You have 7 seconds to make the perfect impression, this means it is crucial you invest in building eye catching visual content to keep visitors engaged.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is through great product photography.
Lets take a brand, Rolex for example, This company sells watches that are worth £1,000's of pounds, the products look high end, the images and website are premium quality! and you should hope so after all your spending a lot of money on this purchase! you expect everything to be luxurious
But would you be inclined to buy a £5,000 watch if the images looked like this...
below is a screen shot of some images from google images (credit unknown)
This image can be damaging to your brand!
Investing in a knowledgable photographer specialising in product photography can make sure you confidently reach the top and produce engaging visual content to keep your customers wanting more!
Product photography doesn't come in one category it comes in a variety of styles and purposes, this includes different lighting set ups, getting creative with your props and in some cases building a set, all experienced product photographers will know tips, tricks and what not to do, whether in camera or post production.
If you want to maintain a consistent look across your images or to mix and match, its important to understand the difference and how a product photographer can help bring your ideas to life!
1) White background product photography (Also called pack shot photography or e-commerce product photography)
This is the most common type of product photography, this is showcasing your product on a clean crisp white background, as seen on websites like amazon or in catalogues.
The reason why a clean white background is great for e-commerce product photography is because it reveals the true colours of the product and doesn't distract the product.
According to Shopify 50% of online shoppers think that product photos are more important than information, reviews and ratings this is because the images are the only way a buyer gets a sense of what you are selling.
A product photographer will have great knowledge and know how to set up their equipment to capture a good e-commerce shot, Its not as simple as it looks, product photographers know where to place lighting and the right camera settings to combat shadows and over exposed areas of the product, especially if you have tricky items that reflect.
2) Creative Product Photography
This type of product photography is aimed at marketing and advertising, this type of imagery can be manipulated to capture the audiences attention to generate better sales.
All adverts are made to provoke some kind of emotion, for example unlike e-commerce product photography you can shoot part of this product with deep shadows to make customers excited to see the whole product.
Creative product photography will use different props that compliments the product, whether that be water, sand, trees, shadows etc.
All of these will require research on the product so you can sketch down a concept about the product (What unique characteristics does the product have? has it got natural ingredients in? etc)
For example the below image is a music player, it's got great bass but one of its USP's is that its dust proof, Can you see why this image was taken the way it is now you know that bit of information on the product?
Creative product photography requires attention to detail as with all photography however a lot more planning is involved and a lot a lot of patience!
3) Lifestyle Product Photography
This type of product photography is often used with a model to show the product as if it was used in your daily life.
This can make your product more personal and the images look great alongside
e-commerce shots on selling pages/brochures or advertising.
3a) Tabletop Lifestyle Product Photography
The clue is in the name! Yes its a product placed on a table, the category is under lifestyle product photography because the table the product is placed on is normally positioned next to things that are found in the same environment. For example soap placed on a cabinet in the bathroom or candles on table in the dining room.
3b) Flat-lay Product Photography
This image is taken from above and requires organised arranged objects on a flat surface, this type of product photography is best if its kept simple, This imagery looks best when you keep balance and keep mass fairly equal.
4) Close up Product Photography (Or Detailed Shots)
Typically used alongside other product photography shots, These shots are up close details of your product, whether that be logos, textures or important parts of the product, could even be an on/off switch! Customers like to see the whole product, especially if you are selling something made of a certain material.
Now its easy to see why product photography is an integral part of making your products look appealing to consumers.
"Luxury is in each each detail." - Hubert De Givenchy