How do I create great product photos?
Product photos are so important to the success of online shops because they show the buyer what they are actually purchasing. It is a good idea to put just as much effort into creating the best product photo, as you do to create the product itself!
Many sellers make the false assumption that they need to have expensive photo equipment to take great photos, when this is not the case! Below we have summarised some key points so that you too can have great photos.
Background
You can ensure that your product is easy to recognise by presenting it on a simple, neutral, full-colored background. A patterned, grainy, poorly constructed background can divert attention from your product and lower the quality of the general impression. Please do not photograph your product in front of patterned wallpapers, doors or lying on the floor.
Professional product photographers use special backgrounds when they take their photos. You can produce the same effect by using a large sheet of paper. If you are taking photos of small items a sheet of white or black paper or a fully-colored, smooth piece of material would work well.
If you think that a neutral background is too boring, then you don’t need to completely abandon the multicolored option. Experimenting does no harm! Colored tops, skirts and the like can make great backgrounds for small items, so long as they don’t divert too much attention from the product. It is also important that the product and the background don’t blend into each other. Ensure that there is a sufficient color contrast between the product and the background, so that the product really stands out. You can get some inspiration from other DaWanda sellers’ product photos.
Lighting
Difficult lighting conditions can often be a problem when using a digital camera. Whenever there is unfavorable lighting the camera’s automatic colour settings adapt to it, and rarely provide good results. If you read your camera’s instructions, you should be able to find out how to change the colour settings, which is the easiest way to deal with lighting problems. It will take just a few seconds to adjust the settings and it will mean that you can photograph in the daylight, in the shade, under a cloudy sky or with artificial light.
Photos that are taken with automatic colour settings and bad lighting conditions often have a red, green or blue color cast. This can be avoided if you regulate the colour settings manually (in particular the white balance). Manually changing the white balance makes it possible to get the correct color reproduction.
Experiment with your camera’s flash if it is too dark. You need to practice taking good photos with the flash, so often it is easier to just light the photo with a lamp. Lamps in your house (writing lamps, standing lamps etc) can be used to illuminate your product evenly from all sides, so that there are no hard lines. When using a lamp for the lighting, however, the light can be too sharp and overexpose the photo. You can make the lighting softer by attaching baking paper (or diffusion foil and the like) to the lamp before taking the photo.
Perspective
Many sellers choose to photograph the front part of their products. These photos only work well in some cases. Experiment, so that you find the perspective that makes your product appear the most authentic. Generally you should never photograph your products front-on. A lighter angle of 45° is the best.
On DaWanda you can upload up to four photos for each listing. Take advantage of this! Photograph your product from several perspectives. With extra photos you can eliminate any uncertainties that a buyer may have. For example, you can separately photograph individual details, to help convince your buyer to make the purchase.
Editing photos
Photo editing programmes frequently come with your digital camera or printer software. You can also find a number of free programmes on the internet. These are quite simple to use and enable you to provide the final touch to your photos.
By changing the contrast, colour settings or brightness, you can optimize each picture yourself.
Often photographing the smaller products can present the most difficulties. Many digital cameras zoom into small objects in a diffuse way. To ensure that the picture focuses, you must remain a certain minimum distance away from the product. You can get good results if you keep to the minimum distance and resize it later, using a photo editing programme.
Examples
We tested how much a good product photo influences customers by offering the same chain twice - once with a good photo, once with a bad photo. Both photos were taken with the item lying flat. Even we were surprised at HOW strongly the photo influenced the number of hits! The listing with the good photo received 51% more clicks and 61% more visitors compared to the listing with the bad photo. This shows how worthwhile it is to invest some time and effort into creating great photos!
Fashion
Unusual cuts and fancy dresses look a lot better if they are displayed on people. Such photos increase the chance that it will sell. We find that relatives, friends and acquaintances can be easily persuaded into a photoshoot. In an emergency you could use a mannequin, but in no case should you just photograph your clothes lying on the ground or hanging on a coat rack. This makes it difficult for buyers to visualise how the item would fall or look on them.
