Photos

ID #1108

How toTake the Best Photos of your Products and/or Services (Full Article)

If you're interested in showcasing your products and services, the quality of your images is the place tostart.  Beautiful, clear photos will capture the attention of your online shoppers.  When an image is fuzzy or too small, people are inclined toquestion the product. Colorful, vivid pictures will entice and excite your viewers. It's time tomake your online store the first and last shopping site on the Internet!

We've come up with a list of tips that will help insure your images are attracting the attention your products merit and gaining an audience that feels confident tomake a purchase on your online store.

When taking photos of your products and/or services, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Products that Jump Out!
Use a white background so that your images will capture the attention of your audience. A white background is a good starting point, but if you choose touse a colored background, make sure that your product is clearly visible.  It should not blend in with the background.  If you have multiple products, try touse the same background color as a measure of consistency.  Don't make your audience work tofind the product.
2. No blurred Images!
If you don't have a tripod, find a sturdy surface toplace your camera.  Your images should be crisp and clear.  If using a digital camera, make sure touse the macro focus setting (look for the flower icon) when taking your up-close shots.
3. More Light / Less Light / Good Light / Bad Light?
Lighting can be tricky, so you may need toget adventurous when exploring the best setting for your photo shoot and possibly using props toassist in your picture taking.  Try not touse a built-in flash, as this can dull your image.  Non-direct, natural light is optimal, but you can play with various forms of external light and get great results as well.  Lighting boxes are an inexpensive option, however you may find an object in your house (i.e.: ice chest) which works just as good.  The perfect spot for setting up your photo shoot may be in your house, your backyard, or under a shady tree. 
4. Size really does matter.
Make sure your images are not too large or too small for your online store.  They should pass the Goldilocks test and be just right.   Staying within a 250-300 pixel width usually works, but this will depend on the layout you choose for your web store.
5. Need assistance?
Use the specific software on your home computer tohelp with editing your images.  You can explore making changes in brightness and contrast, color, cropping, re -sizing and more.  Numerous FREE software solutions are available on the Internet (i.e.: Snapfish, Snipshot or Picknik) toassist you with optimizing your images.  These programs will also save your photos in the required format (jpg or gif) of your online store.
6. Have Fun!
Be creative and find ways toshowcase your product or services uniquely.  A personalized, one-of-a-kind display will catch the interest of your shoppers.  Look online toget ideas and see what the competition is doing.  You can determine what photos capture your attention, and then decide howyou can improve on the concept. 
7. Hire a Photographer
Lastly, if you feel as if doing it yourself isn't an option, give us a call.  We have several Photographers with varying price ranges totake professional photos for you. 503-922-1276

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Last update: 2010-12-27 06:44
Author: WebBuilder Support
Revision: 1.1

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