Easy Product Photography Solutions for Small Business

Since you are considering starting your own small business, we can guess that you are a cheerful aspirant filled with passion and new ideas. While that is true, it is also true that you have dreams that don’t fit into your small budget. You have considered how to source the best materials, how to create your perfect product, and even found a niche of audience who you are sure will love your creative ideas. But how do you shoot the prefect product photos that highlight how awesome your product is in real life? As a small business owner, you know how important product photography is to attract customers and increasing your conversion rate.

Product photos help you express your business to your potential clients. They work as one of the core mediums of communication and are necessary to build a good first impression. We empathize with the budget struggles you may face regarding this and are here to provide you with easy product photography solutions for your small business that will both minimize costs and get you high quality product photos at the same time.

“To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big”

Aliko Dungote

Nigerian business magnate

You know what this means right? It means you can’t lower your standards for anything. You have to dream big and ensure premium quality in everything you do- whether it’s your website design, quality of your product or the images you shoot.

Product Photography Tips for Small Business Website

Get product photography idea from big brands and experts

It’s always a good idea to do a thorough research first and then jump into action. The same applies for product photography. Being new to this e-commerce business, it’s more likely that you’re not an expert in product photography. This is why you need to focus on educating yourself first. List down the big companies in your industry and visit their website. Now try to comprehend the techniques they are applying in photographing their product; the number and types of photos they are posting, the angles being used etc. For example- you may notice websites posting a main photo consisting of only the product and other shots where details of the product are properly highlighted. You can see videos on YouTube as well and read different blogs as well to get an initial understanding of product photography as well.

Work with a Home Studio or Natural Setup for small business product photography

For a small business, affording a full formal photo studio along with the expensive tools in it may seem scary. And keeping the number of sales you’re likely to make or the range of collections a small business may own, it doesn’t seem worth it as well. You do not need a fully designed photo studio to photograph your products. Rather, you can easily setup a home studio and photograph your products there. Pick a comfortable corner of your house with good lighting and decorate it with a table, tripod, camera and a white cloth for the background. That’s it, you’re good to go!

Other than that, you can focus on lifestyle photography where you take photos with a relevant background and natural lighting. Also, pairing up your products and shooting them together can aid your business by reducing the need for props and result in dual sales. Try to pick a relevant setup, for example- photographing wines near a vineyard or grape garden, cars on the road, men and women’s formal wear near a tall corporate building etc. This is likely to help the viewer better imagine the product’s use in their lives.

Rely on easier to find tools

Photo shoots require tools and equipment that you can’t escape from. Rather than focusing on getting professional and expensive tools, it’s better to initially start with highly available and DIY solutions. There are certain tools you can make at home. Instead of a backdrop, you can simply use a white wall or paper or simply the floor of your studio (for flat lay photography). You can easily make a DIY soft box that will deflect light perfectly and redirect it equally in all corners of the room. Also, if you’re looking for props to use for in the photo shoots, try to think with your creative eye and focus on getting tools that are easily available to you. For example- if you’ve a face wash with vitamin C in it, pairing it up with sliced up oranges/lemon and plants you have at home may do the trick.

Rely on Budget friendly photography techniques for small business

I’m sure you have seen big brands working with famous models in expensive setups and maybe you will do the same one day but it’s better to start small for now. Focusing on easier to conduct photo shoot techniques will help you save both time, effort and money – all of which can be better utilized on all the other things you have on your plate. One such technique is flat lay photography. By using flat lay, you don’t have to worry about spending money on mannequins or models and get clear, full views of your product at the same time.

Photo Editing is a must!

In order to be a professional seller, you have to post your product photos in a professional manner as well. This means shooting the images raw and then getting them properly edited before uploading to the website. Post-production will aid your e-commerce business immensely and help your images live up to their full potential. You can take a short course on image editing yourself as you’ll be needing it on a regular basis or simply outsource it form expert services and shift your focus in other important areas.

While owning a small business has its struggles, it provides immense rewards as well. Having a business of your own gives you a sense of freedom and fulfills your heart. It’s the way you become your own boss and make your own decisions.

In order to keep this feeling of freedom alive, you need to achieve and maintain success on your business. Photographing and uploading high quality product photos are one of the essentials things that will help you boost sales and maintain this success in your business.