When it comes to taking product photographs for ecommerce catalog listings, the first thing that comes to mind is to hire a professional photographer or studio.
While it might sound like a wise choice, that's not always the case. This is especially true for small sellers who don't have the necessary budgets to hire professionals.
This is when do-it-yourself (DIY) product photography comes to the rescue. DIY photography offers a cost-effective and easy alternative to professional photography services.
But people usually have a lot of misconceptions about DIY photography. Today we’ll debunk 5 of the most common myths around DIY product photography. We'll also touch on how you can get started on your DIY product photography journey.
So, let's begin.
5 common myths about DIY product photography
Let’s look at 5 of the most common myths often held about DIY product photography:
Myth 1: Great photos require expensive equipment
Reality
Budget-friendly photography doesn't necessarily mean bad photography.
While expensive equipment helps, it's not necessary. The kind of difference you'll notice in upgrading from a $500 to a $2000 camera would be minor. Although the performance of a $2000 camera would be better, but that alone doesn’t ensure that the overall photo will be good.
On the other hand, you can get better photos by adopting different strategies or by learning new techniques.
Moreover, the equipment can only help you up to some extent. The key difference comes because of your knowledge about your product and how best you can highlight its USP.
The tools do not matter as much as people assume.
Myth 2: Learning to use a camera would take too long
Reality
There's no doubt that photography can be a broad discipline and learning it from scratch may seem overwhelming.
To become an expert, it might take anywhere between 3 to 6 months.
However, the good news is that most people do not need to become experts to get decent product photographs.
One can leverage a number of available resources like YouTube tutorials, online courses, and in-person workshops to dramatically cut down the time taken to learn the basics of product photography.
There are people who can teach you to get decent-quality product photographs in a matter of hours. And being an online seller, you don't need to be an expert. If you can take product photos that are aesthetically pleasing, that alone serves your purpose.
Moreover, the evolution of smartphone photography means that you can take great product photos with minimal effort using your default smartphone camera.
Myth 3: DIY photos aren’t as good as professional ones
Reality
This is a common myth that DIY photos cannot be compared to professional ones. Paying for photos doesn't automatically mean they would be better.
Using a DIY approach comes with its own set of benefits that often make it an attractive proposition. In DIY product photography, you have complete creative control over how your images would look.
And being a brand owner, you understand your product better than any photographer can. That serves as a huge advantage.
Another benefit of DIY product photography is that it helps bring authenticity to the images. Since you own your photos, you can easily let your unique brand personality shine through. Having an authentic voice is a priceless advantage you can have over other brands.
Myth 4: Product images need to be absolutely perfect
Reality
You shouldn't let your obsession with perfection stop you from sharing your product images with your audience. It's better to complete it imperfectly than wait for another day, week, month, or year.
You will always find something that could be improved or changed for creating better photos. So, it's better to focus on taking product photos and updating them as needed.
It's always better to have a starting point and improve your images than not start at all.
Myth 5: You need a creative eye to take good photos
Reality
Having a creative eye for photography is a common argument. People assume they don't have an eye for photography and hence they can't be good at it.
However, it's just a myth. People aren't born with photography skills. They learn them with practice and by learning basic techniques. You can do that as well.
Begin by understanding and following the basic principles of photography. The creativity comes later. Understand what kind of lighting to use for illuminating the product, choose the right environment, finalize the set of props, and then take the photograph. That's it.
The first step is to create basic product images that you can be proud of.
How to do a DIY product photoshoot at home?
We hope by debunking these myths we would have encouraged you to pick up your camera and start taking your product images. Once you decide to get on the DIY photography bandwagon, the next step is to begin shooting. Let’s look at how you can begin your DIY photography journey.
First, let’s discuss the equipment you’d need.
A. Equipment needed
You need the following items to begin with DIY product photography -
- Camera - Either a simple DSLR or smartphone
- Tripod stand - To avoid taking blurry pictures
- White background - Either choose a white paper sweep or a white curtain
- Foam board - To help reflect light
- Table - A standard folding table would do
- Tape or clamps - To secure the white background
- A room with sufficient lighting
B. Steps to complete a DIY photoshoot
Step 1 - Set up your table and start preparing the shooting area. Place the table close to the window but avoid direct harsh sunlight
Step 2 - Set up your background. This can be done by using a white sheet of paper and fixing it on the wall using either tape or clamps
Step 3 - Place your product in the center. Finalize the positioning of the product
Step 4 - Adjust your camera and alter settings like white balance, flash, ISO, exposure, etc. Or simply choose auto settings in your smartphone camera
Step 5 - Use foam board or other reflectors to modify light
Step 6 - Take the photo
Step 7 - Use post-production software like Adobe Lightroom to edit images
Step 8 - Optimize images for your website or ecommerce store
An easier way to do product photos from your phone
Here we not only debunked the myths around DIY product photography but also guided you on how you can complete a DIY product photoshoot at home.
But what if we told you there was an easier way to get high-quality product images at home without spending a fortune on professional photographers? You can avoid the hassle of doing it all by yourself by using an app called DoMyShoot.
DoMyShoot is a user-friendly ecommerce product photography app that allows online sellers like you to get high-quality product photos in a matter of hours as opposed to days and weeks.
The app offers a simplified solution for online sellers. You don’t need to be a pro to use it because it comes with in-app guides that are easy to follow. It also has a back-end platform that automatically edits the images to optimize them for your website.
You can use this app to take product photos and the app will take care of the rest. It will automatically…
- Remove image backgrounds
- Enhance image quality
- Suggest attractive image backdrops
DoMyShoot offers a reliable alternative for creating high-quality product photos in no time. This AI-powered solution also powers large-scale visual creation.
If this interests you, get in touch with us. We’ll help you figure out how DoMyShoot can simplify your product photography workflow.
