When it comes to selling clothes online, the photos you display on your website or eCommerce store can either make or break the deal. The photos you showcase need to be taken properly, and they need to look realistic as well as professional for customers to decide to purchase the clothing from you. The competition in online fashion nowadays is fierce, so you need to do everything you can to be one step ahead of your competition. Keep reading to learn more about the top 5 tips for highly professional apparel photos.
To make great, high-quality apparel photos, you should first decide on how you want to display the clothing you sell. Then, you need to obtain and prepare the necessary equipment. You also need to prepare the clothing items and set up your studio. The last steps include taking photos, editing them a bit, and uploading them to your online store. When apparel photos look great, people are more likely to make a purchase.
- Decide on how you want to display clothing
There are a few plausible ways you can display clothing items in your online store. The first one includes using an invisible mannequin. Taking photos of clothing on a mannequin can give your potential customers a more realistic image of how the items look when worn. Online shoppers need to visualize how this item would look on them. It is easier to take photos in this way than to hire a model for each item. Additionally, for a more professional touch, you can remove the background later in editing. Another thing you can do is hire a model - however, keep in mind that it is a more expensive option.
The difference between a mannequin and a model is that a model can strike a unique pose to showcase your item in the best light. In that way, you can create an ideal in-context shot and share it across social media channels. Models give your clothing personality and create more of a brand. There is also flat-lay photography which works for some clothing items such as t-shirts and socks.
- Get and prepare the necessary equipment
As far as equipment for taking professional apparel photos is concerned, it doesn’t necessarily need to break the bank. Digital cameras are becoming more affordable, and phone cameras are better. However, you do need some kind of a camera, lighting equipment, a studio backdrop kit, a lighting trigger, a tripod, and of course, a model or a mannequin. Having a camera with great performance can really make your photos pop. You can buy either a digital camera or use it on your phone. When it comes to lighting is essential. You need light to make great photos where potential customers can really see all the details. A warm recommendation is to get a light kit that contains three lights so a three-point lighting setup can be set. It includes a key light, a fill light, and a back light. On the other hand, a backdrop is necessary for clean-looking images.
- Prepare your clothing items
When you have all your equipment set up, you can move to prepare your clothing items. It is key to taking great photos. Depending on the item you are shooting, there are a few things you should do. For starters, the item should be clean and wrinkle-free. Remember that the time you put in here decreases the time needed for editing later. Sometimes even the small details can make you redo the whole photoshoot. For example, if you sell wholesale jackets, sure that the jacket you should doesn’t have any stains or wrinkles, that all buttons are there, and that it is zipped to get the best shot. Try out a few poses and angles with a model.
- Set up your studio
Regardless of the fact whether you take photos in your store or at home, you should work on creating a little functional and practical studio. It can be any spare area, really. Start with setting up a backdrop, then lighting and camera. As we already mentioned, a three-point lighting setup will work best.
- Take photos, edit them and upload
Finally, you can start shooting. Take several photos and make sure that you check the ones you took to make sure it is at the right angle. In that way, you can notice if there are any irregularities. After you’ve finished shooting, the photos need to go through some editing to make sure they look perfect. Remember that during the editing phase, you are not supposed to make it look like something else. These should just be some final touches. And lastly, you can upload photos to your online store and start amazing online shoppers.
Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you create some amazing apparel photos which will make customers want to shop from you.