6 Tricks to Taking Better Product Photographs

Type in a website or log in to any of your social media accounts. What’s the first thing you see?

Probably a lot of pictures.

That’s because photos are the best way to attract people’s attention, and that’s what the Internet is all about. From blog posts to tweets, it’s been scientifically proven that people are drawn to content with photographs more so than content without.

That’s because the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. This means if you post something that contains images, (i.e., a tweet, Facebook status, or blog post), you’re going to get a significantly larger response than if you just post text.

The same can be said for your website.

Potential consumers are going to be much more interested in looking at a website with lots of bright, clear photos than a wall of text. In fact, having (quality) photos on your website may be the deciding factor that influences whether a consumer does or does not make a purchase from you.

Studies have shown that 46 percent of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning a company’s credibility, so don’t let your bad or nonexistent photographs be the reason your company doesn’t make as many sales as you’d like. We understand having professional photos taken of all your products can be expensive and overwhelming, but good images don’t have to be hard.

Instead, follow these simple tricks and create great images for your business.

1. Learn to use your camera

Yes, this might seem basic, but if you’re going to take great photos, you need to learn how to use your camera.

You likely already know how to take a photo, turn on the flash, focus your camera, etc., but there’s a lot more to good photography than just pushing a button. Even if you’re using a simple camera (or even an iPhone camera, for that matter), there’s tons of tricks and tools you probably don’t know about. Learn them.

2. Use a tripod

If people are going to buy a product from you, they’re going to want to be able to read all the details about said product. What does the label on the bottle say? What are the ingredients? A blurry photo is going to make those things hard for customers to read. Use a tripod to steady your camera and ensure you get a clear, crisp and readable photo every time.

3. Find a white background

A clean, white background is an easy way to make your product photos look ten times more professional. Head to your nearest arts and crafts store and pick up a white mat board for a simple fix.

4. Good lighting is key

We can’t stress this enough. Nobody wants to buy from a website with photos that are dark, blurry and hard to read. Bad lighting can easily be the difference between losing a customer and making a sale. To create the best lighting, look for natural light. A room with lots of windows will be best for this, as taking photos directly outside in the sun may create too harsh of a glare.

5. Forget about flash

As mentioned in the paragraph above, natural light is the best option when taking photos. An artificial flash can be helpful at times, but if you have access to a room with great natural light, use this before flash. This way, your images will have perfect, natural coloring and your camera will be able to pick up every detail without any sort blow out from flash.

6. Experiment with your photos

The only way to find out what equipment, lighting and angles work best for you and your products is to experiment with different shots. What works great for one product might not look so good with another. You just have try something new and see what looks best. Most importantly, don’t get flustered when your photos don’t turn out the way you want. Just move some props, switch your lighting, or try shooting from a different angle.

While there’s definitely more to becoming a professional photographer than these tricks, this is a great place to start. Your photos are the first thing consumers will see of your company, so make that first impression count with quality images.