5 Reasons Why Not to DIY Your Product Photography
Let’s talk online shopping! (Arguably my favorite topic.) You’ve been scrolling through endless pictures of dresses until one finally catches your eye, you MUST have it. Were the hundreds of other dresses you just scrolled past not good enough? Perhaps. Or maybe their photography just wasn’t good enough. Have you ever thought about that: the way photography impacts us as consumers. It’s actually bonkers how much psychology goes into it, but I’ll keep it short. Photography plays a MAJOR role in a consumer’s purchase.
So what makes up “good product photography” ? There’s a lot more that goes into it than the final photo would lead you to believe. First you need to have the right composition and styling. Styling takes years of professional experience to master. And along with the art direction, you need a top notch understanding of color as well. Once you have the correct lighting and the correct setup, you’ll still need the right camera equipment. Cameras can make or break the final shot, even if you’ve mastered the composition.
Before you start feeling overwhelmed, I’m going to skip to the end - We have the solution! We offer professional product photography options for every stage of your business, for all sorts of products, in all sorts of styles (SEE HERE.) As a team of energetic creatives, here at Madison Hebner Creative Studio we mix design principles with years of photography experience. And the result? Styled product photos that we think of as art, and most importantly, that sell your products.
But before we chat more about that, keep reading as we explain why DIYing your product photography may not get you the results you want in your business.
Why Professional Product Photography is Vital
You Have a Split Second to Catch Someone’s Eye
With so much of shopping happening online these days, good product photography is not only important, it may be THE most important thing you can do for your marketing. If someone isn’t immediately impressed with the photo of your product, you’ve already lost a potential customer. No one is going to hang around and read more about a boring photo. Good photos capture the attention of your audience, and a good product makes them purchase. Without the initial hook, it doesn’t matter how useful your product is. It just won’t matter to your customer.
But the good news is, a well styled photo crafted with your target audience in mind will stand out in the sea of content everyone is wading through. Stop them in their tracks (or uh, in their swim, gotta keep that metaphor going.)
Photos Help the Customer Imagine Themselves Using Your Product
Mixing lifestyle shots with your standard product photos helps a viewer imagine your product in their own home. And I don’t know about you, but once I’ve imagined myself wearing a new piece of clothing, it’s game over, that thing is going in my cart. And the principle is true for any sort of product! Once someone has imagine themselves using it, they are waaaaay more likely to purchase it. So make that step a little easier for your customers, and show your products in different settings, being used by different sorts of people.
Because these sorts of shots take more planning, props, and art direction, outsourcing these photoshoots is the easiest way to go. And the extra sales it will earn you makes this investment a wise decision.
We Already Have The Best Lighting Situation All Figured Out
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “Lighting is Everything.” Well it’s true in every sense of the word(s). Especially when talking about product photography, because we literally want to shed some light on your amazing product. We don’t want you to learn the hard way that DIY product photography means either having a very narrow window of great natural light each day, or trying to master the angle of your ring light while also acting as stylist, art director, and photographer at the same time. And that doesn’t even include all of the post-shoot editing… all this to say, there are a lot of steps to getting the final shot, and handing the job over to an experienced team means you can avoid the learning curve all together.
Successful Marketing Means You Need a LOT of Content
Fact of the matter is, not only do you need good-looking photos, but you need a lot of them. Even if you’ve purchased a nice camera, mastered lighting, and have natural styling skills, there is still so much time needed to shoot and edit all of those photos. And your time is important! (More on that below.) In order to have enough content for your website and daily posting on all the social media channels, getting help is a non-negotiable need.
Your Time Deserves to be Protected
As a business owner, you are already wearing so many hats. Around here, we get what that’s like. But unless you are already a professional photographer, your time is best spent elsewhere! Spent on the things parts of your business you excel at most. Protect your energy and your peace of mind, and allow a team of professionals to take this task off your to-do list. You know it feels so good to check something off!
Learn More About Our Product Photography Services
I don’t say any of this to scare you off from product photography, but I want give you a realistic understanding of the undertaking product photography is AND how important it is. With so much overhead and experience needed, this is one task that is ideal to outsource at the beginning of your business instead of DIYing it (check out my all post about the DIY Business Phase here.)
This is where we come in. Not only is product photography something we excel at, it’s one of our favorite services to perform. Big or small, we have experience in it all. Check out our past work here for inspiration on your business. And when you are ready to level up your product photography, you can contact us here!
If your business is new, we recommend combining product photography with your branding and web design services for a myriad of reasons (all of which you can read here.)