While ecommerce enjoys a number of advantages over brick and mortar retail, it does have one rather significant shortcoming to overcome. A customer can interact with a product when they walk into a physical store. But as the proprietor of a virtual shopping venue, you are limited to conveying the nature of your goods through words and pictures. This guide to photography for ecommerce will help you create images capable of doing so.

Equipment Needs

While you might be tempted to spend thousands of dollars on a professional camera system and a studio setup, you can do pretty much everything you need for ecommerce at home with the camera in your smartphone. You’ll also need a tripod, a clean background and portable lighting equipment. By the way, while you might see professional photographers relying upon strobes, a continuous light source is better for this application. With it, you can see exactly what your light is doing before you make the photograph. Plus, it can be used to produce videos. You will also need a sturdy table upon which you can place smaller objects.

Background Choices

A white background will almost always show your products to their best advantage. However, if you’re producing images to sell your furniture online, you have a couple of choices. You can either place the furniture in limbo on a white background, or you can feature it in context. To accomplish the latter, set the piece up as part of a mockup to enable shoppers to see the item with accompanying pieces. This makes it easier for them to imagine the item in their homes. Ultimately though, the route you take will depend upon the look you want for your site.

Shot Selection

Photograph as many different angles of the product as possible, so customers can get a clear idea of every aspect of the item. Always lead with an eye-level full frame image of the product as an establishing shot. You can then work your way all the way around the item, as well as getting pictures of it from above and below (where relevant). Photograph close-ups of key details such as clasps, zippers, buckles, buttons, pockets and the like. Keep in mind, the more pictures you provide, the better the customer will feel about making a decision to buy the object. Those full-frame establishing shots will also serve well as thumbnails on landing pages.

The Importance of Consistency

When you shoot on a tripod and use a sturdy surface to support your items it’s easier to ensure a consistent lookfor the images on your site. This is crucial to conveying professionalism and trustworthiness. It is also why you’re better off running original photos rather than relying upon manufacturer-supplied pictures. You can make sure everything is always represented in exactly the same waywhen you shoot your own. This is also why you should always use the exact same lighting, background and composition style. In addition to giving your site a polished look, it will be easier for yourshoppers to conduct comparisons.

Image Resolution Is Important

High-resolution photographs remain sharp when shoppers zoom in on them. Customers get frustrated when the lack of sharpness won’t let them see a detail clearly.Remember, in ecommerce, all your customers know is what they can see. It’s your job to make sure they see enough to convince them to buy. Following this guide to photography for ecommerce will help you produce images capable of selling your merchandise—particularly when they’re supported by well written product descriptions.