{"id":1030,"date":"2020-02-20T10:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T18:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advantage-photography.com\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2020-04-13T12:01:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T19:01:21","slug":"diy-product-photography-beautiful-images-that-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advantage-photography.com\/diy-product-photography-beautiful-images-that-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Product Photography: beautiful images that sell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have been toying with the idea of opening your own e-store<\/strong>, either through off-the-shelf solutions like WooCommerce<\/strong> or Shopify<\/strong>, or joining platforms like Etsy<\/strong> or Amazon<\/strong>, then you will have surely come across the question on how to produce beautiful images that sell your product<\/strong>. Professional product photographers can surely provide you with all the great images your product deserves, but they come at a price which you might not be ready to pay, yet. Not all is lost, though: there is plenty you can do to take amazing pictures<\/a><\/strong> that look very professional<\/strong> and will make your product shine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Product
The product we will use as a sample.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Images that sell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pictures of the product being sold are crucial to the success of your online store. You are presenting your product to people who cannot hold the product for inspection in their hands, so they have to rely on image to determine whether they like the product<\/em> and trust you<\/em> as the seller. As odd as this may sound, the perceived value of your products is judged by the quality of their <\/strong>images<\/strong>. You will want to shoot (pun intended :-)) for crisp, well focused images, where all details are clear, and colors are faithful. Let\u2019s get to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIY product photography tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go through the steps of setting up a simple product photography stage, for business owners on a budget. You will be impressed by how easy this is, and how great the results will be by just following few tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s see what we need for a very budget friendly product photography stage, that is going to cut it for producing great images. In some cases, I will list an option or two, so pick the one that you feel more comfortable with. Or otherwise try both, and see. Remember also that you can borrow<\/em> things that you may not have, at least until you find this worthwhile of your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Camera<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For taking the picture, you will need a camera, obviously. The choice is very simple here: use the best camera you have at your disposal<\/em>. This could be your fancy DSLR, your point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone. If your smartphone camera isn\u2019t good enough, consider borrowing a point-and-shoot from a friend, or have them over for a coffee and a weekend project!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Tripod<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A tripod will make your life much easier in many ways. First, it allows you to keep your images consistent. Also, it allows for longer exposures, should you need to do so. You don\u2019t need an expensive model. You can get away with just about anything solid enough to hold your camera<\/strong>. And if you are using a smartphone, you may find an adapter for your tripod, or simply get a specialized tripod<\/strong>. Remember, you can always borrow one for a weekend from your friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. White background<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My go-to solution here is a humble white poster board<\/strong>. Pick up one or two at your dollar store, making sure they are clean, wrinkle free at least on one side. Don\u2019t fold them, we\u2019ll want them in their unfolded glory. Also pick one or two foam boards. They are cheap as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Table<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We will use this to position your products on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Light source<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Light consistency<\/strong> is probably the most important component in product photography. Once again, you can either get the expensive strobes or hot lights at your favorite camera store, or you have other options. The cheapest is definitely to use the natural light from a window. If your room has access to that, then you cannot ask for better light source. For something not dependent on the sun, a couple of clamp shop lights<\/strong> will do the trick. With the new LED light bulbs, they can provide quite some light at low cost. I would recommend at least 2 of them<\/strong>, each at 75W<\/strong> equivalent, with a temperature of 5000K<\/strong> (a.k.a. daylight<\/strong>) which will help in getting whiter whites<\/strong>. Very important: try not to mix different bulbs, or light sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Miscellaneous items<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To put the whole rig together, you will need things like: painter\u2019s tape (won\u2019t leave marks), scissors, a utility knife, parchment paper. If you have clamps in your garage, they might prove useful, otherwise just get some duct tape also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Position your table against a wall, then tape the poster board to the table, at a distance that allows you to position your item on it, while leaving enough of the board for you to tape on the wall to create a seamless white backdrop. The tripod and camera (or smartphone) is in front of the table. Pick a height and distance such that you recreate the familiar ecommerce \u201clook\u201d. For this, you may have to tilt the camera a little, get closer to the object, or get lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sample
Sample setup for DIY product photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Handling the light<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Depending on your light source, you may need to make some adjustments. If you are using a window, then the light should be coming from one side. This will inevitably create a lighter side and a darker side in your images, which is not ideal. You can though introduce a very simple and effective reflector<\/strong>, by cutting a piece of foam board, fold it and position it parallel to the window, on the darker side<\/em> of your item. By just playing with angles, you will see most of the darkness gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When using the two lights, you position one light at each side. This will also help enhance the borders. You may need to clamp the lights to different objects, and it\u2019s all fair game, as long as they stay out of the final picture. If the light is too harsh, you can play with distance<\/em> or even cover the lights with a square piece of parchment paper. Be mindful of undesired reflections on shiny objects, in which case you might have to reposition the lights, or try with larger pieces of parchment paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camera settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For the finest images, you will need depth of field, so that nothing is out of focus. Depending on the camera, you can use Aperture Priority<\/strong>, and go around F\/5.6 or higher. This in turn will lower your shutter speed, hence the tripod comes in handy allowing you to both keep your ISO low, and get a shake-free image. If you need several images for the same item, then Manual Mode<\/strong> is preferred, as that will yield the same exposure for a consistent set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Several variations of this setup are possible, of course. The principles remain the same: provide a seamless white background, a solid light source, reduce glare and shadows, make sure your camera settings are correct and the frame is filled with a good composition<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DIY
DIY product photography with your smartphone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Light box kits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are willing to spend a few extra dollars, you can get a light box kit like this one<\/a><\/strong>. This way you won\u2019t need to spend time sourcing the various elements, and you get a portable kit that is easy to manage and store. Features and components vary, so check them out first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If all goes well, editing should be reduced to just cropping the images to select the subject. In reality you might have to check the white balance<\/strong>, to make sure the white background is really white. In some cases you may have to cleanup some blemishes<\/strong>, or imperfections on the object or the background. You might also have to cut-out the product<\/strong>, to provide a transparent background<\/strong>. Most of these are really advanced edits. If you believe you need them, a professional digital image editor<\/strong> will definitely be able to help, or you can contact your local professional e-commerce photographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional vs DIY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most small e-commerce website owners can handle their photography needs on their own. If you don\u2019t have have lots of products, and their lighting is fairly simple, then there is little reason to call for professional help. On the other hand, if the business is picking up, then it starts making sense to outsource<\/em> tasks that are not core<\/em> to the business. Involving a professional e-commerce photographer<\/strong> will allow you to get consistent, fast and proven results. After all, that is their core business<\/em>, and they can help you to stand out of the competition. As you grow, you may need to showcase more photographs per item, at different angles, or color combinations; or even include a model in the photo; provide lifestyle images; resize images for different needs, like different resolutions, but also different sizes for Instagram and Facebook posts. The list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to e-commerce stores, great pictures put customers minds at ease, making them feel confident to buy your products. If you are on a budget, there are several inexpensive ways to produce great professional looking images<\/strong> for your e-store. When the image creation process starts taking a sizeable chunk of time away from your core business, it is time to outsource<\/em> and hire a professional<\/a>.<\/p>\n