When it comes to having an e-commerce website, Instagram and everything in between, photography is insanely important. You could have the best marketing team and the world’s best SEO firm working on it, but without exceptional imagery, you are losing out on a massive chunk of potential revenue.

It’s a fact that users are more willing to purchase from and trust a new website if both the imagery and aesthetics are of high quality. It’s for good reason because you want to gauge exactly what you are buying into and are more likely to trust a business that is obviously passionate and proud of their products. So whether you are selling skincare or women’s tracksuits you need to take a look at your imagery.

Here are some tips and tricks for you to level up your photography game and how to use these pictures to grow and thrive within the market.

Camera Selection

The camera is the foundation, and without a great camera, it doesn’t matter how great your ideas are, as they will not shine through without a camera to capture them. If you aren’t too skilled on cameras, there are working professionals that are obsessed, but also things like YouTube videos and physical stores where you can go and talk about your picture goals. With professional recommendations, you can either rent and learn about the features online or hire a professional who is well-equipped to use that type of camera.

Photographer

While smaller businesses may want to save money and become their own cameramen, it may come to a point where help is needed, and there are small-time exceptional photographers that you can hire. Creative platforms are out there to help you find your perfect match and give you peace of mind as they display their work and editing skills.

A great photographer can not only capture great quality pictures but also edit them to look amazing from a user perspective. Find a photographer that resonates with your vision and has experience within the industry.

Lighting Setup

Lighting is everything, and while editing can help, you will make it easy for everyone if you get the lighting down. A white room with artificial lighting equipment, a softbox or even picking a location with great outdoor lighting are sufficient options and generally dictate if the images are for the website, a campaign or for social media. Don’t be afraid to try everything, but you just need to ensure that the lighting isn’t damaging the quality of your imagery. A great camera also can’t thrive with poor lighting.

Stylist

A key eye for style, positioning and overall aesthetics is key. You can have all the tools you need but without the setup and styling being both modern, new and eye-catching, it’s boring and an opportunity will clearly be missed. You are lucky if you have an eye for it but if you don’t and feel like there is something always missing, I would recommend you get some help.

If you are doing this solo, I would recommend that you showcase the product from all angles. This will not only benefit a user seeing the product accurately for what it is, but also it’s great to have it all there just in case.

Also, don’t be afraid to get props, add-ons that aren’t necessarily available with your products. Don’t be afraid to do bold things and mess around with traditional setups as this is what can make your images stand out and be memorable with users, which is exactly what toy want. Take time to style and take your time with each product.

Product Placement

I find e-commerce most fun when you have product placements in odd and visually appealing locations and are more of a campaign motive rather than your website photos, which I think should be a mixture of plain and interesting. For social media product placements, try new and exciting locations and place the products there. An idea could be what Jacquemus tends to do, and while they appear very much AI- and graphically designed, they are so creative and interesting, which makes you want to be associated with it.

Don’t be afraid to do something unconventional, as this is what will catch the attention of the user.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to e-commerce photography, the main consensus is that you need to invest in quality, such as talent and the camera itself. When it comes to the task at hand, you need to experiment, get the basics down and ensure that you are trying new things, thinking outside the box but also taking the time with each product to ensure you are trying everything before moving on to the next.

One photo can’t completely transform your business for the better, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, especially if you are a small business.