The 3 Types of E-Commerce Photography

Anyone scrolling through eBay or amazon would realize that the product they are most drawn to are the ones that look the most appealing and professional. The photos don’t exact spawn from the internet themselves, and to look reliable most sellers have to take their own professional photos or hire it out. Whether you are the hired individual in charge of taking the photos, or the shop owner looking to save some money you typically don’t come bearing all knowledge. Including what types of photos to take, and the set up you need in order to do so. So we decided to compile and explain the 3 types of e-commerce photography. Of course if you have been in this profession for a while and have any tips, we do push you to share those tips with us in the comments.

 

The ‘Hero’ Shot

The hero shot is the close up, main image of the product. Take these pictures in an all white setting. The purpose of this all white setting is to make the product look like its floating. This takes away any distractors that could shift your focus away from the product. In order to create these high quality pictures we suggest having a reflective board. DIY this reflective board by wrapping a sheet of cardboard with aluminum foil. This reflective board will help your photos if you set it off to the side and reflect one of the lights off of it. This minimizes shadows on the product. Here at Entrepreneur Girl we use 3 lights on average and our shadow box that can be seen in our YouTube video “The 3-Types of E-Commerce Photography”.

 

The ‘Lifestyle’ Photo

This type of photo is typically where you incorporate the use of models. Typically the goal of this photography is to show the buyers what they would look like using the product. This is a marketing strategy because the buyers would then be able to envision themselves wearing it. For this type of photo we suggest having three types of models on hand. The female model, the male model, and the child model.

The type of model you use is dependent on the type of product you are marketing. Therefore if you are selling, or your client is selling a tool belt, you would want a male model. Additionally it is important to pay attention to gender stereotypes. The tool belt instance would be an example of paying attention to gender stereotypes. Since tool belts are looked at to be used more by men (even though women could rock them) then the client would typically want men centered lifestyle photos. Also, this is related to the overall gender of the possible buyers. Since tool belts have this stereotype to be for men, most of the buyers will probably be men as well. Therefore they will be more inclined to purchasing the tool belt if they see an individual they relate to.

The ‘Styled’ Photo

In order to take a styles photo you need to take a photo of a product that has been “jazzed up”. Meaning that if you are selling a basic t-shirt, you would accessorize the product by layering bracelets and other accessories with the shirt. By doing so you are making the product look like more than what it is. Additionally by doing so you are showcasing the product as the best way it can be worn. This is similar to the lifestyle photo because you are trying to show the buyer an example of how they could use the product.

 

 

These are the three main types of e-commerce photography that clients either ask for, or buyers like seeing. Of course if you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns you can leave it down in the comment section. If you like the information we put out and want to hear more of it, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter and our YouTube channel. Our YouTube channel is found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1hsPoH9bUyssI4qAO4eZg?view_as=subscriber . If you have any suggestions lease don’t be afraid to shoot us an email! If you’re a shop owner that doesn’t have the professional equipment needed to take such photos then you can hire Entrepreneur Girl to do the work for you! Examples are shown in this blog, and be sure to contact us through our website to establish cost. As always, it’s been a pleasure writing for Entrepreneur Girl. This is Alaina Bollen signing out.

 

Author: Alaina Bollen

Created: 05/07/18