El Dorado — Creative Director of The Diamond Agency, Brooke Burger, held a seminar on product photography at the Spring Market that was held at the SouthArk Conference Center on March 18.
Burger offered a few basic tips on how to best photograph products in order to reach maximum selling potential online.
She took the group through a list of do's and don'ts that she has learned through trial and error while on the job.
What to do
Take time to learn the features. Burger suggested taking time to read over the cameras manual and playing around with the settings in order to become more acclimated to its functions.
“You don’t necessarily have to drop a couple hundred dollars on a super nice camera. If you just learn what you are working with, you can maximize it’s potential,” Burger said.
Use natural lighting when taking a photo.
“The most important part of photography is lighting,” said Burger. "Loosely translated from Greek, Photography means ‘painting with light.”
When taking a picture, take advantage of natural lighting. This makes the product more true to color in the photo. The best situation involves taking photos outside or in a natural well-lit room.
For the best product photos, you should try to have the lighting as even as possible with no harsh light from one angle. You can do this by taking photos on overcast days or using a thin sheet or fabric to disburse the light more evenly if using artificial light.
A steady photo will make the product look like it is being sold by a professional that takes pride in their work. A business owner should try to anchor their elbow on something or invest in a tripod to make sure that their photos comes out crisp and clear.
Using a solid background will draw attention to the product itself. A busy or cluttered background will draw focus away from your product.
Burger also suggested using people to display a product. She said that it will give consumers something to connect to, and will give them an idea of how it will look on their body.
What to avoid
Don’t rely on flash. The flash creates harsh and unflattering lines and shadows and the product's color may not match what they look like in person.
“If you feel like you need to use the flash, it is not the right time to shoot. Wait and find a better time,” Burger advised.
Don’t take photos in dark rooms.
“ If you take a photo in the dark, your camera will struggle with focusing,” explained Burger.
This can create blurry photos or the camera may focus on something other than the intended product.
Taking the time to set up and plan a photograph will yield better results than snapping and placing it on social media.
“Your products are the livelihood of your business, and its the final product of all your hard work, your blood,sweat and your tears and this is what you are using to market yourself, so don’t rush through it,” she explained.
Don’t over – edit
pictures.
“ Heavy editing, too many photo filters, adding effects or text really can just detract from your image,” Burger explained.
Instead focus on taking time to get the angle and lighting right so that the photo is good to begin with. A good photo doesn’t need a lot of editing.