Product photography is essential for any business and will
be used extensively throughout your marketing and advertising material. While
it would be great if you could hire a professional photographer, it can be
costly – especially considering you may need to frequently come up with
different photos.
The next best thing is to snap your own product photos – and
all you need for that is a good smartphone or digital camera. But there is more
involved than just pointing it at the product and pressing the shutter, and the
following tips should set you on the right path:
A tripod is crucial if you want to
snap good product photos. It will help you to keep your camera completely still
and ensure that your photos are sharp and have good definition.
More importantly it will let you
hold a specific position with the right angle while you make adjustments to the
product, or even switch it out with a different product.
- Decide on the type of product photo – in advance
In general there are two types of
product photos: Product-only photos, and lifestyle (in-context) photos.
Product-only photos are
self-explanatory and involve shots of just the product against a neutral
(normally white) background, from different angles. Lifestyle photos on the
other hand showcase the product being used by a person or with props.
It is important you decide which
type of photo you want to shoot, and plan accordingly.
Lighting can make or break your
product photos. Ideally you will want it to be well-lit, and in a way that
brings out important details.
Regardless of whether you use
natural or artificial light, it is best to diffuse the light so that it
doesn’t cast hard shadows. It may help to use a fill light or reflector on the
opposite side to soften the shadows.
For product-only photos you may
want to DIY
a light tent of your own on the cheap.
While the standard frontal or
side-profile shots are good in some cases, you should try different angles as
well. The goal should be to showcase your product in as attractive and eye-catching
a manner as possible, so mixing it up can help.
Overhead shots can be especially
useful for some products, and can look very unique.
In addition to shooting good product photos you should try
editing them in Movavi Photo Editor. It is an easy-to-use photo editing software that
will let you improve the image quality, crop the frame, fix any issues, apply
filters, and remove any unwanted elements. By spending a few short minutes with
it you could end up with far more impressive product photos.
The tips listed above should help you to capture solid
product photos for your business to use. However the more that you practice
taking shots of products, the better you’ll get – so you should get out there and
start using them sooner rather than later.
