How To Photograph Your Products Like A Pro

When was the last time you updated your product photos? With social media and online shopping becoming the norm, having beautiful product photos is more important than ever. First impressions count, and product photos play a huge role in customer’s buying decisions.

Product photography has the power to not only physically showcase your product, but also tell a story about your product and brand. 

Whilst having professional photos taken will give you amazing quality photos, it is still possible to take great product photos at home. Read on to learn how to take your product photos like a pro.

Start With Lighting

Getting your lighting right is one of the most important steps when it comes to product photography. You generally have two options- natural lighting, or artificial lighting.

Diffused natural light works well- simply cover your window with a sheer fabric to create the diffused effect. Natural light works best when you’re shooting the product on a person, or you are trying to emphasise the product’s surroundings rather than specific attributes of the product itself.

The best time for natural light photography is early morning or late afternoon, when the sun isn’t too harsh. 

Artificial lighting can be bought online for relatively cheap, and is needed when you are shooting multiple products that all need consistent lighting. It is also perfect for highlighting specific details of your product.

Use Props

Props can really add interest to your photos and draw the eye in. Keep your props simple,relevant to the products and in line with your colour scheme and branding. Remember, props are meant to enhance your image, not detract from your product .

Incorporating human hands or human interaction is a great way to engage your customer and work in that story telling aspect of product photography. Putting your product into context in this way allows your customers to easily imagine themselves using, and benefiting from your product.

Remember The Rule of Thirds

Following the rule of thirds is a simple way to improve the composition of your photos. 

The rule of thirds teaches you to visualise your photo as being divided into 9 equal segments, with 3 lines running horizontally and 3 lines running vertically.

You want to have your product focused along one of the thirds, as opposed to being in the middle of the image. This is because people’s eyes naturally gravitate to these thirds

Shoot From A Variety of Angles

It is important to shoot each product set up from a variety of angles. This allows your customer to get a true sense of what each product looks like, and will also give you more options when it comes to picking out the final photos. 

You might be surprised by which angles look best, so don’t be afraid to switch it up and try something different. Incorporate a mix of both close up and from afar angles.

Following these steps will allow you to take beautiful photos that will showcase your product, and help to create a cohesive brand. If you’re ready to put your product photos to good use and enter the wholesale market, my 6 month group program, the Wholesale Accelerator is for you! To learn more, click here.