5 Ways to Improve Your Product Photography
How to improve your product styling for your small business
I work with lots of creatives on their content strategy, and the number one thing they struggle with when it comes to staying consistent on platforms like Instagram or Pinterest, is not having enough images. When it comes to starting and growing a handmade product business, there are lots of skills that come in handy. One of the most important of these, is product photography. Having great photos of your product is really important, not just for marketing, but also to help convert traffic into customers and sales.
While eventually lots of product sellers outsource their photos to a professional photographer, having a good knowledge of DIY photography (even with your phone), can be massively helpful when you’re first starting out, or for extra content on the go! Taking your own product images can be intimidating though, and so many small business owners lack confidence in their own ability to take photos whether that’s for social media, blogs, or website content in general. To put the power back in your hands, this blog post has some of my top tips to help build your confidence in your imagery.
Get to know your camera
Whether you’re working with a DSLR camera or an iPhone, the best camera to get started with is the one you already have, because taking a good shot is actually way more about composition, lighting, technique and creativity, than it is about the camera itself. Getting to know the tech you already have at your disposal, is often a much more budget friendly way of improving your photography too, then if you want to upgrade later, you’ll know you’re really ready for it. Smart phones are amazing tools, and you get get really professional looking product photos with them! Here are some tips to improve your phone photography:
Check your settings - make sure you’re shooting on the best quality, and you have automatic HDR turned on if you have that feature (this creates a more defined, higher quality looking shot.)
If you have it, experiment with portrait mode. This helps blur the background of your photos, which adds a more professional look.
Use natural light where possible, and opt for a ring light or studio lighting over your artificial home lights. There are lots of beginner level studio lights available on a budget, that can sometimes be a great investment when natural lighting isn’t available.
Work with the flash off. Flash (particularly on phones), often washes out an image, unless used with intention.
While the camera you use definitely helps the quality of an image, there are other components that matter even more, so let’s move on to those shall we?
2. Be intentional with styling and composition
A great camera won’t solve bad styling and composition in an image, so it’s important to learn what works and what doesn’t. A huge part of DIYing your own photography successfully is planning. Make mood boards, create a shot list, set up your environment ahead of time, allow yourself plenty of time to get creative. I personally like to batch my work, and set aside a day or even an afternoon a month to take lots of photos all in one go, which saves loads of time.
While I’m not a professional photographer, I am a trained set designer, so I can pass on a few pro tips for styling your photos with ease:
When styling a product, that product needs to be the star of the show! Make sure your composition gives your product the limelight, so it isn’t outshone by the props or background.
Speaking of props, using them is a great way of adding interest to your image, but make sure they make sense. Think of the story you’re trying to tell, would your props fit in with that story?
When using a backdrop - think about how that backdrop fits in with your brand as a whole.
How can you blend in elements of your own creative style into your product shots? This helps you to stand out from the competition.
3. Show your product off
As well as styling your product shots effectively, there are other things to consider when it comes to product photography that sells. Make sure you’re covering all bases, and answering your customer’s potential questions through your photos. Ask yourself:
Have you shown your product at all the relevant angles
Can the customer see it in use?
Is the scale of the product obvious? How can you show the size without placing it next to a ruler or a coin?
Have you shown all the different options and variations of your product?
Is it obvious what’s included with purchase?
Have you shown how the product arrives in its packaging?
A picture says a thousand words, so when your product images answer these potential questions for your customer, it takes out the barriers to them buying from you, and saves you the admin of answering those FAQs.
4. Get to know your brand style
Once you’ve got the basics covered, one of the best ways to really elevate the visuals of your small business is to have a strong brand style. What makes your business unique? What sets you apart from your competition? What makes your images instantly recognisable as yours? One way of developing your visual style, is to get to know what inspires you, and what your influences are. Another way, is to get to know your ideal customer, and what inspires them! Aligning your photos with your ideal customer’s taste is a great way of helping them visualise your product in their life. For more tips on finding your creative style, read this blog post.
5. Editing is your friend
So you’ve considered all of the above, and you’ve completed a product shoot, congrats! Now it’s time to edit your photos, which is the important final step to get them looking as professional as possible. There are lots of free and paid apps that help you edit your photos on your phone, some of my favourites are:
Adobe Lightroom
A Color Story
Preset
Camera+
You can also make basic edits in apps you’re likely already using, like Canva and Instagram. As well as adjusting the brightness and colour profile of your photos, remember to resize them in the best format for wherever you’re posting them. The most important thing is not to let editing intimidate you, and you’ll improve with practice.
I hope you enjoyed these beginners tips for improving your product photography! If you’re looking to up-level the visuals in your business, and find more fun in the process, then I definitely recommend getting on the waitlist for my course: Be the Art Director of Your Own Brand. We cover finding your style, go deep on improving your DIY photography, video content mastery, and much more.
