Beautiful product images are a major plus when you want to increase the perceived value of what you are selling and earn the trust of your customers. However, not every online store owner can pay for professional service to produce amazing photographs that they can use to market their goods.
Good thing there’s DIY… Yes, even in product photography. This is an effective alternative that will work even while you are at home as long as you have the needed basic tools and techniques to capture the shots that will attract your buyers.
Here’s what you are going to need before you can start clicking:
Camera
The part where you get to pick a camera (if you don’t have one) is exciting, but don’t go over the top yet because you might make some mistakes. Sufficient research is necessary to know what camera works and which units are suitable especially if you are a beginner. There are lots of available reviews online where you can get credible and useful ideas.
Just like COVID-19 vaccines, the best camera for product photography is what’s available. Check first what you can do with what you have. Remember that your camera is just one piece of the whole puzzle. What you have to think about more is other elements such as theme, lighting, and post-processing.
Tripod
Now is not the right time to invest in high-end equipment,t. Yes you need a tripod but there’s a lot of cheap finds online that works. This equipment will help set the depth of field of your camera and achieve stability. What happens is when your camera is set with a slow shutter, holding it will make the subject blurry, that’s why you need something to support it.
This tool combined with the right camera settings will give you the shots you desire to feature your products and highlight different angles of it to attract your buyers. Now you can focus more on finding the good angles and setting up the lighting, without having to worry about holding your camera.
White background
A white background is one necessity in photography not only for products. It gives you flexibility by allowing you to post-process limitlessly. It also gives the minimalist effect on products, making them the center of attention. Similar to the other tools and equipment mentioned above, there are lots of inexpensive materials that you can use as a pure white background such as poster board which can be bought in just any store.
Table and Tape
These two materials work hand-in-hand. A standard-sized folding table is advisable. It is where you will position your products and depending on your table, you will determine what type of tape you are going to use to secure it and prevent your board from falling or flying away.
A Room
You can use the light coming in from a window to take quality product shots. Doing your photoshoot in a room with windows next to a wall would give you this advantage. You just have to understand that the distance and positioning of your product against the window will affect certain elements aside from the light such as the intensity of the shadow.