Learning how to do a product shoot is essential for small business owners these days. After all, good product photography is essential for driving sales, boosting product appeal, and grabbing your customer's attention - but only when it’s done right.

All you need to get started are a few tools and a handful of tips. If you’re ready to learn how to do a product shoot yourself, check out our beginner’s guide below.

Why Is Product Photography Important?

Increase Product Appeal

High-quality eCommerce photos can make your product much more flattering. If done right, these images can boost your product’s appeal, improve sales, and grow your online store.

Boost Satisfaction

It’s disappointing for customers when their purchase arrives and it looks nothing like the product picture on the website. This can increase returns and break the trust between customers and your brand. Avoid this by using great product photos - images that properly reflect the aesthetic features of your product.

Attention-Grabbing

Visitors to your website will be drawn to visuals before they read any of the text. Take advantage of this by using high-quality, eye-catching product photography to grab your customer’s attention and drive sales.

What Do You Need For Product Photography?

Camera

This one may seem a bit daunting, especially for those on a budget. That being said, a good DSLR camera may be worth the investment. These cameras will provide you with more control over the final edit and will produce a higher-quality image for your store.

Though if you’re in a rush, you shouldn’t overlook your smart-phone’s camera. Their advancement over recent years is amazing and you’d be surprised with the results you can achieve.

Tripod

If you’re shooting in a space with low-light, you’re going to need a tripod. This will help to make sure your photos aren’t blurry and are looking crisp.

LightBox

Light-boxes are essential when it comes to shooting product photos. They can soften the light, reduce glare, and ensure that your product is well-lit. Plus, they won’t break the bank - you can grab a light-box online for as little as $40.

White Backdrop

A clean, white paper sheet is all you need for a backdrop. They’re easy to use, are cost-effective, and produce great results.

Good Lighting

When it comes to shooting your products, you have the choice between natural and artificial lighting. The best thing about natural lighting is that it’s free, though using it isn’t as flexible. For example, you’ll need to shoot in a room with plenty of natural light. And if it’s a cloudy day, the amount of light available may change frequently.

Artificial light is much easier to work with - it’s much more consistent and provides you with total control. That being said, getting your hands on a quality set of studio lights can be expensive.

Weigh up your options and make a choice that best suits your photo-shoot.

How To Do A Product Shoot

1. Choose Your Location

The first step of learning how to do a product shoot is choosing the location. The location you select will largely depend on the type of light you’re using.

For example, choosing a location is much more flexible when you’re using artificial lighting. The lighting is consistent and you have full control over the scene.

Though if you don’t intend on using any studio lights, you’re going to want to find a room with plenty of natural light. Shoot near large windows or doors and turn off any house lights to stop natural light mixing with artificial light.

2. Set Up A Light-Box

To transform product photos from good to great, consider investing in a light-box. These simple tools can soften the light around your product and make it look much more appealing (especially if you’re working with bottles or glass materials). The best part? The price is very reasonable - you can pick up a light-box for as little as $40.

Set up your light-box by unfolding and placing it on a table - preferably near an outlet if you’re using artificial light. Then, position your lights on the right and left side of the box. Simple!

3. Create A Sweep

For eCommerce photos, all the attention needs to be on the product. There can’t be any distracting blemishes lurking in the background. So to create a flawless white background, you’re going to need to use a sweep.

A sweep is essentially just a big sheet of bendable paper. The sheet gradually curves down the wall to become the base for your product to sit on. When you’re shooting the product, you’ll see that the sweep generates a seamless backdrop, drawing all the attention to the product.

4. Position The Product

Once your sweep is set up and ready to go, give your product a quick clean to remove any smudges or dust. Then, place it in the middle of the scene.

Though this step initially seems simple, you’re going to need to spend some time styling the product. Is the product in the centre of the frame? Is this the most flattering angle?

Sometimes, the simple front-on shot isn’t going to boost your product's appeal or show the most detail. Instead, try shooting at a different angle or displaying your product in a new, unique way.

The best product shots come when you have fun with this step and get creative.

5. Take The Picture

Now for the good stuff - your scene and backdrop are all set-up and it’s time to start taking the product photos.

If you’re using a DSLR, the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and zoom may need to be adjusted to properly expose/ frame the photo.

Keep the ISO as low as you can to reduce digital noise. The aperture should be a bit higher to make sure your product is completely in-focus. If you’re using a tripod, you can get away with slower shutter speeds (if you’re using a remote to trigger the camera). Though if you’re going free-hand, you’ll need a shutter speed above 1/60th of a second.

Once you’ve locked in those settings, avoid making adjustments to keep everything looking consistent.

6. Edit The Photos

The photo-shoot isn’t quite finished just yet. After you’ve snapped the perfect product photo, it’s time to edit.

Once you’ve found an image that’s properly exposed and worthy of your site, it’s time to have the images edited. If you’re unfamiliar with photo-editing platforms like Lightroom and Photoshop, it can be tricky to produce the best results.

If you don’t have the time to learn how to use these programs, it might be worth hiring a professional to retouch your photos. This service isn’t too expensive and can take your product photos to a completely new level.

Plus, these editors can also adjust the export settings of your images to optimise them for web upload.

Summary

Learning how to do a product shoot isn’t rocket science - all you need are the right tools and a few tricks up your sleeve. With a bit of practice, you'll be creating spectacular product images for your website in no time.

How To Do A Product Shoot In 6 Easy Steps