The Importance of Product Photography
We have become a society where consumers with money (and often, little time) are drawn to easily digestible visual imagery. Just look at the explosion in popularity of social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram. These sites mostly cater to our visual senses. And they have smartly capitalized on this visual consumerism by evolving their platforms to include ecommerce capabilities. This successful and fast-growing segment proves how valuable the power of images can be. Even traditional ecommerce site Etsy found that 90% of their shoppers say image quality is critical to their purchase decisions.
The importance of ecommerce photography in featuring your products cannot be stressed enough. According to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, “In 2019, e-retail sales accounted for 14.1 percent of all retail sales worldwide…and this figure is expected to reach 22 percent in 2023.”
Product photos can speak to a need, lifestyle, aesthetic, or aspiration of a potential buyer. And what better way to sway a consumer to buy your product than with clean, well curated, and beautiful images?
Why Hire a Professional Product Photographer?
Product photography is one of those things that anyone with an iPhone is capable of doing these days. However, there is a marked difference between what an amateur photographer can capture, and that of a seasoned professional. Say you have a website where you sell textiles. You may be able to take your own pictures and have them look decent. However, important aspects like true color depiction may not come through. Close-ups of essential details may be lost. Things like scale, proper lighting, and simply knowing which angles to highlight can be difficult.
This can also be particularly tricky with something like jewelry photography. Capturing products that are small, detailed, reflective, or curved is not easy without the proper equipment. Even knowing which backdrop to use, and how light and shadow compliments or distracts, can be pretty advanced concepts to master.
Professional product photographers are well versed in all of these aspects. They will often have high-end professional equipment and years of know-how to best display the product you are trying to sell. Additionally, they often provide retouching services, which can be invaluable to making your product images look top-notch.
Not everyone may have the money to hire a professional photographer for his or her product photography, especially if you are just starting out. But if you look at it in terms of return on investment, you may see it is well worth it.
Strong imagery may be precisely all it takes to sell your product, and that’s an investment worth making.
What Can You Expect From a Product Photoshoot?
Professional product photography will make your products appear in the very best light—quite literally!
A good product photographer will collaborate with you on what message or feel you want your product/images to convey. How do you want your products displayed? Do you want them to appear singularly, floating against a clean, white or neutral backdrop? Or do you want to tell more of a story, as in a lifestyle setup? This may involve props, models, or an outdoor environment, for example—which may affect costs. It’s always a good idea to discuss where the shoot will take place ahead of time. Is the photographer willing to travel to you, or will the shoot take place in a studio?
Ultimately, you may decide that a combination of the styles—static and lifestyle—is the best way to feature your products. Static shots may serve more for clarity and accuracy. While lifestyle shots may serve more for showing how to use a product in its intended environment. Lifestyle images can also pack more of an emotional punch and allow for a lot more creativity.
How a Photographer’s Expertise Can Make a Difference
A professional product photographer will know what to feature, and how best to feature it. Whether it is a small item, like jewelry, or a larger one, like furniture. A product photographer can help determine which lighting, angles, and details to focus on.
They can use specialized lenses like a macro lens for smaller items and to feature essential details. Conversely, they may use a wide-angle lens to better capture oversized items. They will often use other specialized equipment like lighting, backdrops, props, and editing software for polishing final images.
Another important consideration your photographer will know is how many shots each product will require. Usually a full-product shot will be necessary. In addition, there may be several “details” shots. You may need another image that shows scale. Or it may be helpful to have a group shot showing variations in style, shape, size, and color. And finally, you may need a shot, or several shots, of the outside packaging.
In the end, the decision will be yours. But having a professional product photographer to guide you will make all the difference.
The Importance of Product Photos to Your Brand
Your product photos are a direct reflection of your brand. They can be a calling card for the work that you do or the quality you represent. Oftentimes your product photos serve as a first impression to your larger body of work or offered products. If your images are technically deficient, don’t offer enough information, or are just plain dull a consumer will likely scroll on by.
Remember, product images may be the only way to communicate to a consumer what your product is about. Consumers don’t have the benefit of walking into a store, seeing your product, and picking it up with their hands. They can only generate an informed opinion of your product by how much and how well you visually communicate to them. This is why it is essential to create images that will engage your customers and entice them to buy.
