Whether you are selling online on eBay, Shopify, or your eCommerce website, quality photos are critical for your business. 75% of online shoppers depend on the product’s image to make the buying decision.
With online shopping, there’s no option for touching and feeling the products. So you should make an effort to provide as many details as possible about your products.
High-quality eye-catching images show what buyers should expect. Take photos from as many angles as you deem fit, good lighting, and capture as many details as possible.
Nobody would want to buy an item whose image is blurry and of low resolution. Here are photography tips to keep potential customers glued to your site.
Photography Tips to Improve Your eCommerce Website
Clean Background
A plain background is best to keep the customer focused on the item. Go for a plain white background. If you can’t buy a high-quality background, there’s the cheaper option of DIY.
Just get a white paper from the art store, set it as a sweep, and hang it using strong tape. The white paper background also makes photos look bright and vibrant.
Ditch Your Camera Flash and Use Diffused Lighting
No matter the lighting you’re using, you should ensure there are no shadows if you want to get the best shot. You can use a bounce card or reflector to minimize shadows and direct light for perfect photos.
But whatever you do, ditch your camera flash. It produces bright, harsh lighting that creates shadows. The result? Unappealing photos. Instead, go for softer, even lighting options like diffused lighting from different angles.
If you want to be extra creative, use a lens ball. It creates stunning imagery by refracting light through the crystal it’s made of.
Capture Every Detail
Customers prefer to see every part of the item they are considering. Thus, a full 360-degree view is preferred rather than showing them one side of the item.
Take as many views as possible; front, back, top, bottom, and sides. Every minute detail is essential. The more photos you take, the better the experience. It will also help reduce returned items because they didn’t look as the customer had thought.
Use a Tripod
The idea of using a tripod might seem flashy, but it will make a huge difference to the clarity and overall quality of your photos. It will stabilize the camera even if you have shaky hands and avoid blurred images.
Use Simple Props
If you want to use props in your photography, make them simple. Your customer’s center of attention should be on your product. You don’t want them to be carried away until they forget to buy.
That does not mean you should avoid props at all costs. You can still embellish your pictures with touches of aesthetics.
Edit Your Photos
We are not saying you should take a professional course in photography, but you should at least know how to edit and manipulate your photos.
As a beginner, photo editing might be challenging, but you can try beginner-friendly. You can start with mobile apps as they are usually easier to use. Most come with several preset filters, easy settings, and manipulation toggles.
Capture Medium or High File Photo Sizes
Small photos might look good in their original size, but they’ll be awful when customers zoom in or enlarge the product.
Instead, capture a medium or high size so that you can also feature full detail to let potential customers see every detail of the product.
Take-Home
Other crucial tips include showing the scale, filling the frame with your product, creating a sensible system for naming your files, noting any color tinting, and making sure you pay attention to brightness and sharpness before putting the camera away. Reshoot if necessary.
Online customers depend on photos to see what they are considering buying. It is your responsibility to give them the most vivid pictures they’d want to see to make the decision. You’ll need a few tweaks here and there to capture the best photos.