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Everything You Need to Take High Quality Photos
Content is king and pictures can say 1000 words. But, if your photos aren’t high quality you’re not going to like the story they tell. However, we are blessed to live in a time where the technology to create high quality, engaging photos are in our pockets for most of the day. Yes, your phone.
Here are some tips for making your phone photos as high quality as possible for your social media and eCommerce site.
Find a plain background.
Remember the subject of your photo should be the focal point. Having a background that is too busy or complicated will detract from the product you are trying to photograph. You need to make sure that your background doesn’t take over your photograph.
On that note, when you’re taking product photos for your store make sure that your background is consistent. Your background can vary but there are things that should remain consistent. Whether it’s the placement of the product, the colour in the background, how it’s positioned on the rack. Having a consistent photo aesthetic is key to having a professional looking website and for giving your users the ability to effectively compare your various products.
Your lighting is extremely important.
A dim or unevenly lit photo can make your product look cheap. You need to make sure that your product or photo is evenly lit throughout. This doesn’t mean you need to have studio lighting or a complete photography set up. It can be as simple as always using your flash, even outside, or buying a ring light.
Use the edit feature on your phone and enhance the lighting as much as you can. Make sure it looks natural and high quality. Don’t have so much light that you are washing out your focal point and never focus your camera into the light source.
Practice makes perfect.
It’s an age old saying and you’ve probably heard it a million times, but it’s true. If you never take photos for social media, you’re never going to know how to do it. Sure, the first few hundred (just kidding) might not be amazing photos, but as you get used to shooting with your phone and framing your content it will get better each time. The more photos you take, the better they will come out in the end.
Check with your audience.
A lot of online commerce comes back to frequently checking in with your audience. You can do this in a number of different ways. We will break it down for you:
- Check your analytics frequently and see how your photos are playing with your audience. If they aren’t engaging with a certain type of photo or post, consider changing it up. If they love a certain photo try to break down the subject matter and see what really resonated. Was it the product? Were you featured in the photo?
- Ask them. Find 8-10 of your most engaged followers and ask them for their honest opinion on your content. They’ll likely have similar opinions and will give you a deeper insight into what makes your content great and what makes it drag.
- Check your sales. Think about what sells in your brick-and-mortar shop consistently, what are you always ordering in? Does it sell at the same rate online? If not, you may be misrepresenting it with a low quality photo.
Does all of this make sense?
While you can do all of this with the built in capabilities on your phone, there are definitely some pieces of equipment that can help you even more without breaking the bank.
We are going to link out to some products on Amazon. We don’t endorse these products or get any kickback if you decide to hit buy. They are however, the highest rated products available while being mindful of budgets.
Things you might need:
A Tripod for your phone or camera: https://www.amazon.ca/UBeesize-Extendable-Bluetooth-Aluminum-Lightweight/dp/B07NWC3L95/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=phone+tripod&qid=1587060434&s=electronics&sr=1-3
Ring light with built in tripod for the camera: https://www.amazon.ca/UBeesize-Ringlight-Photography-Compatible-Upgraded/dp/B07GDC39Y2/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=phone+tripod&qid=1587060434&s=electronics&sr=1-4
Lightbox for taking photos of smaller products:
If you would like more information about how to develop content or build a following for your brand, contact us directly.
