Although e-commerce does not owe you the "touch and feel" experience while shopping, it manages to offer you the illusion of the same with visual content. What makes buyers purchase online even if they can't touch and assess products' quality before paying for it? The answer is the visual representation of the products, or in other words, the photos of the products on the e-commerce stores.

A stunning product picture can earn your website a plethora of visits, so product photography is an integral part of your e-commerce strategy.

But what if you are starting from scratch and don't have sufficient funds to hire a professional photographer? Don't worry, because in this article you will learn tips and techniques for taking compelling photos of your products.

The essential equipment you will need

Since you are going to DIY product photography, you will have to purchase some essentials of photography. If you have a budget constraint, then feel free to buy pocket-friendly variants of the following items:

• Camera

You don't need a camera system for clicking pictures of your products; you can shoot photos with your smartphone. If you feel it is a good time to invest in a professional camera system, you can do so without hesitation. However, you can click pretty decent product pictures with your smartphone, provided you have the necessary knowledge. So, start with whatever camera you have and then see how the photos turn out.

• Tripod

To utilize your camera's maximum potential, you are going to need a tripod to place your camera. It ensures that your camera can deliver a sharp focus and an impressive shutter speed while clicking the photos. If you decide not to use a tripod, your camera might have a hard time holding the focus for too long, and as a result, the pictures might be blurry.

• White background

You must know that the most professional way to showcase your products virtually is by clicking the pictures in a white background. You can do this in plenty of ways, for instance, by pasting white cardboard in the background.

How to take million-dollar pictures for your e-commerce store?

Now that you have figured out the essentials for conducting the photoshoots, go through these smart hacks and start applying it from the next time onwards:

• Minimal edits only

When you are clicking the photos, your mindset should enhance it only by a few touch-ups. So don't click inferior pictures thinking that you can cover it up with unrealistic editing skills. If you are looking forward to editing your photos' background via editing, don't get into it as viewers might tag your photos to be fake and artificial. Don't be a lazy photographer, and try to capture the best shot while behind the lens to don't have to put umpteenth efforts into editing.

• Proper lighting

If you mess it up here, neither your products nor the background will look attractive enough to your eyes. Even if you shoot in a white background, the background might appear grey because of insufficient light in the photos. There are two types of light setups apt for product photography, natural lighting, and studio lighting. Depending on the kind of image you are showcasing and its purpose, you should choose the lighting setup. If you take photos of edibles and apparel indoors, you can place the product near the window to allow natural light to brighten it up. If you want to promote your products outside, go for it, but the right time to do it during the late afternoon or early morning when the sunrays are subtle.

However, if you are promoting household products like cookware or even artifacts, you might want to shoot them in a studio lighting setup indoors.

• Use props wisely

Yes, to decorate your products, you must place props here and there, but don't exaggerate it. The main focus of your every photo should be your product, so don't put any props which would catch all the attention. The wise decision would be to choose props relevant to your products on display and belong to the same color family.

• Product in context

You might be a pro in photographic and editing, but what if you send a wrong message via your product photo? Your action might be unintentional, but you can lose your customers if they cannot imagine themselves using it. For example, if your business revolves around home furniture and you click high-quality photos of a couch with a blank background. Do you think your customers will be appealed enough even to zoom in your product picture? Your ideal environment, in this case, should be a living room of a cozy home. Then only your customers will be able to visualize themselves on that couch, and they will feel confident by believing that your product will enhance their lives.

• Click photos from every angle.

Even if you are satisfied with the single masterpiece click you have taken, chances are your customers would not feel the same way. Your customers will ask for more because they cannot be content just looking at your product's front view! To win them over, you will have to display your work from various angles so that every inch of the product is visible in the shots. Also, you might want to take multiple images from the same angle to not think about redoing them during the final selection process.

Keep these tips in mind, and in no time, you will be a master in shooting professional product photos. If your product comprises extra details, don't hesitate to point them out in the images itself!