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Shopify Product Photography: Top Tips for Images that will Sell Your Goods

  • 5 minutes

Shopify product photography is an important aspect of selling online. Selling on Shopify means that you are now joining many savvy sellers who choose Shopify because the platform manages all technical and operational issues. From website design to email marketing and hosting services, the list is endless.

However, Shopify does not offer or help with product photographs. Hence, you need to determine how to produce stunning Shopify product images that will entice customers to add your goods to their cart. 

It can be challenging with a small business budget that hardly has any room to hire a photographer. As a small business owner, this is one of the many roles you will have to play.

Here, you’ll learn the importance of Shopify product photography, including product shooting tips and ideas. Plus, how to optimize product images for your site. Let’s get started, shall we?

What is Shopify product photography?

Shopify product photography is the type of photography that helps you showcase your products, on your home page, product pages, in collections, etc. It is essentially what it sounds like: pictures taken and used on Shopify stores to help boost sales. 

With online sales, perception is one factor that determines whether you will make a sale or not. The quality of your pictures affects the perceived value of your product. Hence, taking quality photos that illustrate what you sell is vital for any online store.

Why is good Shopify product photography important?

Here are just a few of the reasons why you should put the time and effort into creating beautiful product images:

#1 It builds your brand

Photography adds value to your business by improving your product listing. It demonstrates credibility and delivers a sense of trust in your store. 

It is a good sign if people are checking your store out, but it won’t increase your bottom line. High-quality, high-resolution product images help customers believe that your store has what they are looking for. 

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#2 It eliminates reverse image searching

If you use a stock photo or other public image for your products, other sellers can do a reverse image search of popular products to know who’s selling what. They can do this search to check how you advertise your store to compete with you and potentially drive traffic away from your store. 

With Shopify product photography, you can avoid reverse image searching, as it will be unlikely for a competitor to search for a picture taken by you. Not only does that make you stand out as a brand, but it also gives you exclusive rights to the images on your store.

Shopify product photography DIY tips

One thing common with small business owners is that they wear many hats. You can learn to take quality product pictures by yourself, at a relatively low cost. Here are some tips to help you get started.

#1 Find a room with great natural light

Poor lighting will destroy the quality of your images, and there’s a limit to what editing can do. You likely do not have access to a fully equipped photography studio. Hence, you need an easy and inexpensive setup. There’s no need to spend money on fancy lighting equipment when you can make use of your window light. 

A big window is better than a small one since it will provide more natural light. Make sure you’re close to the window, so the images appear soft. You can place a diffuser by the window if you have hard light. The diffuser will help control the brightness and soften the light.

#2 Use a white background to make your products pop

A plain white background makes your product pop because it removes the clutter. This allows the product to be the focus. A busy background will distract the viewer from the product itself.

In essence, a white background is considered the standard in e-commerce. The white background also gives the impression of a professional setup. Using it for all your products also helps maintain consistency in your Shopify store. 

Do not try to use off-white color instead because it makes editing different. If your white background is dirty, change immediately. Also, you can use an inexpensive poster board or white paper sweep for your backdrop.

#3 Yes, you can use a smartphone for Shopify product photography

You’ll find many tutorial videos on taking the best pictures using a smartphone. Make sure your smartphone has a good camera. To get good results, you need to ensure that lighting and background choices are perfect. 

shopify product photography

It’s best to use a tripod so you don’t have to worry about having steady hands. A tripod will help give consistent angles for your product, which helps the aesthetics of your online store. As you take the pictures, make sure you rotate your products, not the camera.

Download a photo app to edit your pictures. Even professional photographers edit studio pictures. As you edit, save your presets to help with a consistent look. However, ensure the colors of the final images do not differ from the product’s actual colors. 

#4 Take multiple photos of each product

Users like to see products from different angles because it shows them precisely what they will get. They also want to confirm the features of the product. Hence, add close-up pictures so customers can get a visual look at some features. Features can range from texture, print details, and colors to size and style.

Taking many pictures gives options during the selection process. You don’t have to start redoing your entire photography setup if you take many photos.

Optimizing product images for your site

Under-optimized images affect website speed and make people leave your store abruptly. 77% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from sites that allow them to make purchases fast.

No doubt, optimizing your product images is something you shouldn’t overlook. Here is how to optimize product images for your store.

#1 Reduce image size to improve SEO + loading speed

Have you ever tried to load a site that took more than a few seconds? The chances are that you grew impatient and moved to the next option. Large images reduce the loading speed, which negatively affects customers’ experience. 

If you improve your page load time, it translates to better user interaction, which positively affects your Google ranking. A general rule is to keep your image sizes below 70 kilobytes. 

Use relevant descriptive keywords in the file name of your images. Also, use relevant keywords for your alt attributes. Alt attributes are the text alternatives to your images when a browser cannot render them, and can also impact your SEO results.

#2 Resize images to match your theme layout

Shopify has a free online image resizer for businesses, so you can resize your Shopify product photography images as you want. 

This is a valuable tool if you’re using any free Shopify theme. Make sure to resize your pictures correctly and consistently, or they will look mismatched and create a messy look. 

Include lifestyle shots in your Shopify product photography

Lifestyle shots of your product involve showing your product in its natural environment or when the product is in use. It is an effective Shopify product photography style. 

shopify product photography

And that’s because it helps customers imagine how the product will fit into their lives. It elicits emotions that heavily influence buying decisions. Lifestyle shots can also help show customers the unique features of your products.

For this type of photography, you need to have props to help set the scene. For example, let’s assume the product is a coffee mug. You can have it set on a table with spilled coffee beans.

While taking lifestyle shots, make sure your product is the focus, and your customer can still tell which item in the image is for sale. 

Shopify product photography: You don’t need to be a pro

High-quality photographs will help increase your sales. While you may not have access to a professional studio or an experienced photographer, you can still take product pictures to bring in sales. 

After taking quality pictures, optimize your images to avoid driving potential customers away.

If you’re looking for more Shopify tips and recommendations, check out the PickyStory blog.

Good Luck!

Read more: Upsell On Shopify: How To Upsell, Best Practices, Examples (+Pro Tips)

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  • Topics: Shopify How-To

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