Online shopping does not yet offer the opportunity to smell or touch the product. You can only check out its attractiveness with your eyes. Potential buyers save time by preferring the fastest and most convenient way of receiving and assimilating information ─ the visual one. That is why it is important to present the product in the most favorable and attractive way.
Using our own experience of ecommerce photography in Chicago, we’ll teach you how to create greatcontent while saving time and money.
Why photo quality boosts conversions
Studies show that people internalize 80% of what they see and 20% of what they read. According to the statistics, 93% of online shoppers rely on product photography when making a purchase decision.
Professional photos automatically increase the cost of products and the level of trust to the online store. Looking at the photos, the customer is trying to find confirmation of the quality and value of the proposal. And if they do not find it, one cannot count on a long-term relationship with a customer then. Images form that very first impression, which determines whether there is sympathy between your brand and the buyer. In other words, whether the browsing will continue and a purchase will be made in the future.
Types of photos for ecommerce
There are two main types of photos that can be used to reach the maximum effect in marketing.
The first is a uniform white or light background with the product shown from different angles. This is often used in creating product pages design.
The second is contextual photos showing use of the product in a specific environment or in conjunction with other products. Real life shots are best for blogs, social media, and email newsletters. Emotional engagement of the customers can be increased by adding a few good contextual shots to the product page.
4 important elements for creating selling photos
Camera
Buy a good DSLR camera. Do not use a wide angle lens. They can cause distortions.
Choose your aperture meticulously. Too wide will reduce the depth of sharpness, moving some of the product out of the focus. It is possible that a small one will give a greater depth of field and keep the product crisp. Choose the correct white balance. Use the temperature value given by your light bulbs.
Tripod
For beginners, the use of a tripod is a must. It will provide stability and focus. That way it will be possible to visually maintain the same size of the product, without an offset center, edges of the photo zone, etc. Set the camera to a small aperture and a slow shutter speed. This will give you the desired depth of sharpness, clarity and keep the entire product in focus.
Perfect white background
You can use a light box, a white projector screen or a Whatman sheet for this. A whitewashed wall works well, too, if you have good lighting. The main thing is to expose and adjust the light.
Lighting
There should be at least two light sources. The main one should create the general background. An additional one is needed to evenly fill the entire space and soften harsh shadows. Studio lighting will give you more control, so your shots will easily turn out consistent.
If using natural lighting, shoot on the brightest day. It is always easier to minimize the flow of light than the other way around. But do not shoot in direct sunlight, it gives a lot of glare. Enclose the subject with white cardboard so that the light falls evenly.
And, of course, do not forget about post-processing and SEO optimization of images, as we do in ecommerce photography in Chicago.