Shopify is a leading e-commerce site. For many, creating a site using the Shopify platform is their first venture into e-commerce.
To make your Shopify store a success, there are many things you need to know. However, one of the most important things you need to get up to speed on is Shopify product photography.
Your image is an important part of sales. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that it is the most important part. You have probably heard the expression a picture speaks a thousand words.
Nothing could be more true when it comes to selling online and setting up your own ecommerce store.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know about Shopify product photography.
High-Quality Photos on Shopify
According to research, customers rely heavily on images and videos when making buying decisions.
Here are a few statistics that do interesting reading:
● According to Square and BigCommerce, 78% of online shoppers claimed that the one thing they want to see more of before buying anything online is high-quality product images.
● The Baymard Institute claims that at least 69 per cent of digital shopping carts are abandoned for one reason or another. On further investigation by the Baymard Institute, a contributing factor in 28% of abandoned shopping carts was the lack of quality images or inaccurate product photos.
This goes to prove how important it is to have quality product images on your Shopify site. What does it tell us? It tells us that we buy with our eyes.
All of this sounds very daunting. But don’t let it stop you from setting up your Shopify site.
The good news is that Shopify is designed for not-so-tech-savvy people. If you have never set up an e-commerce site before, Shopify is one of the best sites to get started on.
Getting Started with Shopify Product Photography
How can I take great images for my Shopify site? Do I need to invest in professional lenses and cameras?
It all depends on what ROI -return on investment- you would like to make. If you are just starting out, you could try using your smartphone. These days, most smartphones are equipped with good cameras and editing features.
You can also edit your images using eCommerce photo editing apps to remove any imperfections and smarten them up.
If you have previous experience in eCommerce product photography, you may already have a few things that you need including light boxes.
If you don’t feel confident that you can make the most out of your products, hiring a professional product photographer is a good idea for your Shopify Product Photography website . That way, you know you are going to end up with images that are going to sell your products.
What You Need to Know Before Hiring A Professional Product Photographer
Professional product photography is one of the fastest-growing digital businesses. More of us than ever before are selling factory-made or homemade products online.
Most professional product photographers have their own studios. You take your products to them, and they photograph them for you. They may work from home or rent a studio.
Before you decide to hire a product photographer, make sure you review their portfolio. Most product photographers have a portfolio of their previous work.
The portfolio is a great way of assessing a photographer’s experience and field of expertise.
What happens if a product photographer has not photographed your kind of product before? Don’t worry too much. Most product photographers can turn their hands to different genres of product photography services.
Normally, it is only when you start talking to a product photographer you realize what a vast field of product photography incorporates. Product photographers photograph anything from kitchen equipment too expensive designer watches. They may even use live photography models to enhance the statement and the story the product needs to tell a potential buyer.
Discuss the brief and get a price before you decide to hire a product photographer. Here are a few things you may want to talk about when it comes to your Shopify product photography project:
Make sure you bring sample products to the photographer or send them to him if he is located in another town.
Shot List
The shot list is what dictates the capture of your products. Do you want them shot singularly or together? Perhaps you would like to use one particular background color or a variety of colors?
These are all points that you discuss with your product photographers.
What Is A Mood Board?
A mood board is a great way of establishing your brand identity. You may not think you are creating a brand, but in fact, that is exactly what you are doing when you set up a Shopify site.
A mood board lets you experiment with color to find out what colors work best with your product. It also gives you the opportunity to create an overall image.
For instance, if you are selling a natural skin care product, you may want to ask the photographer to add a few natural touches, including flowers or herbs. Photographing skincare and getting the message is a cross is not always. Styling product photography with props both conveys and emphasizes the message.
Going It Alone
Although it has to be said that using the services of a professional product photographer for your Shopify Product Photography store is the best way to achieve an instant impact, not all new Shopify store owners have the budget to hire one.
If you don’t have the budget for professional Shopify product photography, you have to make the most out of what you have got.
The most important part is preparing the photoshoot. Remember that attention to detail is crucial. Your Shopify store visitors are going to be spending a lot of time studying your photographs.
Should you add special effects? Have a look at Shopify product photography, and you will notice some shop owners have added special effects such as twinkling. It really does not contribute to the quality of your photographs. Instead, it distracts from the product itself.
Your photograph should be as flawless as possible. Make sure your product is clean and the background is not too complicated. You don’t want your product to get lost in the background.
Before you start your session in earnest, take a few sample photographs and make sure you are happy. When you are happy, begin your Shopify product photography session.
Get Creative
Before you launch your products on the Shopify platform, check out similar products.
It is always a good idea to find out how suppliers in the same category approach their subject. As you may have realized by now, Shopify is a rather crowded marketplace.
That does not mean you should re-consider using the platform. Instead, you should think about how you can be different. Take a creative approach and your products will stand out.
There are many different ways of photographing a product. If you are photographing clothes, you could try flat lay photography techniques. That way, it is easy to demonstrate to a customer that they have a selection of colors to choose from.
If you are finding inspiration hard to come by, you should spend time checking out sites such as Pinterest and Amazon. Pinterest is a great site for finding inspiration for mood boards and colors.
What About Using Models?
When you think that you would like to “demonstrate” the product you are selling better, you should consider using live models.
That applies to everything from selling things for the kitchen to jewelry photography. Having a live model immediately sets the mood. Maybe you want to demonstrate how happy a certain kitchen gadget makes someone.
When selling jewelry, it is always a good idea to consider using live models. Jewelry looks rather boring when laid flat or photographed on just a prop. Having a live model gives a potential buyer a better idea of the size and what the item would look if they were wearing it.
In many ways, using a model adds a human element to your photographs. It is a great way of increasing sales.
What About Props?
Lifestyle photography involves using props. Don’t wait until the last minute to gather your props or come up with ideas for your props.
Instead, plan ahead and think about what props would go well with your product. As mentioned, flowers and herbs go well with natural skincare products. If your skin cream is based on marigolds, scatter a few marigold flowers around the product to emphasize the connection.
When your product has an outdoor connection, consider shooting it in an outside setting. That is the essence of lifestyle photography.
Perfect Your Products
You can perfect your products by making sure they are super clean. Invest in a couple of really good microfiber cloths for cleaning.
To you, it may seem over-the-top but most product photographers wear gloves when they handle products.
Blemishes can easily appear on any service. It is better to try to avoid imperfections in the first place rather than having to deal with them in photography post-production.
Refer to your shot list. Pink goes with product number one and red goes with product number two.
Shoot your products from every angle, make the most of any light you have available and don’t forget to focus on your product.
Have your backgrounds ready to go so that you don’t lose momentum.
Arranging Your Products
It is important that you arrange your products in a logical way.
Let’s go back to skincare for a moment.
When you are selling skin care products, line them up in the order you would use them. Cleanser, toner and moisturizer. The buyer can instantly see what is available in the product range.
What About The Image Size?
Shopify product photography image size is another topic you should look into. We think that the size of the photograph is so important that we have created a separate guide for it.
You can find out more about Shopify image optimization right here.
Don’t Forget to Name Your File
Naming your Shopify image files is very important. You don’t want your Shopify product photography to get mixed up with your social media photography.
It is a good idea to name your photograph with a brief description of your product. For instance, marigold eye cream for dark circles. That way, when you upload your photograph, Google lists the image in searches.
It pays to do a little bit of research and find keywords that relate to your product. Try to use them in the image name.
Also, you need to remember to save your photo in the right image format. The best image formats for Shopify are GIF, JPEG, and PNG.
Should You Use the Same Image For Social Media?
Photographs for social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are often smaller than when compared to Shopify photographs. Focus more on the detail of your Shopify photographs making sure they look like a million dollars.
Although your social media are important, the image size does not need to be so big. Remember that large social media photographs take a longer time to display on some networks. That is the last thing you want.
Social media is about creating product awareness and providing a link to your Shopify site. Then again, many Shopify owners use the same photographs. If you would like to go down that route, reducing the file size (amount of pixels) is the way to go.
Place your photographs in separate folders to make sure they don’t get mixed up. Mixing up photographs is easy to do.
In Conclusion
When you are not happy with your Shopify product photography effort, you can always contact a professional product photographer. Many product photographers are happy to help you with post-production issues including light.
Working together with a product photographer is a fantastic learning experience. If you are thinking about investing in your own at-home photography studio, you can learn a lot from professional photographers.
if you’re looking to increase your online conversion but still feel you are not sure where to start – check out these resources below:
