When it comes to marketing, high quality images are a must have. Good images grab the attention of your audience and help build trust in businesses, which can go a long way in bringing in leads. Knowing some basic photography principles can help up your marketing game. In today’s blog, we are going to discuss five easy tips that will help improve your images.
Lighting
One of the most important elements of a good image is good lighting lighting. Natural light is the best and easiest to work with. You can take advantage of natural lighting by either taking your products outside or by using the light coming through a large window. When you take your items outside, opt for open shade if possible. You will have less of a chance of harsh shadows or blown out highlights in your photographs if you avoid the direct sun. In the case of being outside or using a window, make sure the light source is behind the product. Here is a great example from Real Thread that shows great use of natural light. Notice how the model is posed outside and there are no harsh shadows or blown out highlights in the image.
If you don’t have easy access to natural light, invest in some studio lighting, reflectors, and soft boxes. The latter will help you emulate natural lighting and give your images a soft look.
Posing and Composition
Remember keep your photo clean and simple. Don’t have too many props, keep the background clear of distractions, and if you are using people to show off products, make sure to have them posed naturally. Keeping your photo clean and simple will help your potential customer focus on the product. Check out how Sandi Lake Clothing had their model pose taking a photo as if she was heading out for the day. The image is both simple and natural.
Framing
When shooting photos of your products, pay attention to framing. If you want to show off a final print, make sure you are showing the entire design. If you want to focus on a specific detail of a product, get up close. Keep in mind that it is better to set up your photo for proper framing, like this image from Printed Threads, than it is to crop it later. Printed threads did a nice job of framing the image so the design on the shirt was showed in full and was the main focus of the image. Cropping after the fact on your phone or computer will reduce the quality of the photo. If you are intentional up front about framing your photo, you won’t have to worry about pixelation issues because of cropping.
The Photograph’s Purpose
Along the same line, be sure to take into consideration where you are going to be showing your image. Different platforms have different sizes and ratio needs for photographs. For instance, if you are going to post on Instagram in their standard square format, frame your product accordingly. Same thing goes for a YouTube banner photo or an online product image. Whenever you are photographing your products, you always keep the final platform in mind. Notice how Rockford Art Deli’s photo is composed perfectly for the Instagram platform. The design is the focus of the image and the viewer’s eyes are instantly drawn to it.
Equipment
One of the most important things to remember is to not let equipment get in the way. You don’t have to have the most professional or expensive gear to get high quality photographs. If you have a nice digital camera, awesome! Use it to its full potential. If you don’t have access to a digital camera, that’s okay. Your cell phone will work great too. There are so many lenses for mobile photography now a days that you can get beautiful images with what you’ve got in your back pocket.
The simple tips above will help improve your marketing photography across all platforms. If you are interested in more marketing tips, check out 6 Easy Ways to Get Your Screen Printing Business Seen Online and Five Easy Ways to Get the Best Out of Facebook Marketing for Your Screen Printing Business.
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