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eCommerce Photo Guide |
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If you are selling tangible products from your website, you need to provide actual pictures of each product. People want to see what they are buying. Hiring a professional photographer is the best way to get attractive photos of your products. Unfortunately, a professional can be very expensive, especially if you have lots of products to display. With the right equipment, a little care, and some time to experiment, you can take your own product photos that will do the job while saving the cost of a professional photographer. Here are some tips I have collected to help you take the best possible product photos for your website. Choosing a Digital CameraDon't have a digital camera? Here are a few pointers to help you choose the right one. 1. Compatible with your computer If you can't connect it to your computer and transfer pictures from the camera, then it won't do you any good. Make sure the model you want has the cords, adaptors, and the driver software to make it work with your type of computer. 2. Automatic vs. Manual You'll want a camera that is easy to use, but gives you the option to turn off automatic features as you become more experienced. Look for the ability to switch from automatic to "manual mode". 3. Macro Focus Option Make sure the camera is capable of focusing at close distances, especially if you will be photographing small items like jewelry or wanting to get detail close-ups of fabric or surface textures. A camera with "macro focusing" capability will let you get within an inch or two of the subject while staying in focus. 4. Color accuracy Get a camera that reproduces colors with reasonable accuracy. Some cameras have an unnatural yellow or blue tint or may oversaturate the colors. It is possible to color-correct photos in the computer, but starting with natural and accurate colors means less work and better end results. 5. Resolution Make sure your camera has adequate resolution. You need an absolute minimum resolution of 1 megapixel to produce photos with enough detail to show off your products. Even though you won't need such a high resolution in the final website photo, starting at a higher resolution provides more detail to photos which allows more latitude in retouching and sampling down the photo without losing too much detail. 6. A viewfinder that doesn't lie Get a camera with a viewfinder that shows you exactly what the camera will reproduce. The best viewfinder lets you see through the same lens used by the camera's imaging system (as opposed to a separate viewfinder lens). An LCD screen showing you exactly what the camera is shooting is a major plus. 7. Photo storage Make sure your camera is capable of storing enough pictures to be practical. A camera with some form of removable memory card is best because you can buy more memory cards and swap them if you run out of room. Cameras with non-removable memory require you to connect to a computer and download your pictures before you can take more pictures. This can be time consuming and cumbersome, or even impossible if you are nowhere near your computer. Make sure your camera saves photos in a standard file format. JPEG/JPG or TIFF/TIF formats are the most popular, the highest quality, and will open in most any photo editing software. 8. Shutter delay Check the camera's lag time when you press the shutter. Many lower priced digital cameras have a delay between pressing the shutter button and snapping the actual picture. This can be frustrating if you plan to shoot moving subjects, candid shots of people, or other situations where movement may happen as you press the shutter. For a more detailed guide to buying a digital camera, check out this
site:
Beyond the Camera: Vital AccessoriesTripod -- An absolute must. Keeping the camera still during your shoot is vital for keeping the viewfinder accurately lined up with your subject, especially in tight close-ups. It also prevents moving in and out which can affect focus on close-ups. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to hold the camera still in a useful range of heights and positions. Photo Lights -- Don't depend on the built-in flash to produce professional results. If you are shooting photos of products, you want the best lighting you can achieve. This means photo quality light from at least two or three different sources provided from adjustable fixtures so you can move them around and get just the right brightness, angle, and coverage. Make sure they are true photo lights, and not just standard bulbs in adjustable reflectors. True photo lights produce a bright white light that mimics the color of sunlight and is usually measured in "Kelvin temperature" or "K". Normal light bulbs produce excessive red tones; fluorescent lights produce unpredictable results. Your best bet is to check a professional photo store or online photo dealer for an basic light set. Backgrounds -- If you are shooting small objects, put together a "stage" where you can position the objects against a simple background. This can be as simple as a spare table, some stiff cardboard or foamcore board to serve as back "walls", some small boxes, books or other objects to provide different levels to hold your products, and a solid color fabric draped over the "walls" and "floor" of the shooting area. Depending on the objects you are shooting, solid color paper or posterboard can also work. Avoid patterns and heavy textures. For large items or shooting people, large rolls of background paper are available at professional photo stores which can be hung from a wall and rolled across the shooting area. Camera Care Accessories -- Don't forget all the little things that will make photo shooting and camera care go much smoother: lens cleaner, battery charger with a spare set of batteries, extra memory cards, heavy duty extension cords for the lights (a power strip with a switch can make turning them off when not in use much easier), and a case to safely store and carry the camera and accessories.
Ten Shooting Tips for Online Product Photos1. Compose the shot You want the photo to present your product as professionally as possible. This means setting up the product on a background that sets off the product instead of competing with it. Stick with simple uncluttered backgrounds that contrast in color lightness with the subject. Avoid busy patterns or textures. You want your product to stand out and not get lost in the surroundings. 2. Lock down the camera You don't want the camera to budge during the shot. Set up the camera on a tripod and don't move it once you have your shot composed. This will prevent blurring, losing focus, and will keep your subject lined up until you are done with the shot. 3. Control the lighting You may get by with the built-in flash, but seriously consider using separate photo lights instead. A minimum of two lights positioned about 45 degrees on either side of the camera can eliminate most shadows and bring out the details of your subject. Aim one light on the background and the other on the subject at different angles. Take the background light, position it off to the side behind the subject and light from behind while the other light illuminates from a front angle. A bit of experimentation can produce striking results that bring out the best of a product's appearance. 4. Watch for glare Look for unwanted glare in the viewfinder. If you end up with unwanted glare due to the flash, try to change the setup to remove the offending reflective surface. Better yet, turn off the flash and use separate photo lights. 5. Watch your shadows Equally important in lighting a photo are the shadows. Most of the time you will want to light your subject to minimize shadows. If shadows do appear, they should be aesthetically appealing and enhance the beauty of the subject without losing important details. 6. Focus Carefully Don't trust the autofocus mechanism. Sometimes autofocus is fooled and focuses on something other than the intended subject of the photo. Look carefully through your viewfinder or at your LCD display and verify the picture is sharp. (This is why you need a camera with a viewfinder that lets you view through the same lens that is taking the picture). Switch to manual if needed and focus the picture yourself. 7. Use a higher resolution Experiment with your digital camera and find the highest resolution setting you can use while keeping the photo files small enough to send over the Internet. Higher resolution means more captured detail which gives your friendly local graphic art specialist more latitude for correcting and manipulating the photo. Resolutions of 800 x 600 and above are best. 8. Leave room for cropping The photo you shoot will most likely be cropped to fit the needs of your website. Shooting your subjects with little surrounding background can make cropping to a desired size and shape difficult if not impossible. Leave some extra room around your subject when you compose and frame the shot. 9. Take more than one shot Experiment with different arrangements, different lighting, different distances from the camera. The more you experiment, the more you will learn and the better your picture-taking will become. Plus, you may end up with a much better shot of a product than you originally envisioned. 10. Take detail shots Chances are your product will have features that are not easy to see in a photo of the full item. Take additional shots moving in close to these features so you can display them with the full product shot. This will help your customers better envision what the product is like in person, point out special features that are selling points, show details of textures and fabric weaves, etc. The photos can be displayed together to present a complete visual showcase of the product.
For My ClientsIf you've hired me to take care of your website, I provide retouching and image correction of your photos to make them look more professional. It is still best to start with the highest quality photos possible. The better your original photos look, the better they will look on your website after cropping and retouching. |
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