Top Photography Tips for a Successful Product Launch Campaign
THE VALUE OF PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY.
-The initial investment will be higher, and will yield dividends for years
Defining the value of professional photography can be a bit of a challenge regarding commercial products and their launch campaigns. The truth is many people, and prospective clients will give your product and its representation just one glance. In this pivotal moment, the decision must be made to interact or move on to something else. Your image(s) that represent your product need to make it stand out amongst all the competition, which is only growing with time as more retailers enter the e-commerce space. And if your website has a large selection of products, then sticking to a theme or a color palette could also be a great idea. Nothing is more distracting while browsing products than having every image been taken in a different way or with colors that won’t resonate well with the other posts in the carousel, different composition, lighting, etc. Product launch photography can determine a buyer’s first impression in a split second. Strategic, cohesive images make the difference between engaging a viewer or losing their attention. Making the right product representation is what will stop someone from scrolling past your product, and engaging with your brand.
CONSISTENCY IN BRANDING GOES A LONG WAY.
-creating an overall aesthetic that is pleasing will give retention
I know when I visit a new retailer or product outlet and the entire website meshes like one well balanced representation of the company, I am much more likely to stay on that site for longer. Achieving these results can be as simple as just hiring the same photographer to shoot your entire campaign or giving strict codes to follow regarding the imagery. Your photographer will understand your basic needs and should be practiced enough to obtain whatever results you desire. Keeping up with current trends is also important, depending on the industry, could even be vital. This may not necessarily mean hiring a new photographer for an entirely new campaign. Your existing photographer should retain the RAW images from their photo shoot and can usually edit the existing photos in a different way. If you purchase the license for usage, a fee or separate license may be required depending on the photographer.
USER EASE-OF-USE FOR MORE SALES.
-with some clever organizational techniques, you can drive sales with compelling imagery
Keeping images formatted or posed similarly between each product is a great way to showcase separate products, but not force the user to view each individual product to get a better look. An example of this is a company that sells business wear, they have four different colors and patterns of pants, and they are all similar cut and design. By showcasing all four products’ images with a different angle or lighting, the user will be able to gauge how the product will look without having to open the items’ respective page and navigating the carousel of images to better see different angles and fits. This saves the user time and will keep frustration to a minimal. I also genuinely believe that showing all products in a similar fashion also helps convince clients to purchase more than just one product. Once they find a cut or design that they like, they know that the other colors and variations will be identical and will buy multiples of the same pair of pants. This is true for many people I personally know, once they find a brand or article of clothing they like; they purchase five copies or variations. Thinking ahead about user experience can be a great way to drive sales from your commercial product photography.
CONSISTENCY BUILDS AWARENESS.
-building a brand takes years, the first step is hiring a product photography expert
Having brand awareness throughout the entire website and all sets of images is key. When someone goes to Vans’ or Nike’s website, they know exactly where they are, despite what page they may be on. This is because of the strong branding that the company has achieved over the years by homing in and nailing that signature look. This is not only done with logos and representative designs, but also the colors, lighting, angles, focal length, models, and overall presentation. Getting the right photographer to find that representation you are looking for will eventually lead to similar results. Having a brand consistency through all content that represents your business is vital to plant that image in peoples’ minds that resonates with them whenever they see your logo or products. Hiring a photographer that can achieve the vision that aligns with the brand’s identity before starting a shoot is paramount as well. The photographer is going to be most business’ first steps into the marketing world. Having a comprehensive and vast catalogue of images can give your business the content that it would need for years to come. You can never over deliver with photographs, some that may not be exactly what you are looking for will come in handy later; perhaps when you want to begin a new ad campaign.
PLANNING AND PREP ARE VITAL.
-working side by side with your photographer with a laid out plan will yield the most results the fastest
Product photography planning and pre-shoot preparation is another key point that should never be overlooked. This could include hiring a designer or an entire firm to come up with your newest ad campaign that may run for a year or more. Having this vision of what is needed before even entering the studio helps better the photographer to understand what is expected of them. When Volkswagen approaches their photographers and videographers with a campaign strategy, they do so with a clear vision and several concepts well before the fact. This may not be entirely feasible for smaller businesses, but is by no means any less important, just scale it down and work with your photographer. Many of us are also designers in some way and know how to compose a scene that would flatter your product in a great way. These points are what you should keep in mind when planning your next product photo shoot.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS.
-foolproof your campaign with the insurance that a professional offers
Knowing best lighting and composition are vital for product photography. The photographer must have an intimate knowledge with light setups in the studio, which can sometimes become extremely complex, consisting of many lights and several other modifiers to bounce and dampen light sources. The desired effect is always to showcase the product in a larger-than-life representation, and this is easily achieved with good composition. Being creative with composition and appealing can be the tricky part. A lot of the time, a concept that seems like a great idea, just won’t pan out the way it was expected. While the photos may still look great, they might be better used as secondary material, for a billboard or social media campaign or post, perhaps not as the headline representation of your product. When this happens, it is very important that your photographer can come up with another concept on the fly and execute. Otherwise, you’re going to be left with a seemingly cool concept that just doesn’t hit right with your core audience. These things happen, and at this time it is when you must communicate effectively with your photographer. Don’t overload them with input and hinder their abilities to work but help guide them in the right direction with your vision. When they provide you the test shoots or concepts, give slight changes you would like to see implemented and guide them gently.
STAYING FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR IMAGING.
-one image, infinite uses. Keep your photos future-proof and flexible
Keeping an image versatile is a very important thing in today’s marketing ecosystem. The world revolves around the internet, and it has many different varieties of consumption. You and your photographer need to make sure that photographs are going to be flattering no matter where they are viewed. This could be verticals for platforms like Instagram and TikTok, 16:9 for televisions and monitors, 4:5 for print and more contemporary viewing. The photographer needs to format the images in a way that the desired marketing goal is met even when the image is cropped. Sometimes, some of the design elements may get left behind, and this is a seriously limiting factor for the creativity that the photos may want to represent. Keeping the product front and center and in sharp focus with a bold look to grab eyes is the goal, always.
YOU WON’T REGRET HIRING A PROFESSIONAL.
-experience, know how, the difference a pro can make vs. a novice
Hire a product photographer. A lot of people hold the misconceptions that photographing an object is very easy, but the opposite couldn’t be truer. Every single detail will be visible and showcased, and if a reflection or hot spot is present where it shouldn’t be, it will be distracting. Product photography must be the most perfect form of photography, there is no doubt about it, because you are selling something. Lighting for a product is entirely different than taking a portrait of a person in the studio, and every single case is unique. It cannot be overstated enough that someone who doesn’t understand still life photography, will achieve less than suitable results. I always try to approach every photo session with a theme, not a specific one, but I will appoint a theme to the product and hold true to that until the job is done. This gets the overall feel and mood of the product to be the same. This comes down to every aspect of the photography, the composition, lighting, editing, touch-ups, design, color, etc. There are an infinite number of combinations to achieve, and getting the right one to represent your product for your next ad campaign or website would be my honor. Please consider my expertise when you finally decide to pull the trigger and hire your next product photographer.
