Understand the value of hiring a professional product photographer to shoot the products your brand sells.
What’s the first thing people look at when they’re making a purchase online?
What’s the thing that makes the first impression, whether the product is from a great brand or from a newbie who isn’t reliable in the market?
THE IMAGES. THE PRODUCT PHOTOS.
In my 4 years as a Product Photographer, I’ve come across many people and brands that give importance to saving some extra bucks over having quality pictures that elevate the whole brand image.
Irrespective of what you’re selling, if you don’t have photos which make them look good, how can you drive sales and reach the maximum potential of your business?
I’m more disappointed than stupefied when I come across have a very small budget allotted to a photoshoot when their products have so much potential!
Studies show that people remember 80% of what they see and 20% of what they read.
If you’re a brand, this is my attempt to break down how important it is to hire a professional product photographer.
Table Of Contents
Importance of hiring a professional product photographer over minimizing your budget
Product photos & videos are the only points of contact between online customers and your brand
When people come by your brand’s online store for the first time, they build a certain image of your brand just by taking a glance at your store or your social profile.
It’s quite common for people to search for the brand they want to buy from on Instagram before making a purchase. Why?
Instagram is a platform that is more relatable for people. They can check out the reviews you’ve had from happy customers, see your best collection (from highlights), who all have tagged the brand in their posts, etc.
Images and videos are the only points of contact between an online customer and your brand. They can’t touch the product or experience your store physically.
This makes it important to have high-resolution photos shot by a professional product photographer that depicts your products in the best possible way.
I’ve seen old-school brands still doing away with graphically-designed posters for their social profiles which is off-putting.
No one wants to buy from a brand that has no online presence and uses newspaper-like advertisements on their posts.
Social media is all about connecting with your existing and potential customers before trying to sell what you’ve to offer.
It’s not like an ad hoarding, hey we have chairs, they’re the best, buy them!
That’s not going to work! You’ve to dig a bit deeper and not make the advertising pushy and in the face.
Also Read: Talking About My Journey From Engineering To A Full-Time Photographer
You need sharp, crystal-clear photos to brag your product’s key selling points
A product photographer knows all about the product photography techniques to provide you with sharp pictures that leave out no detail about your product.
For instance, if your brand sells clothes, an online customer would love it if they could see the texture of the cloth, the edges of the sleeves, and the intricate work on the clothes through the product photos.
Check out this post by H&m.
Notice how the picture proudly shows off the cutout design which is obviously the highlight of these pants.
It’s perfectly zoomed in to make it visible clearly.
Similarly, this post about a handbag shows both the texture on its surface as well as the details on its edges and handles.
Even though a model is holding it, the center of attraction is the handbag, not the model’s face or her outfit.
For example, a person may want to see what the fabric of a dress looks like up close, but also see how it looks being worn by someone. See the example below, a loose-knit sweater whose knit can be seen.
What’s better than being able to see a thing you wanna buy up this close?
Also Read: 5 Skincare Product Photography Tips, Get Creative!
It’s a matter of only a few seconds before a customer decides to either stay & browse or leave & look out for other brands
There are so many brands out there. Each brand is working there as* off to build a personality that resonates with the new generation.
It’s hardly likely that if a person doesn’t like one product of yours by looking at the photos, they give you a second chance and spend an extra minute browsing for better things.
Poorly shot pictures give off a vibe that the brand isn’t putting much thought into how they want to be seen, and lacks an aesthetic.
How to spot a poorly shot picture?
- Tilted horizon
- Imperfect perspective
- Unclear brand label
- Doesn’t depict the size of the product or its packaging
- The setup doesn’t match the product
- Styling overshadows the actual product
- Too many elements in the shot-making it hard to figure out what the brand is actually selling
Look at this photography posted by the makeup brand, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez.
How often do you come across pictures of a concealer that are close-up of its applicator through which you can see the texture and density of the product?
This image will definitely make someone stop scrolling and read the caption to find out what product it actually is.
Allow me a minute to brag about my product photography skills (lol). I made a similar video reel for a brand focusing on their product’s texture that’s sort of an ASMR that people would love to watch on repeat.
I shot this image on similar lines, focusing on showing that argan oil drip.
A Professional Product Photographer knows how to let the product take the spotlight in the shot
Too many elements, a busy setup, and an odd color palette can steal the spotlight from the actual product that is being sold in a picture.
Online customers judge a product instantly by looking at its photo. Minimalism works the best.
In the picture above, I kept the setup minimal and used fresh produce to show the ingredients of the product.
According to research, 22% of online product returns are because the ordered items look different than in the photos.
A professional product photographer has the software, equipment, and knowledge about how to make sure that the product looks life-like.
