How Professional Product Photography Can Elevate Your Brand
If you’re an entrepreneur who sells a product, it can be daunting to even think about hiring a professional to take photos of your goods, let alone actually hire one. As a business owner your always looking at the bottom line, and any spending for the business should or MUST generate some sort of return. And because many small business owners are constantly trying to watch that bottom line, professional photography often gets put at the bottom of the list. Because lets face it, you have an iPhone, which has a pretty awesome camera. Or maybe you even have a DLSR? Either way your attitude may be ‘its good enough for now’.
But how many times have you gone to a website and said ‘wow those photos are terrible’? I certainly have. And how many times have you opted not to purchase something because their website had horrible photos?
I can say that I have 100% not purchased items or services because of poor photos. Again, not because I’m a photo snob, but because photos can, and do elicit an emotional feeling.
A good case is Air BnB. If the photos are light and bright and clean, I’m certainly more drawn to that if they are taken with a poor camera, dimly lit, or really bad angles that don’t tell the story. Another good case is with skin care products. For some reason I want the product to appear clean, bright, minimalist – because I don’t want something heavy, dark or damaging on my face! So if the products are showcased in the manner I prefer, I immediate have more trust in that brand.
And even if you KNOW ALL THIS, you still may not be ready for the investment in professional photography. But you still find yourself scrolling and creeping on other instagram feeds of brands you admire or are similar to yours.
You want so bad to have your images ‘look like that’. And then you find yourself questioning ‘why can’t I get my photos to look right!’.
Well my friend, its because your not a photographer. You’re a business owner and an amazing one.
Your expertise is in your service, your product, your brand. Not, ‘how do I get the lighting just right for my product photos to look amazing’.
While you may not be ready to make the investment in professional product photography, I want to point out how I’ve helped others elevate their brand. And how professional product photography is used in small business.
Styled with Props
One thing professional product photographers do is styling. And I have collected a good amount of props over the years. When working with me, I have access to these props, but can also make a professional recommendation on any new props we may need to ensure your product shoot reflects and resonates with your brand.
Lighting
This may be the most important piece of a photography project. Because photography is all about lighting! When it comes to product photography, lighting is also key. Images can be created with soft, natural light, or your brand may call for a more edgy look with hard light and shadows. I have techniques and equipment to create a variety of looks, that will again, resonate with your brand.
Hard Light
Soft Light
Added Shadows
Large Image Library
If your just starting out, or need a total revamp, hiring a professional can allow you to create a large image library for your brand. What key here is that this library will also be consistent with your brands look and feel. While the images will all be unique, they will still reflect what is important about your brand and what you want to covey to your audience. With a large image library you can post content regularly and have a consistent professional look in your social feeds and website.
Online Shops
Most often than not, I’m approached by clients to create product shots for their online shops. While styled shots are amazing for social and website content, many online shop platforms recommend having clean and clear backgrounds to highlight your products.
There you have it friends. If you have any questions about product photography or something specific, please do not hesitate to contact me!