In the online store era, images have become one of the crucial elements to attract potential customers. According to Splento.com, 90 percent of online buyers explain that photo quality is the most essential factor. Here we have 10 tips for apparel photography to improve your fashion item photo quality, and to gain more potential customers to see and buy it. The tips below are helpful for fashion online store owners who want to take a picture of their products by themselves.
Tips for Apparel Photography for Your Online Store
1. Set the Display of Your Fashion Products
The first step in apparel photography is to set up the display of the fashion products. In general, we often use three different methods in shooting fashion products.
Mannequin Technique
First, you can use an invisible mannequin. This technique is helpful to make your product more realistic. As a result, customers can imagine whether the product is fit and comfortable enough for them.
Remember, 65 percent of people are visual learners. It means photos can influence them instead of written words. It is also a more affordable technique because you don’t have to hire a professional model only to photograph your products. Make the result look more professional by removing the photo background. Using a full-body mannequin will be a better solution compared to using an armless mannequin.
Hire a Model
Hiring a real model is a good alternative in apparel photography if you have the extra budget. This technique is better than the mannequin technique because a model can pose at different angles. A model can show the parts of the product that a mannequin can’t do.
Flat Lay Photography
It is the most cost-effective, especially in the apparel photography technique. Despite its ease and cost-effectiveness, it has a significant impact—the more realistic the photos, the easier it is for customers to visualize the product.
2. Choose an Appropriate Apparel Photography Equipment
You don’t have to prepare high-tech and expensive apparel photography equipment. Nowadays, you can even only use a smartphone to take a picture. Some brands support their smartphone devices with high-resolution cameras.
Besides preparing a camera, you also need to prepare a three-point lighting kit, studio backdrop kit, wireless lighting trigger, tripod, and photography toolbox. It includes preparing all necessary accessories to support the product photos.
3. Prepare the Fashion Products
Preparing means ironing or steaming the fashion products. It makes the fashion product look smooth and enjoyable to see, rather than shooting one that is wrinkled. Ensure that the mannequin or model wears your product perfectly. You should check the buttons and style the model or mannequin neatly and consistently. And last but not least, make sure the clothes are clean before taking a picture.
4. Set Your Photography Studio
You still have to prepare a proper studio for apparel photography. Just like photography equipment, you don’t have to prepare an expensive studio. A medium-sized space in the back of your store is sufficient to serve as a studio.
Ensure that the area is bright enough to support the smartphone camera. Set one of the lights toward the mannequin. Place another lighting at 45 45-degree angle from the model or mannequin, and the third lighting between the object and the backdrop.
5. Set the Camera
Even if you are using a smartphone camera, you still need to set it up. Setting the camera means that you have to decide the best aperture, ISO sensitivity, and shutter speed. The ideal camera aperture is between f/8 and f/11 to get a better focus. Set the shutter speed to around 1/125 and use 400 and 800 ISO settings.
6. Take a Picture of the Product
Ensure that the camera is stable. It is the reason why you need to use a tripod. A stable camera helps to produce crisper and sharper photos. Place the object, mannequin, or model at the center of the camera frame. Adjust the tripod or optical zoom to get the best product images.
7. Try to Use Different Lenses
Don’t be afraid to use different types of lenses while taking pictures of your product photos. For example, we prefer to use 24-70mm f/2.8L camera lenses to achieve sharp and beautiful results. On the other hand, for closer portraits, we recommend the 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.8 camera lenses. The result is similar to how the human eye perceives images.
8. Edit the Product Photos
Editing fashion photos is necessary even if you use high-tech photography equipment and cameras. The simple editing process you can do is to change the background to black and white, crop the photo, and correct the colors. It includes resizing images according to the standards of the online store or marketplaces. If you can’t do it, consider seeking professional photo editing services for assistance.
9. Upload Your Product Photos
Log in to your online store or marketplaces where you want to sell the product. Ensure that the size of the product photos matches the standard of the marketplaces, social media platforms, or websites. It is an important consideration to keep the photo quality.
10. Support the Photos with Captivating Detail and Specification
Don’t forget to support the fashion photos with a complete specification and captivating caption. A beautiful fashion photo added with an attractive caption will boost potential customers’ intention to buy your product. It ensures that they get the fashion products they want from your online store.
Conclusion for Apparel Photography
Learning apparel photography takes time and energy, especially if you don’t have enough skills and knowledge about it. The process can be a long journey if you have just started your fashion store business. Sometimes, the photo results are also beyond your expectations.
Nowadays, you can use a fashion photo editing service or flat lay services, such as Dropicts, to get fast results and save your time. You can post the photos to your online store immediately and make money, and you can start to learn more about apparel photography when your business has become more stable.
The most important thing is that you have attractive fashion product photos to attract more potential customers to come to your store and purchase the products. We hope that the tips above can help you improve your fashion item photos before hiring a professional photographer.
Image Source:
