Storytelling with Product Photography

In the world of online sales, product photography is crucial for customers browsing your store, it’s the most important factor that will affect their purchase decision. However, they still can’t hold the product in their hands, so it’s up to you to tell a strong story about your product in those photos, and really make them feel a connection to it and imagine what it would be like to have it.

Communicate without saying a word…

Your customer wants to know if your product fits what they’re looking for, if it looks good quality, and if they can trust that what they see is what they will get. And it only takes a matter of milliseconds for them to make those decisions. That’s right, milliseconds. A quick glance at your image and they’ve already decided whether or not they’re interested.

This is why it’s so important to show off your product in the most effective way possible, you have to visually communicate everything they need to know before they ever read your copy. That could be anything from size, style, colour, shape, or whatever else may be relevant to your product.

Here’s two images of a product from my Print Store, which is most likely to convince you to purchase?

It would be the left one wouldn’t it? It has an adventurous, natural feel, you get a sense of scale, the image is super clear, it’s got visual interest and above all else, it looks professional, which brings us onto the next important factor…

Building Trust

Online shoppers are also smart, their first instinct is to be sceptical of your business and products. It’s your job to reassure them your business is trustworthy and legitimate. The quickest way to build trust and give a good impression is by putting effort into your product photography, and if you do that you’re already ahead of competitors who neglect theirs!

Conversely, poor quality, amateur imagery is the quickest way to lose trust. That tells the story of a business that doesn’t care about its products. And whilst you and I both know that’s not true and most businesses do care a tremendous amount, put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t.

So what do you do about all this?

Well, that’s where someone like me comes in. Professional product photographers don’t just place your product and take a few snaps, they will take time to understand your brand and its story, and work with you to figure out the best way to communicate all that through the imagery.

Here’s some examples from a recent festive campaign I created with the team at O’Donnell Moonshine. We had two meetings before shooting anything, to discuss what they wanted to achieve and what the style would be.

Here you can see a mixture of clear images of the product, mixed with lifestyle scenes that demonstrate how they might be used (or, in this case, how the jars can be upcycled), all presented in a creative, visually interesting way that reinforces the brand’s “cool” image, and creates the right mood with carefully positioned props and lighting.

Each of these shots typically took 2-3 hours, I built practical sets for each of them and went through a detailed post-production to finish them up.

Andy has been a great partner to work with! Understanding the brand’s values & associated visuals, paired with his eagerness, delivered some really cool results that I’m very happy with.

Great co-operation, great results. Happy to work with him again! “

Max Rüther – Managing Director at O’Donnell Moonshine UK

Now you understand the benefits of good quality product photography, it’s up to you to make it happen! There are plenty of product photographers out there, but not all of them will act like a partner to your business and truly take your brand to heart. So if you’re looking for brand-strengthening, sales-boosting product photography, enquire today for a free creative consultation.

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