IMAGERY SELLS: THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
In a perfect world looks aren’t everything, but when it comes to marketing your creative brand, they certainly count for a whole lot! Good imagery is crucial to any creative business and absolutely essential for an e-commerce site, whether it be fashion, fine art or digital downloads.
Brilliant photography will grab attention and draw people to your brand, present your products in their best possible light, and hopefully convert to mucho sales. These are some of our top tips for amping up your imagery, because like it or not, imagery sells!
IMAGERY SELLS: THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
CHOOSE IMAGES THAT POP
The most striking images are those that are crisp, clean and full of life. There are many ways you can achieve this even with simple product shots. Lighting is definitely important. You want to make sure that your lighting highlights the colours and lines of whatever it is you’re photographing. Natural light is ideal, but a good photographer can use artificial light to achieve close to the same effect.
Composition is also key. The rule of thirds is a good photography guideline for creating more energy in your shots. Basically, you imagine that your shot is divided into nine equal squares and you position your main focus points along the lines or corners where those squares meet. This creates a more interesting image than one where the focus point is smack dab in the middle.
Finally, Photoshop is a great tool for sharpening up your images after a shoot. However we know that not everyone is super PS savvy, so for those who need a helping hand, PicMonkey is a super easy-to-use app with filters, frames, and touch-up tools.
MAXIMIZE YOUR PRODUCT SHOTS
How many times have you been shopping online and found a cool product, only to find that there is only one measly photo of the item that doesn’t really show much of anything at all? How much more inclined would you be to buy that item if you could see what it looked like from behind or up close? In fact, statistics show that most shoppers are more likely to buy products online that have a variety of photos than those with just one shot.
For each product, try to give your customers a few different photos that show different angles, cool features, and variations in colour and size. For example, if you’re selling clothing you may want to show the models in a number of poses so your customers can see how the item flows or hangs, and how it looks from the front, side and back. It is also nice to showcase a zoom-in feature to show the finer details. You may also want to put your item in context with something else to show scale. For artwork, we love to see them hanging in a space so we can visualize them in our home!
TRY TO TELL A STORY WITH YOUR IMAGES
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what do you want your images to say? Think about what your brand is all about and how you can incorporate those values and themes into your shots. This could include your unique colour palette, ‘vibes’ like rustic, edgy, or industrial, or the use of models who represent your target market. Your background setting can also add life to your images and set the tone or tell a story. For example, think about how much the story changes when you photograph your products in a forest, at the beach, or in an urban setting versus a plain white studio.
Another great way to tell your unique story is with behind-the-scenes shots. People love getting to see the creation process and meeting the people behind the scenes because it makes them feel more connected to the brand. Obviously, these may not be the product shots you use in your ecommerce shop, but they can definitely liven up your blog and social media feeds.
STOCK UP ON (FREE!) STOCK IMAGES
OK, so you may not be the best photographer or art director in the world, and maybe hiring a professional is just not in your budget. Not to worry, because that’s what stock images are for. As you may or may not know, stock images are ready-to-use photos that you can put on your website (or pretty much wherever you want) without having to worry about copyright issues because they’ve been licensed for use.
Do a Google search for stock images and you’ll come up with hundreds of sites, many of which offer good stock photos but at hefty prices. Then there are the sites that offer a ton of free photos, but so many of the images are either completely posed, cheesy or just plain lame. However, there are a few solid sites out there that offer gorgeous photos that are inspired, original and don’t cost a cent. Here are a few of our faves:
Unsplash – You’ll find pretty much everything here from nature shots to cityscapes, people of all different cultures, and even a few abstract-type shots. This is definitely our top go-to stock image site.
Negative Space – new photos are added every week on this straight-forward stock image site. Just type in your search terms and they’ll bring up whatever they’ve got that matches your search from their archives.
Gratisography – If it’s quirky you’re going for, check out this fun site with copyright-free images by Ryan McGuire. He’s constantly adding new high-resolution photos, so be sure to keep checking back for his latest off-beat creations.
KaboomPics – Free pictures for your business or personal projects. The site is easy to search with a good selection of quality photos.
Death to Stock Photos – Just like the name of the site, the photos here are definitely intriguing, and they are divided into packs, each with a different theme. Basically, you sign up with them and they’ll send a free photo pack to your inbox every month. Be sure to read their licensing agreement though, because they have a few usage clauses in there.
Creative Convex – The team at Creative Convex has a selection of high-resolution images for Creatives. Let them help you cut down the time you are currently spending searching for the perfect image! All images under the Creative Commons license. You can see full terms here.
Create Her Stock – Another site for styled stock photos especially for content makers. Sign up to their newsletter to grab free stock photos every month.
Looking for more FREE stock photo sites? Here are 3 more great blog posts with lists worth checking out!
50+ Of The Best, Most Beautiful Website For Free Stock Photos by Olyvia.com
21+ Free Stock Photo Resources by AProblemLikeMaria.com
18 Places For Free Girly And Styled Stock Photos by TwinsMommy.com
