Taking Photos That Sell and Stand Out
A picture is worth 1,000 words. And a whole lot of money.
If you're a small business owner in today's world, you probably already understand the importance of having your own website and being on social media - especially if you don't have a brick and mortar location! Truth be told, brick and mortar location or not, you NEED to make your presence known on the online space. Not only that, but you also need to make it feel as though the person scrolling through your website feels the same way that a person would feel walking into your business!
Photography is your key to unlocking your business' "online" doors for your customers to come in and spend money with you! I would say that justifies making sure that you are taking the best photos of your business for your website and social media is extremely important!
So here's a few tips....:)
Tip #1 - You can use your iPhone camera!
Yep, you can absolutely take amazing photos on your phone!
Don't feel the urger to go out and invest a ton of money into a "professional" camera that you don't even know how to use! Phone cameras have come a LONG way. Just check out Apple's Shot On An iPhone campaign to check out the incredible pictures that smartphones can take these days and get some insight on iPhone's camera settings!
As you up your photography game. you may then look into investing into a more professional camera, but a simple iPhone is a great start.
Tip #2 - Lighting is EVERYTHING
Lighting is arguable the single, most important factor in getting a good photo. Bad lighting will make a bad photo 100% of the time no matter what kind of camera you use.
The best lighting in my experience comes from natural light (light from the sun). So if you can set up your products to be photographed outside or directly facing a window or other source of light to the inside, that would be ideal. However, for days where it is too cloudy or natural light isn't an option, there are some great options for artificial lighting as well.
My go to for artificial lighting is my Neewer Ring Light. It comes with a carrying case so I can take it with me anywhere for a little extra lighting!
Whether you are using natural light or artificial light, be sure to be careful with shadows. You always want your product or model to be facing the light, so that there are no shadows.
Tip #3 - Tell A Story With Your Props and Set-Up
When they said a picture tells a thousand words, they mean that a picture tells a "story." If all your photo says is "this is a photo of a shoe," well, that's one boring story that is not going to connect with your customer.
Instead, think about what your product or service does for the customer or how you can relate to your customer through the photography.
I will use boutique photography as an example. (I've taken my fair share of these photos so I have plenty of examples for these to go around) When you take a photo of an outfit on a model think about these thing.
1. The Model
Does your model directly embody what your target customer looks like? Are they similar in age so that the clothing feels appropriate for that age group? Do they have similar body types so that your target customer knows that the top will be flattering on her as well? Having multiple models to portray different types of customers you have is always a good idea.
2. The Model
Does the outfit look appropriate for the scene of where the photo is taken? Should your swimsuit photos be taken on a couch or should the be taken by a pool or at least outside? Is your outfit styled to be business appropriate, yet the scene that you are using is the field behind your house? The photo should look natural and make logical sense to make the connection with the customer. You can even use the scene to your advantage by showing how one blazer can go from office to date night by changing the scene or switching how you styled the blazer.
3. The Scene
Does the outfit look appropriate for the scene of where the photo is taken? Should your swimsuit photos be taken on a couch or should the be taken by a pool or at least outside? Is your outfit styled to be business appropriate, yet the scene that you are using is the field behind your house? The photo should look natural and make logical sense to make the connection with the customer. You can even use the scene to your advantage by showing how one blazer can go from office to date night by changing the scene or switching how you styled the blazer.
Tip #4 - Get Multiple Angles and Shots
You want to make sure that your pictures answer all the product questions that a customer may have. Taking multiple angles helps to ensure that you highlight all of the different features of your product.
Along with different angles, consider taking multiple shots of a product in different scenes or being used different ways. This may trigger someone that may have not been considering purchasing from your business to reconsider.
Tip #5 - Use A Natural Edit
Finally, after you take your photos, you want to go through them all and pick out the best ones to edit to give them a flawless, polished look.
I typically use Lightroom to edit all my photos because there are so many options to make sure you get a flawless final look, but other photo editing apps like Tezza, AirBrush, or even your phone's editing settings will do the trick! Once you find your editing "style," you'll want to try to remain consistent! Meaning if you typically have a dark and moody look to your photos, you don't want to have a random bright and colorful photo on your website because it doesn't fit with your business' look. It would be like having pink, frilly decor in your store but then having football helmets and sports flags in your dressing room!
The main thing to keep in mind with your edits is to make sure that it still looks realistic. Make sure your products' colors still remain the same so that when a customer orders a "red" product from you online, they don't receive an orange product, leave a nasty review and cost you some return shipping!
Stand Out and Sell Online With Effecting Photography
Your product and brand photos can make or break you into today's digital world. Take these tips and go create some stellar pics to grow your biz!