You’ve probably heard that humans are visual creatures. People simply engage more with pictures than with text. Smart entrepreneurs, like yourself, would do well to take advantage of this fact to jumpstart your business.
According to research, 59 percent of online users value images more than the text on a page. They want to see the product they’re thinking about purchasing more than they want to read about it. Another study discovered that product images can affect the behavior of consumers.
This information is vital if you’re starting your own online store. Taking great pictures can mean the difference between your store becoming a success and shutting down.
Types of Site Photos
The first thing you should learn when taking photos for your online store is the two main types of product images. You’ll most likely use both of these types, depending on your products and where you’ll post them. The types of site photos are as follows:
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Contextual Shot
These images show your product in an ideal setting appropriate to its nature. They serve to highlight how attractive your product will look when someone buys them. For example, if you sell fashionable kitchen utensils, these photos can be of someone in a pristine kitchen, preparing low-carb pasta. Contextual shots are better when posted on your business’s social media account or the home page of your website. Their purpose is to entice users or inform them of what your product looks like and what they can experience if they buy it.
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Product Only
These pictures show only your product, usually on a plain background. Product-only photos give people browsing your site the opportunity to examine your products. One product will require multiple photos taken from different angles. Companies providing ecommerce product photo editing services can help you showcase your product in the best way possible.
This type of photo is best suited for your website’s product catalog or your product listing on an e-commerce platform. Their main goal is to let people who are considering buying your product have a close look to help them decide.
Tips for Great Photos
Now that you know the types of photos you should be taking for your online store, here’s how you can guarantee they look glamorous and appealing to your target market.
1. Angles
Customers like to check products from different perspectives, especially clothes or other wearable items. Because of this, you should always take multiple shots of your product from different angles, whether they’re contextual or product-only. Contextual shots, let you choose which photos showcase your product the best. For product-only, they give your potential buyers a complete look at your merchandise.
2. Lighting
Perfect lighting can mean the difference between an alluring display to a dim reject. The lighting on your product’s images should highlight its beauty. However, it shouldn’t be so harsh that it makes your product look garish or washed out. Some products, such as jewelry and other shiny objects, benefit more from bright light than others. Diffused light is perhaps the best type of lighting for most products, although you may have to experiment a little. If you need this type of lighting for your product photography alongside other needed tools, you can opt to rent lighting equipment from Lighting Rental NYC.
3. Highlight
Your photographs should showcase the best aspects of your products and draw attention to their important features. Clothes should look comfortable or fabulous in your contextual photos. Angle the items in your product-only shots so buyers can see their special features. This lets customers know what to look at and appreciate your product even more.
4. Background
Generally speaking, the less cluttered the background of your image, the better. This is a must for product-only photos, but other photographers are sometimes tempted to buy their products in front of scintillating backgrounds. Avoid doing so as it distracts your customer from focusing on the details of your product. A simple plain white or black background will do just fine.
5. Quality
You should expect your customers to zoom in on your product and site photos. As such, your photos should have a high enough resolution that they won’t look pixelated when zoomed in. However, you should also find a way to reduce the file size of such an image. Your website or e-commerce page may slow down if you use a picture with an extremely high resolution.
6. Honesty
Finally, be honest about your products. Although retouching and editing can highlight your product’s intrinsic appeal, you should never use them to pretend your product is something else entirely. Not only can this cost you the trust of your customers, but it can also lead to lawsuits or legal complaints about misleading advertisements. Always be honest about the appearance of your product and never intentionally misguide viewers.
With these tips, you should have no problem ensuring your site is populated with perfect pictures of your pretty products. With determination and creativity, your online store could be your ticket to success and comfort.
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