How to photograph clothing for an online store
Buying things through the online store for many is no longer a novelty. Fortunately, today there are a dime a dozen such stores on the Internet. But how often, looking at the virtual shelves and opening the first product you like, you want to run away at the same moment.
Of course, not everything is so bad. There are enough good online stores. Such sites are armed with competent content and high-quality photos from a variety of angles. From there, it’s not that you don’t want to leave, but, on the contrary, there is a desire to immediately make a purchase.
This article is written for those who have not yet thought about the quality of their resource. Perhaps our tips on how to properly photograph clothes and design a product page will help such online stores improve and become better, thereby increasing their conversion.
A few tips before you start shooting
Before you plunge into the process of photographing the future hit of sales, you need to follow a few recommendations related to how the clothes should look in the picture and what details you need to take into account:
- No stains or wrinkles on clothes! Everything must be clean and ironed.
- Clothes in front of the lens should not lie as if they were thrown there. Try to arrange things nicely.
- No color distortion! The color should be as close to the real as possible.
- If the product is presented in several colors, then all of them must be on the product page.
- Since a person cannot feel and look closer at the fabric of the product, you need to take pictures of the texture, features of the details, etc.
To be convinced of the need to comply with such recommendations, just look at one of the popular online clothing stores and view the photos of the goods posted there. Believe that following these tips will only help the buyer make a decision to make a purchase in your store.
angles
As already mentioned, the buyer of an online store cannot pick up the product they like, feel it, unfold it, see all the details. Therefore, it is necessary to take several photos from different angles. A lone photo on a product page is a pitiful sight. The percentage that a person will linger on this page and make a purchase is very small. Remember that there can be no busting with photographs. On the contrary, make them as large as possible: front and back, side, sitting, standing and half-turned. The more pictures there are, the better.
Let the buyer evaluate the size of the item. If this is a bag, then you can put inside what is usually worn in it: a notebook, pen, phone, magazine, etc.
Don't hide small details
And again we return to the small details of the product. Do not hide them from the buyer. Show the texture of the fabric, label, accessories. Take a couple of pictures of the inside of the clothes, show the pockets. Make sure that the user has the opportunity to view an enlarged fragment of the product when hovering over it with the cursor. This is a very handy feature. It is implemented by many popular online stores.
What can complement the photo? Video only
A short demo video can sometimes play a decisive role in making a purchase decision. It is he who is able to convey how the thing actually looks.
Shooting on your own
If you believe in yourself or, for some other reason, do not want to trust a photographer to shoot, you will need some recommendations regarding photographic equipment, models for shooting and locations. If you are an experienced "fighter", then you can safely skip the next paragraph.
What do you need for high quality photography?
- Good camera . Necessary in order to get high-quality photos. Of course, if a person knows his job and is not deprived of talent, then he is able to take a good picture, no matter what device he has in his hands. But we are not talking about talents, but about the quality of the pictures and the capabilities of the camera.
- Lens . In addition to a camera with a wide range of capabilities, you need the right lens. Wide-angle can distort objects in the frame, it is worth considering this. Such lenses are more suitable for shooting indoors, panoramas. For shooting clothes - no.
- Tripod . Taking photos will be much easier with it. And the probability of blurring in the photo is almost zero, which cannot be said about manual shooting. The heavier the tripod, the more stable it is. Learn it.
- Lighting . It is also necessary for obtaining high-quality photos. Armed with the Internet, you can find a lot of information on how to correctly set the lighting, background, correct color reproduction, etc.
Dummy? Model? Or maybe on the floor?
Mannequin . One of the most common ways to showcase a thing. You can often find such a feature in online stores: clothes seem to be put on an invisible mannequin. At the same time, the back side of the thing is also visible.
Masters achieve this effect in different ways: they buy a mannequin and modify it with scissors for a specific thing, or shooting is done on an ordinary mannequin, then the inside of the product is photographed, after which all the details are put together in Photoshop. They also do this: a mannequin is painted white, dressed and photographed on a white background. Then, using the same Photoshop, the picture is corrected.
On the model . This option of photography is able to most "vividly" convey all the advantages of the product. Looking at a thing worn by a model, it is easier for the buyer to imagine how he will look in it.
It is important that the clothes fit well on the model. It is also equally important that the model has a pleasant appearance, a slim figure and knows how to pose. Ideally, the model will need a stylist. In extreme cases, you can get by with a makeup artist. Here it is important not to forget that it is the appearance of the model that can prompt the buyer to act.
The importance of a stylist in this case cannot be underestimated. After all, it is not easy to put a dress on a model, but to create a whole image. The sold item can be supplemented with accessories from the store, pick up shoes and a handbag. If the image sinks into the soul of the customer, then there is little that can stop her from buying "that handbag over there" to the dress and "these shoes." Such a people - these women!
On the floor . It is also an option and a very convenient solution to the problem if there is no desire to put a thing on a model or mannequin.
The only point is that you will have to work hard to beautifully lay out the product and add liveliness to the photo with a couple of objects in the frame. Here you need to make sure that the color of the clothes and its appearance are not distorted.
Location
Suitable conditions can be created in the studio or anywhere else by simply providing a neutral, solid background. You can arrange outdoor photography by selecting the desired location.
When choosing a place, consider the category of goods: if it is outerwear, then a beach or a pool is unlikely to be appropriate. These places are more suitable for shooting swimwear and beach accessories.
Making a product page
And now let's start designing the product page. What should be on it?
In addition to many beautiful, high-quality pictures, it is necessary to give as much information about the product as possible: fabric composition, country of manufacture of the product, brand, possible sizes (it’s good if there is a link to the size grid right there), product features (zippers on the sides or on the shoulder, deep cutout on the back, etc.). In general, the more detailed the information, the better.
Be sure to check what is included. This will help avoid negative customer reviews. If, for example, in the picture there is a dress, complemented by jewelry and a belt, then it is worth clarifying that these accessories are not included in the price.
A good feature is a block of recommended products. For example, on the page with trousers there is a photo where they are in perfect harmony with a blouse and belt from your store. Then you can add these accessories to the block of recommended products.
Before “uploading” photos to the site, take care of their weight and size. It is worth considering that if you upload several "heavy" pictures, the page may take a long time to load. There are online editors with which you can immediately reduce the size of photos to the required size. And you can set up the site so that only previews will be visible in advance. In this case, the user will have the opportunity to enlarge the photo.
By approaching responsibly the issue of filling product pages with quality content, you are guaranteed to increase the credibility of your resource. Do not be lazy, make an effort, and the result will not be long in coming. We hope these tips will help improve your online store.