If your products look terrific but the photos just don’t seem to be working, sometimes it’s the other stuff in the shot that can be dragging you down. Surrounding your product with things that complement it is one of the keys to producing effective images.
One of the most effective (and easy!) ways to present a product is simply to take everything else out of the equation and go to a pure white background, leaving absolutely no distractions at all. This approach gives a very clean, professional look.
Adding other elements to your shots can help create a sense of image and drama, but the more you add, the more careful you have to be not to detract attention from your main subject. For shots with a more stylized or “propped” look, here are some things to keep in mind:
• Composition – Your fashion should always be the center of atention, and everything else in your shot should lead the viewer’s eye back to your product. Make sure your props or backgrounds enhance and don’t distract.
• Color – Again, the key here is to enhance and not distract or divert attention from your product. No clashing colors!
• Avoid clutter – Keeping things simple is one of the best ways to make viewers focus on what’s important – your product. If things look cluttered, try shooting in another area or just remove superfluous elements from the shot.
Take a long, hard look at everything that’s happening in the composition of your photos and ask yourself if they’re accomplishing what you need them to. And most importantly, ask yourself this: “If I were shopping online and only had this image to look at, would I consider buying it?”
