In short, commercial product photography is indispensable for both online and offline businesses. Whether for traditional marketing materials, like brochures and pamphlets, or digital marketing assets, like websites and social media, your products need to be captured in the most alluring way possible.With strategic compositions, relevant aesthetics, and styles that tell a story, your prospects can envision their lives transformed with your products. Images such as these have the potential to persuade prospects and influence their buying behaviors – when done right!

Our photographers have shared their top do’s and don’ts for commercial product photography that sells.

THE DO’s

Use Props Properly

Props are pivotal in product photography. When used correctly, they cultivate the context of the product, accentuate its intended use, highlight key features, and convey other crucial visual messages about it. However, the props you pick mustn’t outshine the product – that’s the star of the show, after all! So, when it comes to props, keep them simple, relevant, and complementary to the chosen color scheme.

For example, if the photographed products are a set of pots, choose props that you would commonly find being used with pots while cooking. The props you pick, as well as their composition, should instill a sense of desire within your audience. Think raw ingredients; oils, garlic, chopped veggies, bundles of thyme, spices, and so on. You could even have a pot filled with a hearty meal on the stove with wooden spoons at the ready.

Take Lifestyle And eCommerce Photos

Lifestyle product images tell a story with your products; they capture your products in action, allowing your prospects to imagine themselves as the subject. These images show them how their lives would improve with your products by creating a story that makes them irresistible. These images are perfect for websites and social media, as they will grab your prospects’ attention and cultivate desire within them.

eCommerce product images, however, capture your products in the most correct way possible. They’re clean, composed, professional, and simple. These shots show prospects exactly what to expect from your products – no surprises. Using solid, usually white backgrounds, every detail and angle of your products will be shown.

Effective commercial product photography uses both; lifestyle shots seduce and persuade, while eCommerce shots seal the deal and sell.

THE DON’TS

Avoid Busy Backgrounds

In commercial product photography, the product is the star of the show – don’t let your background overpower it! Save for specific types of lifestyle shots, busy backgrounds filled with other objects, patterns, or light sources will distract your prospects. It can also make your shots look rushed.

Avoid Inaccurate White Balance

Your product images’ white balance is essential, but difficult to get right without experience (and the latest equipment). Essentially, this (in combination with the right light source) balances the tint of your photos to capture colors accurately. If your white balance is off, you risk distorting your products’ true colors – which will need hours of post-production adjustments.

Not A Photographer? Don’t DIY It

Commercial product photography is a complex profession that requires years of training and experience, as well as the latest cameras and lighting equipment, to do it right. In today’s digitally-driven world, there is simply no time for trial-and-error.

Poor quality badly shot product images will send your prospects running and place your products are sketchy. Their quality and appeal show that of your business, which is why professional product photographers are essential if you’re inexperienced.

At ClearImages Design, our photographers have been selected based on experience and excellence to make sure the best possible value for your money. Through gaining an intimate understanding of your brand identity, we will capture your products’ prowess in a way that’s unique to you.

Contact us now to start strategizing with commercial product photography that sells!