How do you ensure your product photos look consistent and professional?

From my experience doing in-house product photography, I would recommend the following: Natural daylight might not be available and in most cases is uncontrollable. Therefore, I believe the best feasible option is a lightbox, also known as a mini studio. A lightbox is equipped with constant, adjustable lighting, swappable backgrounds. A tripod will also be very helpful, especially when using a slow shutter speed, to help you avoid blurry pictures. A decent camera with a 50mm to 100mm lens on a DSLR is also necessary. All that's left is for you to understand the basics of manual camera settings: Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO set at 200, make sure the photo type is Raw or JPEG. I will provide more details in another contribution.

Employ a consistent lighting source, whether it be natural or studio lighting. Soft, diffused lighting is essential to mitigate harsh shadows and overly pronounced highlights. Opt for a pristine, neutral backdrop that harmonizes with your product's essence. Employ a sturdy tripod to guarantee camera stability. Uniformity is achieved by adhering to a consistent aperture, shutter speed, and ISO setting for all your shots. Frame your products consistently within each shot. Apply a consistent editing process through professional photo editing software. Examine and prepare your products meticulously before commencing the shoot. By meticulously.

For still images it is better to shoot with white background. It helps during post production. Also if you sell in different platforms white background images are universally acceptable so no need to edit for different platforms. If you want to shoot videos I suggest a green screen as you can play with different backgrounds. Two lightboxes, a tripod, a white background, a good mirrorless camera can give best output.

I am a big believer in leaving no room for ambiguity, multiple angles on everything and ensuring lighting is solid for main product photos. A few things I always think of: 1. Primary photo needs to have a white or transparent background to be added into google shopping feed. 2. Consistency across catalogue is important, sizing and clarity need to be consistent. (Love the Otery Lightbox for these) 3. Have at least 3 product photos, and a few lifestyle photos if possible. 4. A video is not a need to have, but is such a game changer in terms of bringing the product to life. Nike does an incredible job with this for shoes. 5. If you have a large catalogue, make sure to roll South the red carpet for photos of your top 20% products.

Sellers should move to videos instead of photos- showcase real life use case in order for customers to relate to their usage. Bringing more value thru the video, with real life usage is the way to go. The AI generation customers- will want to see the product used in different perspective.

Light It Up: Good lighting is like a magical filter for your product. Whether you're using sunlight or artificial light, aim for something soft that highlights the details without washing out the colors. No one's going to buy something they can't see clearly.

Natural light and daylight have surged in popularity in product photography for their ability to create stunning, true-to-life images that resonate with consumers. This trend isn't just about aesthetics; it's driven by a desire for authenticity and a connection to the real world. However, harnessing natural light effectively requires skill and adaptability. Photographers must be attuned to the changing angles and intensity of daylight, making adjustments to ensure consistent image quality. For those seeking a reliable, controlled lighting setup, artificial lighting can complement natural light or act as a primary source.

Color Temperature Consistency: When using artificial lights, ensure the bulbs have the same color temperature. Mixing cool and warm lights can result in inconsistent color casts across different product photos. Shadow Play: Understand the mood you're trying to convey. For a dramatic effect, hard shadows can be effective. For a softer, more neutral presentation, aim for diffused lighting which minimizes shadows.

If you want consistent, reliable results then you need a setup that can be repeated easily. This includes the lighting. While natural light can be nice to use, it is not reliably consistent - especially days or weeks apart. A form of controllable studio lighting is preferable to keep the power and white balance consistent. A good product photographer can make this look like daylight anyway using the right modifiers, etc. Soft light and gradients of light tend to suit most products. To get this effect, put the light through diffusers. Once you have a setup that works well, make good notes so that you can replicate it at a later stage if needed.

Achieving consistent and professional-looking product photos hinges on a structured workflow. One invaluable technique is shooting tethered. This practice enables you to maintain precise angles and perspectives, ensuring uniformity across your visual content. Following the shoot, a meticulous post-editing process is paramount. This involves importing photos into your preferred software for minor retouching, meticulous color balance adjustments, and precise perspective tweaks. These subtleties collectively keeps your images consistent as if they were all taken at the same time. From there, naming convention is crucial. This practice streamlines future retrieval, allowing you to effortlessly locate and utilize assets in subsequent projects.

For ecommerce, it's important that the products are fully in focus (especially if you send images away for background removal and editing, etc). This means using camera settings that give you a broad depth of field. This is one of the reasons I use strobes or flash for product photography, I can be in full control of lighting and camera settings. I shoot at ISO 200, F11 aperture, at 1/125th of a second. Those are my go-to settings in combination with a consistent lighting set up. This means I don't have to figure out my settings each time. I can just switch on my lights, set the camera, place the products on the white or mid-grey background and get to work.

Play with Your Camera: Don't just point and shoot. Experiment with camera settings like exposure and focus. Your goal is to make the product look as eye-catching as possible. If you've got a smartphone, it probably has these options too.

Lens Choice: Different lenses can provide varied depths of field and focal lengths. A prime lens, for instance, might offer sharper images and better focus on product details than a standard kit lens. Tripods and Stabilizers: Using a tripod or stabilizer ensures your camera stays in the same position and orientation, particularly important if you're shooting a range of products under the same conditions.

To truly master your camera, you need to know the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. First is to understand stops. On film cameras, you could have a full stop or a third stop. Let's take an ISO of 400, a shutter speed of 1/500 and an aperture of f8 - a standard photojournalist's setting. If you want to create a shallower depth of field, you will open your aperture. Changing your aperture size to f4 to create the new depth of field, you have moved two stops in one direction. To ensure you don't overexpose, you must move either ISO or shutter speed by two stops in the opposite direction. This would be a shutter speed of 1/2000 to compensate. Fun fact: the above settings will create a perfectly exposed photo on a sunny day.

Tweak camera settings for the perfect shot, Set aperture, ISO, and shutter speed just right. Balance exposure and focus to capture detail and grace, With adjusted settings, your product's essence you'll embrace.

Follow the Invisible Lines: The 'rule of thirds' might sound fancy, but it's just about placing your product in the spots where it naturally catches the eye. Many cameras have a grid option to help you out with this.

When I was taught photography, specifically in my photojournalism class, the rule of thirds was drummed into us for three semesters. In our final semester, our trainer turned around and said, "Now that you know the rules, you know which ones you can break." This was one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I have been given. 95% follow the rule of thirds, but 5% of the time, you can break it. The resulting photograph can have an even more powerful impact than if you had to follow it. Learning to break the rules can only happen if you already know them.

Leading Lines: Apart from the rule of thirds, using leading lines can help guide the viewer's eyes to the product. This could be the edge of a table, a draped fabric, or any prop that adds depth to the composition. Focal Points: While the rule of thirds emphasizes balance, remember to create a clear focal point in your images, ensuring the viewer's attention isn't dispersed but rather directed to the product's key features.

The "rule of thirds" is just one composition tool among many. It is not actually a "rule" at all. There are plenty of way to make your subject look good. How you arrange it in the frame is an important aspect of this. Various compositional tools such as the golden ratio and the rule of thirds can give you a useful starting place to try and see if you like the effect. To communicate well, an image needs to be composed. Don't rely on chance, place things with purpose and if a tool such as this helps you then use it.

An important consideration when deciding whether to use the rule of thirds is the intended use of the photo. What context will the photo be seen in? Rule of thirds is useful when taking lifestyle shots, banner images, or content for social media. The rule of thirds can be a little less strict when taking a product photo for showcasing your item in a grid of other items. User tests and eyeball scanning paths show that shoppers find it easier to browse a catalog when items are centered in frame. Things can gravitate to the grid lines, as long as everything is consistent ie lighting, background, post-production treatment, etc. Learn from my mistakes: capture lots of white space around your product so you can crop it in different ways later!

For jewellery, editing and retouching is crucial. We use the same company for all our online image editing to ensure consistency. Once again - keep a record of your editing brief as designers change and you will still want a consistent look for your product once loaded online. Also size all product images to the same specs, there is nothing worse than viewing different size images when shopping online.

Enhancing the appeal of your product photos through editing can significantly increase customer expectations and boost your return rate. Remember, the goal of photo editing is not to deceive customers but to present your product in the best possible light. By enhancing the visual appeal of your product photos, you can create a stronger connection with your audience, boost their expectations, and ultimately increase your return rate, leading to greater e-commerce success.

Find an image editing service that specialises in post processing of product images. This could be simple retouching, background removal, to fully replacing the background to fit in with the design of your website. You will be able to create a consistent look and workflow using an editing service. You can then use your time doing other tasks to help grow your business.

Edit But Don't Overdo: A little bit of editing can be the cherry on top. Crop out distractions, adjust the brightness or sharpness, but keep things real. Too much editing and your product may end up looking different from what you're actually selling.

You don’t know what you don’t know. Hire a retoucher that understands how to retouch different materials (glass, metal, plush). Different products require different technicalities.

The photos on your ecommerce .pdp page matter. A lot. Keep it consistent across skus and well balance product shots with lifestyle (test which best converts). If there's product benefit that stands out highlight it in video. Zappos does this for shoes. Goal Five does this for shorts. So does SheFly. Away does it for suitcases. This increases conversion - and decreases returns.

Brand Story Integration: Think about integrating aspects of your brand's story into the product photos. This could be through props, the style of photography, or even post-production edits. Feedback Loop: Regularly gather feedback on your product images. This could be from customers, team members, or even using A/B testing on your e-commerce site. The insights can inform future product shoots and refinements.

* Most marketplaces insist on a white background. Without clutter. I've always followed this universally. Since it helps focus the buyer's attention on the product itself. * Social media and advertising platforms vary in their recommended dimensions. And resize images automatically in their responsive designs. I've found it safest to upload pictures with 1024 X 1024 pixel resolution. * Use multiple photos from different angles (including close-ups) to highlight various important features of your product. Like the connectivity ports at the side of your laptop. Or at the back of your monitor. In ecommerce, this is one way to overcome the inherent disadvantage of not being able to offer your buyer the physical reassurance of 'look and feel'.

For consistency in your product photography, I would recommend use it a tripod and making a note of all your settings & layouts that you did. This helps with the workflow in the editing but also means that when a client comes back to you month after month, you can replicate the same finished results every time.

I think it’s Impossible to suggest that only one of the above points will be the sole provider of consistent product photography. Before a light is switched on, or camera fixed, there needs to be a clear brand identity. It could well be the busiest product set on the most flamboyant background, or a really simple product on a really simple background. Either will eventually look consistent if the creative direction is nailed at the start and followed/understood with passion from the rest of the teams involved.