo shoots;
- Use depth of field when photographing your products.
Tips on how to take photos for virtual stores with your cell phone:
And for those of you who currently cannot invest in a studio, we have prepared a quick guide with excellent tips and ideas for you to apply and take photos of your products for your e-commerce using your cell phone, check it out:
- Cell phone camera lenses should always be clean;
- Do not use automatic flash;
- Know the settings of smartphone photography modes;
- Try to use some accessories in the scenery but without exaggeration;
- Always use a fill light;
- Experiment with different types of colored backgrounds;
- Do not use the camera's zoom;
- Always use the cell phone's rear camera;
- Don't over-edit;
- Take tests with macro or wide-angle lenses that adapt to your cell phone easily.
Complementing the presentation of your photos:
As you can read so far, photos are really essential for improve user experience adding value to the purchase, but know right away that there are also other approach techniques that will further complement your images, find out what they are:
- Description of the store's products: Always use original, objective and clear texts, no generic texts in your descriptions;
- Technical characteristics of products: Technical information informs customers about what the product is made of, what are its dimensions, colors, among others. Your description should complement confirming what is being shown in the photographs;
- Use infographics: Infographics should be used to compare the product with one of its previous versions, showing consumers better ways of using and applying the product;
- Produce videos: This is practically the best option of all to complement the photos, as it allows the consumer to have a more valuable experience with the product;
- Include external links: Also use external links that lead to reviews from people who have already purchased the product and leave their opinions about it, also include reviews from social networks;
- Always provide instruction manuals: Never forget to provide the user manual if the product needs to be assembled, and clarify the best way to use the item.
Conclusion:
As you can read throughout the article, quality photos have the power to influence consumers when making a purchase decision, not to mention that they cannot be left out of your digital marketing strategy. So now that you know that, start applying our tips to your E-commerce today.
Regardless of the techniques or equipment, what really counts when taking good photos of your products is the will, so let your creativity flow and take amazing photos. Good sales and success?