{"id":16467,"date":"2021-05-26T14:49:26","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T14:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aikdesigns.com\/blog\/?p=16467"},"modified":"2023-01-10T22:32:13","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T22:32:13","slug":"6-top-tips-to-improve-your-product-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aikdesigns.com\/blog\/6-top-tips-to-improve-your-product-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Top Tips to Improve Your Product Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this list you\u2019ll find 6 essential tips on improving your product photography<\/a> and in turn increasing sales on your website or for the client – as this is the ultimate goal after all! While we may sometimes get carried away with creative expression in other aspects of photography; almost always the end goal is to sell a certain product which is important to keep in mind but doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t be inventive and creative along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1 – Composition<\/b><\/h2>\n

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This is perhaps the most important part of achieving the right look for your product as the composition will inform the audience of exactly what this product is trying to sell. So it could be that the product takes centre stage against a blank background in which case the emphasis is of course going to be on the product itself so it has to look better than real life – that\u2019s the objective with a minimalist product shot. You want it to shine, the colours to pop, to highlight it\u2019s form and texture; whatever makes it most appealing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The iconic coke bottle; the above example really stands out because of the careful composition, dramatic lighting and pop of red colours against a black background. The final touch being the condensation on the bottle, this fact informs you that it\u2019s a cold bottle of coke and leads you to imagining drinking it (this is the intention at least). This is the ultimate objective of product photography: create desire for whatever\u2019s in the frame which the above shot does excellently.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2 – Faithfulness to the Original<\/b><\/h2>\n

I did say that you want the image to appear larger than life but in this section I will clarify that it depends on the client or situation. For website listings, while you want it to look fantastic, you need to make sure the colours especially are as close to real life as possible. I\u2019m sure that you, like myself, have ordered something online and once it\u2019s arrived the colours have not been what you expected. You want to appeal to the customer, not mislead them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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While it\u2019s essential to dress up and enhance the images, you don\u2019t want to lose the product\u2019s inherent traits, which is more often than not, the correct colour. Of course it doesn\u2019t have to be with all products, as I\u2019ve mentioned but you do want to be faithful to the original colour particularly on ecommerce sites.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3 – Details<\/b><\/h2>\n

In general the focus will be on the product, both from the viewer and the camera so you want it to be in sharp detail. This is where studio lighting really shines quite literally as it basically smoothes out edges, provides contrast and you have control over shadow – primarily if you want any or not. Having a lightbox is pretty much industry standard for product photography as it can be so versatile for certain controlled environments where you want to capture every element of the subject.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The importance of details is to show the whole product fresh out of the box, spotless and looking amazing so capturing the object looking its best is key. The above shots, while not promoting a specific product, still highlight this point of capturing amazing detail with the studio light reflecting off the bulb evenly and no distractions anywhere else in the frame or on the product – the image as a whole has been considered. So bear that in mind when you come to shoot the item, if it\u2019s clothing, should it be ironed or worn on a model; if it\u2019s cutlery, do you want it set on a table or isolated like the bottle? Think carefully about which details you want to expose and which you don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4 – Technical Restrictions<\/b><\/h2>\n

I won\u2019t go too much into this side of product photography as it falls under a more broad category of website management but it is worth noting that if you\u2019re uploading images to an ecommerce platform, there may be size restrictions. By this I mean actual pixel width and height that you need to consider and this also affects the overall quality of the image. Certain product shots may require using a high-resolution photograph to really show the item off but with this comes issues with site performance. You may need to test out your site\u2019s performance when uploading high-res pictures as this can slow down the website\u2019s overall speed which can deter customers from shopping. It\u2019s something to keep in mind when taking the product photographs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5 – Editing<\/b><\/h2>\n

Another facet of product photography that is it\u2019s own subject but is still worth mentioning is image editing. Understanding what your editing software is capable of can help massively with workflow. For example batch processing is a fantastic time-saver if you use the exact same environment in each image which is very often the case with product photography. You can edit one photo to your taste and then apply all these adjustments to the entire set. Very handy when reviewing the work and you want to see what a sample edit would look like across the board.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Using the retouch tool is especially useful in this field as you can so easily clean up any discrepancies such as dust, unwanted reflections, shadows or any abnormality that detracts from the overall image. As mentioned though, editing is its own subject so I\u2019ll leave this section brief but as with photography in general; experimentation along with trial and error is always the best teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6 – Lighting<\/b><\/h2>\n

Of course you already know, lighting is everything when it comes to photography and perhaps even more so in product photography. Using daylight with editing software is a solid place to start and images can come out beautifully but if you want to take this practise to the next level, studio lights and a lightbox for instance will really help to capture quality every time. It just provides you with the control and consistency you need for product photography. Getting as much light on the subject matter as possible is generally the rule of thumb as you want as much file data as possible with which to edit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Take the above image for example, another black background but lit perfectly to capture both the colours of the products and the appealing shine and reflections on the glass bottles\u2019 surface. All the details are well lit and as a result, captured perfectly. This is a classic product shot that could be a client request but don\u2019t be afraid to play around with the composition and scene to give something more dynamic. As always it\u2019s trial and error that will land you with the right shot!<\/span><\/p>\n

Author Bio:\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Andrew Farron works for <\/span>Fable Studios<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>a Creative-led boutique video and animation studio that creates tailored brand stories that endure in your audience\u2019s mind. Fable combines your objectives with audience insights and inspired ideas to create unforgettable productions that tell the unique story of your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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