As per a recent buyer survey conducted by global e-commerce giant Etsy, 90% of online shoppers consider the quality of product photos extremely important when making a purchase. A report by eRank highlighted that for 68% of Etsy customers, high-quality photos that accurately represent the item increase their trust in an online store. This stands true for other online marketplaces as well, with the majority of customers looking at product images before considering a purchase. High-quality product photos have become critical in boosting consumer confidence in your listings.
In contrast, bad product photos can prevent sales. Product images have become a necessary element in successful e-commerce businesses — so much so that product imagery has become an industry of its own.
However, instead of spending thousands of dollars on hiring professional photography studios or purchasing expensive photography equipment, consider using your smartphone to capture quality product photos on a budget.
The advanced hardware in modern smartphone cameras, when paired with the right software solutions, can help you take professional product photos that turn visitors into customers. Moreover, with recent artificial intelligence (AI) developments, smartphones offer powerful product photography solutions.
Source: DoMyShoot
Rise of Smartphone Photography
Take a look at the images below. One of these was captured using a smartphone, while the other was taken with a full-frame camera. Can you determine which one is which?
Source: DXOMARK
The fact that it’s difficult to distinguish between the two images is a testament to the impressive capabilities of modern smartphone cameras. Answer: the image on the right was taken with a smartphone.
According to DXOMARK, the leading camera benchmark website, the quality of smartphone cameras has improved significantly over the years, to the point where they are now comparable to traditional digital cameras.
To cater to this growing trend, top manufacturers like Apple, Google and Samsung have invested heavily in creating more powerful and sophisticated devices, leading to the launch of some really impressive smartphone cameras. Features like high dynamic range (HDR), panorama and other modes expand the capabilities of modern smartphone cameras, further contributing to the popularity of smartphone photography. Moreover, third-party applications offer DSLR-like control over camera settings such as shutter speed, ISO, sensitivity and white balance.
This democratisation of photography creates an opportunity for e-commerce sellers to take professional-looking product photos without the need for expensive equipment or a professional photographer.
Best Practices for Smartphone Photography
The most visually appealing product photographs are clear and detailed with no distracting backgrounds. They focus on the product and usually have a white background that allows for consistency in your product catalogue.
Let’s discuss some other best practices that can enhance your product photography.
Shoot Your Photos in a Well-Lit Room
Select a location in your home or office with good lighting, preferably near a window. Larger windows provide better natural light that can bring your product to life. Taking product photos closer to the window creates a softer light with darker shadows while positioning your product farther away from the light source results in lighter, sharper shadows.
Use a Tripod
Source: DoMyShoot
Investing in a tripod is a smart decision that can pay off in a big way. By reducing camera shaking, a tripod can help you capture sharp and clear product photos. It’s also an excellent tool for maintaining consistent angles and styles across your entire product line. A tripod also frees up your hands to adjust lighting or rearrange products while still maintaining a steady shot.
Set up a White Backdrop
Source: DoMyShoot
The majority of e-commerce marketplaces recommend using white background images for product photos. This is because a white backdrop eliminates distractions to allow your product to be the main focus of the image and creates consistency in your product catalogue.
A white background can also reflect natural light onto your product and create an evenly lit photo. This makes editing easier and more straightforward.
Capture Photos from Multiple Angles
To give customers a better understanding of your product, showcase it from multiple angles in your photos. This highlights your product’s unique features and makes customers feel more confident in their purchasing decision. While capturing a 360-degree view can be difficult, taking photos from various angles is an effective way to achieve a similar impact.
Use White Bounce Boards and Diffuser Sheets
When taking product photos with your smartphone, controlling lighting is crucial. Using white bounce boards can minimise shadows and create a balanced lighting environment to showcase the finer details of your product. Additionally, if the lighting is too harsh, diffuser sheets can help soften the light.
Professional Product Photos with AI
In the e-commerce industry, AI is becoming increasingly popular for image manipulation due to its advanced capabilities to enhance product images.
With the use of modern AI tools, online sellers can:
- Remove blurriness or shakiness from images
- Automate image resizing and retouching
- Manipulate image foreground or background
- Automatically remove backgrounds from product photos
- Create new images from scratch using generative AI tools
- Upscale images to higher resolution while preserving details
- Create artistic and creative images that can help businesses stand out
A useful AI-powered solution that makes it easier for you to achieve professional product images with your smartphone is DoMyShoot.
The app helps you get high-quality images to include in your product listings as well as your social media platforms. It offers numerous features, such as studio-quality white-background photos, eye-catching lifestyle images and multiple background options. DoMyShoot not only enhances the image quality but also automatically adapts your images according to different marketplace guidelines to ensure compliance and consistency.
The app even integrates with ChannelAdvisor, making it easy to sync your product images directly to your account. It is also one of the most cost-efficient solutions available in the market.
If you have any questions about how DoMyShoot works or how it can help your business scale product photography, get in touch with the experts at DoMyShoot to learn more.
