Photography For eCommerce

The world of e-commerce has transformed the way we shop, with online sales now accounting for a whopping 22% of retail activity around the world. Although it can be more convenient than buying goods from physical shops, its major downside is the fact we can’t see products in person.

As an e-commerce brand, your photography is one of your most important assets. An excellent product photo needs to compensate for the four senses your customers can’t rely on when browsing your stock. So, how can you make sure your business boasts the best photography for your e-commerce?

What makes an unforgettable eCommerce photo?

On average, your customers see 5,000 different marketing messages every day. This includes hundreds of product images, from sponsored ads to social media posts. To compete in this very visual marketplace, it’s crucial that your photographs grab people’s attention – and quickly.

Although your product name, description, and price are all important factors, none will have as powerful an impact as your chosen image. Capturing your products calls for professional lighting, high-quality gear, and immaculate editing. However, here are five techniques that can create unforgettable photography for your e-commerce brand.

1. Surprise Your Audience

Generic photos may get the job done if you’re only aiming to show off a product’s features. But when it comes to creating amazing photographs, there’s nothing more effective than the element of surprise.

There are many ways you can play around with your audience’s expectations – and to do this, it’s important that you know your customer demographic inside out.

Take a look at your competitors’ product listings and see if any common photographic themes emerge. Perhaps lots of brands shoot in similar locations or use particular angles. How can you present your products differently?

A recent example of this came from the Prime Ambassador. Its 2020 collection hit the headlines thanks to its unusual product photography.

2. Make Use Of Multiple Angles

Once a potential customer has clicked through to your product listing, the last thing you want to do is put them off by only offering a single photograph of your item.

Photography for your e-commerce brand website has to strike the perfect balance between being aspirational and functional. This means it doesn’t matter how spectacular your photos are – if they don’t clearly show off the features of your product, they’re practically useless!

A customer in a physical shop can pick up an item and turn it over in their hands, examining it from every angle. An e-commerce brand has to recreate this process through photography. Always include multiple photos on your product listing, including close-ups of the front, back, and key features.

3. Be Aspirational

As we mentioned in the previous point, photography for e-commerce has to be aspirational as well as educational. Most images aren’t just selling a product – they’re selling a certain way of life as well.

In this respect, a lot of product photography shares the characteristics of lifestyle photography. A close-up picture of your product against a white background? That’s simply a picture of a product. A photo of somebody using your item in a way that shows off its benefits? That captures a lifestyle which empowers your customers and seems achievable – if only they decide to purchase your product, of course.

Remember that it’s important not to overdo the aspirational aspects. The item you’re selling should always be the main focus of your images, so avoid staging anything that makes it look like a prop as opposed to the star attraction.

4. Stay In Focus

This is one of the most basic rules of photography for your e-commerce brand. It may sound simple, but it’s not always easy to achieve crystal-clear focus.

Unfortunately, this isn’t something you can fix during the editing process – so if you’re taking your own photos, you’ll need to get this right on the day of your shoot.

Before you start taking pictures, decide whether you want to use selective focus to highlight different features of your product. This can work well if you’re taking close-ups. If you’re taking pictures of your item in use, make sure your focus is always razor-sharp on the product itself.

There’s almost nothing less professional than blurry or badly edited content. Not only will poor-quality images make it difficult for people to see your stock, but they can also damage your reputation. It’s reasonable to assume that a company sharing low-quality images will also sell low-quality products!

5. Use The Right Equipment

From lighting rigs to different lenses, it can require a huge array of equipment to get the best watch photography for your e-commerce company.

Your photos aren’t just decoration for your website – they’re responsible for selling your products and making you money. That means if you’re relying on makeshift shoots and natural light, you could be short-changing your brand.

If you’re keen to take your own photos, we strongly recommend that you consider renting the equipment you’ll need. This is a far more economical option than buying all of the lenses, lights, and screens outright.

Always plan your photoshoots in advance to make sure you’ll have the right kit to create the pictures you want.

Conclusion

By following this advice when shooting photography for e-commerce, you will elevate your brand’s marketing material for online shoppers. However, if you’re ready to take your listings to the next level, it might be time to outsource your images. Professional photographers will showcase your products in the best light, so you don’t have to.