Do you have a niche product to sell? If so, one of the most effective marketing tools available to you is photography. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and with the right techniques, you can turn that into a thousand website views, or even product sales. However, photographing a product for marketing purposes involves different techniques to other types of photography, to make your product appear as attractive as possible to potential customers. Here are some things to consider when taking your own product photography.
Artificial light vs natural light
Whether you decide to shoot using natural light or artificial light will have an impact on the photograph produced. Natural light is shooting using sunlight as the only light source. It is also known as “soft light” as sunlight has a broader, softer range of light than an artificial light source. Natural light works well if you are creating a narrative around your product by photographing it in a natural setting being used by models, as these tend to look better in natural light. For instance, a photograph taken in natural light of a group of people enjoying vaping while socializing could be an effective product photograph for vapes.
Artificial light, on the other hand, is the use of an external light source to illuminate the product, most commonly light bulbs. It can also be called “hard light” as its light surface is smaller and more focused than sunlight. Artificial light is the best lighting option if your product has physical details that need to be highlighted to encourage an online shopper to purchase it. So, to continue with the example above, artificial light could be used in a photograph to showcase the products you would receive in a vape mail subscription box every month.
Use a tripod
Shooting with a handheld camera is fine if you just need a few photos for eBay, but if you’ve got a product you want to launch into the world, it’s better to use a tripod for your product photographs. Using a tripod to hold your camera will ensure that your photographs are not blurred from a shaky camera. It will also make sure that all your photographs of the products are taken from the same angle, providing photographic consistency. Different types of tripods are available to suit every type of camera and need.
Do not be afraid to edit photographs
Photograph editing software has been criticized in the past for being used to create fake images, but it does have its advantages. Sometimes a photograph of your product will come out fine, but you feel that it needs just a small touch up to elevate it. If so, do nost be afraid to use Photoshop. Small edits to photographs, such as adjusting the exposure and contrast, will really help to show off your product to its best advantage, which will, in turn, encourage potential customers to take the plunge and buy it.
