High-quality photos are a must for apparel e-commerce. As far as clothing is concerned, descriptions are not that effective in this niche. Customers should see a great picture to decide upon the purchase. Therefore, this type of product photography requires special attention.
Planning a photoshoot for a clothing brand
Though planning a photoshoot may seem to be a routine process, it is actually creative and inspiring. This stage is rather time-consuming, but it is necessary to make the photoshoot effective.
Why devise a plan for an apparel photoshoot:
A well-prepared clothing photoshoot helps to save time, avoid problems during the photoshoot, and get the product shots in time. This is how you can improve the visibility of the brand visuals and increase the sale volume.
It is considered that proper preparation is half of the matter. When the organization stage is done well, the process is smooth. It may seem unimportant, but, actually, this is an essential stage that determines the result and affects your sales directly. Therefore, a careful approach to this stage is important. So, what should one do to make good planning?
Devise a good concept for an unforgettable photo
You should devise a concept that can turn a hackneyed photo shot into an interesting photo. Looking for inspiration, try to answer the question: What can I do to vow my audience? Make people wonder! Follow their reaction when you show your pictures to understand how to create engaging content. Exclude indifferent attitudes to your activity with extraordinary and visually striking content.
Looking for an interesting concept for clothes photoshoots, consider the idea of floating clothes. Though it is often implemented by many photographers, the idea remains attractive to viewers. The idea is worth considering since floating product shots are currently trendy. You can easily find a tutorial on floating photography online and implement this concept with ease.
Find the best location for your product photoshoot.
Think of the right place to make your photos stand out. Sometimes the environment helps to create an impressive piece of art. It is possible to get visually inspiring product images in the park, for instance, when the day is beautiful. The outside environment can give an unforgettable vibe to your apparel photography.
Take into consideration that the location needs to work well with your products. Only then your shots will have a lasting impact on your audience. Put on ‘special glasses’ when you travel around town making notes when you spot a nice location. It can be a wall with unusual textures, a cool piece of architecture, or some atmospheric nook in the park. Even a busy street can become a good solution if you apply a blurring effect to the background.
Don’t forget to show an enjoyable atmosphere as clients prefer to see it in the photo. Also, the product should be presented in the best way possible in this environment. The combination of these factors can help to create unforgettable photos bringing a good result.
Develop a shots list
Consider the angles you are going to use when highlighting the details of your products and enter them into the list along with the SKU of the item and the number of product shots you want to get. You can show static garments or, on the contrary, the dynamics. There should be enough pictures on the product page to ensure good sales. At the same time, there shouldn’t be too many photos that show the same view. Professionals advise offering from 4 to 7 photos of a product. The product page with more than 12 photos looks spammy. The set of product shots should include details showing texture, for instance, that can help customers understand what the item feels like.
You should think of it to devise a good concept to present the clothing in a favorable light. Prepare looks in advance. You will, probably, need a stylist for the creation of outfit combinations for better visibility of the clothes you shoot. Actually, a stylist should be involved in all stages of a photoshoot for a better result. Make a shot list that enables working through each of the advertised garments with max efficiency.
Prepare the products
It is important to prepare your products for a photoshoot. They should be clean and new. If something is wrong, the items should be replaced or cleaned, ironed, steamed, etc. Make sure that all items are in perfect, presentable condition.
If you clean and steam garments, it will be able to save editing time afterward. Sometimes it is necessary to redo the whole shoot if you don’t prepare clothes properly. Hang items after ironing to avoid wrinkles on clothes. Check if there are no missing buttons and that all necessary garment accessories are in place.
Prepare props and equipment
If a shot list is developed by the other person, not by the photographer, share it with a photographer before the photoshoot as extra props, backgrounds, and equipment may be required. The shot list is like a checklist for you, so it’s necessary to rely on it as you prepare the pros and backgrounds methodically for a photoshoot.
The preparation stage hasn’t been conducted thoroughly. It is necessary to check and double-check the equipment you are going to use to make sure everything works properly. It is also essential to be sure that you have everything you need for a photoshoot, all the necessary props, and equipment.
Invite models
Marketers assure that customers tend to purchase more often when clothes are presented on models. Garments look better on a model than on any mannequin or just lying on the table. People associate themselves with models so it is easier for them to understand how clothes look in reality.
Tell models how to look, and what hairstyle is preferable. Clothes should be well-fitted to the model. Though tall models with ideal figures look beautiful, customers want to see how the garment sits on them, therefore, models with imperfections are also a good option for eCommerce photography.
Create a clear plan and stick to it to be successful. If you’ve done everything described above, you can get down to the second stage and implement these points.
Techniques used to capture the apparel in the best way
The photography process can be organized differently. Sometimes flat lay photography is used to showcase apparel. This type of photography is rather trendy now. The items are laid out on the surface of the table and shot from above. Sometimes text and extra graphics are added to the photo. It is very convenient, especially when you want to show how to combine clothing with accessories. All basic wardrobe items can be presented then. If the tailoring is standard, then the flat-lay style is the best option for a product photo. It helps customers to visualize the product themselves.
For more complicated tailoring, a ghost mannequin is more effective. This method of showcasing clothes helps to display 3D images. A ghost mannequin is great for the true-to-life vision of clothes. The front and back sides of the garment, shot from an eye-level, are combined in one photo. Such a way of presentation seems more true-to-life to customers, hence, more persuasive, therefore, such items are purchased more often.
Ghost mannequin photography is recommended for clothing featuring a tighter fit as it gives consumers a better understanding if the item fits them. If wrinkles are seen, this is not a problem as a garment looks natural then.
Symmetrical shots look better when symmetrical clothes are photographed. It works well due to its aesthetics and a good psychological feel in customers. When the shots are asymmetrical, people don’t feel comfortable looking at disorderly composition.
Wrong positioning can be corrected at the stage of editing. It is also possible to correct such aspects as exposure and consistency during this phase. Try to use photo editing to fix minor issues only. Resort to photo editing to improve the image and increase sales.
Technical details affecting the outcome
The stage of processing can make garment photos look better. It is recommended to use it in the following cases:
- Editing apparel photos can help to correct positioning mistakes, for instance, when removing positioning mistakes on flat lays or Ghost Mannequin pictures.
- Edit product shots to correct the exposure.
- Edit photos to make pictures more consistent. It is advised to present the series of shoots in the same style. It can be required to crop, level, and do other necessary editing to create similar-looking shots. It makes the product page neat, improves the image of your brand, increases sales, and helps merchants to look more trustworthy.
Tips for perfect garment photography
Don’t regret clicks as you shoot. Marketing professionals from eBay say each additional image added to the listing increases conversions by 2%. There should be enough product photos to remove all questions that can arise in a customer concerning the item. Shoot the product from all angles to cover each noteworthy detail and nuance created by fashion designers to make apparel stand out.
This is especially acute when a very expensive item is offered to consumers, for instance, when the price tag exceeds a thousand USD but is showcased with just a couple of pictures on the website. This is inappropriate to present it to consumers in this way.
- If you want your product shots to look professional, don’t neglect consistency. This is usually performed at the stage of processing. Consistency gives the impression of stability and credibility for the brand. Customers tend to be more loyal to such companies.
- The elements of storytelling in your photos can contribute to sales. It is possible to achieve this when adding a certain background to the photo. Integrating stylistics of the target audience helps to attain good results.
- The photo should be detailed, therefore the right size matters much. The photos should not be huge, but they should be large enough to enable zooming in. It shouldn’t be heavy as it affects the loading time. The imagery should vary from 1024×1024 on average but shouldn’t be more than 2400×2400 px. First of all, you should consider the requirements of the e-commerce platform.
- It is important to show the texture when you shoot clothing as this is an important detail. Customers should understand how the material feels to buy the right item.
- The pricing segment also matters for clothing photography. Expensive garments are usually presented with more attention to detail, therefore it is important to arrange a studio shot for them.
Shooting mass-market products, some merchants also want to show the details of their products so the photographer has to zoom in on them to meet the expectations and display a good quality of the product. At the same time, imagery should be true-to-life to avoid problems with customers and further returns of purchased apparel.
Lighting is important during the photoshoot as it can either make your picture or break it. However, there is no need to spend tons of money on professional lighting gear. In some cases, it is enough to have a window with natural light. Learn to work with a natural light that can help to attain perfect results. If you don’t have a good source of natural light, artificial lighting is needed such as a softbox or some other artificial lighting products.
Though this guide offers several useful clothing photography tips for merchants and fashion online store owners, DIY photography may not be the option for you. It can be a solution for small companies but not for serious players who plan to improve CTR and conversion rates of their businesses. Therefore, they need to apply to a professional photography studio for high-level photography that specializes in eCommerce product photography and guarantees perfect results to customers. Our photo studio is ready to deliver such professional assistance to you. Your customers will see flawless images that allow them to imagine how great they would look wearing the clothes of your brand.