In today’s fast-paced digital world, first impressions matter more than ever. As soon as we hop online, we’re bombarded with content left and right. Whether on social media or Google, everyone’s vying for our attention. Some just want to entertain us, while others are trying to increase sales for retail businesses.

What does this mean for you and your business? Well, you’ve got to fight for attention too.

You need to put your best foot forward at all times. Because when someone’s scrolling through their feed, you have a split second of their attention to draw them in and get them curious about what you’re offering.

When it comes to your boutique business, your website is often the first place potential customers “meet” you.

And what’s the most powerful way to grab their attention and convince them to spend their money with you? You guessed it – it’s all about the photos.

This blog post will outline what constitutes great website photography and why it’s crucial for boutique businesses. We’ll also give you practical tips to start implementing right away.

What Qualifies as High-Quality Website Photography?

Many small business owners believe that for photography to be effective, it just has to “look good”. 

But what does high-quality website photography mean?

Of course, it’s true that any photograph used for marketing purposes should look good, but that’s just the baseline. If you’re selling a product or service, there’s so much more to consider when capturing and choosing the photos that will represent your products.

Custom Photography can increase sales for your boutique

Let’s start with the single most important factor – your photos must be completely unique to your products and business. This means no stock photos or generic product shots. 

We live in a world where stock photography is associated with scammers and low quality products. As much as 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they support and want to spend their money with. And I can’t think of anything less authentic than stock photography with paid models, fake backgrounds, and unnatural lighting.

If you think you can trick customers by slipping a few stock photos in the mix, think again. People are so used to seeing generic, boring stock images that they can spot them from a mile away.

Your boutique business is unique, and you want to ensure that your customers see that uniqueness shine through in your photography. Custom photos allow you to showcase your brand’s personality, create a deeper connection with potential customers, and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Consistency within your brand is another way to attract more customers

Consistency!! Consistency!! Consistency!! An integral part of a strong foundation for your business is that your brand identity is consistent and spread among various platforms. Your photos should embody the missions and aesthetic of the brand you are trying to establish. This is another major reason why stock photography does not work. 

Every business has a distinctive brand aesthetic, including color scheme, typography, and overall style. For example, a minimalist clothing boutique will likely have a crisp, monochromatic color palette. Stock photos bursting with every color under the rainbow would look totally out of place.

Your photos should reflect this brand identity to maintain consistency and strengthen brand recognition. As your brand recognition increases, so does the trust of potential customers. Using photos that clash with your branding will send mixed messages to potential customers.

Learn how The Social Club can help you always have the content you need to promote your business.

Attention-Grabbing Photos Drive Conversions and Increase Sales

Now, this one’s a no-brainer, but many people misunderstand what it means. Attention-grabbing doesn’t always mean jamming a bunch of bright colors and flashy graphics into your photos. (Unless that’s your brand, of course!)

Instead, it means using visually interesting elements to draw in potential customers and make them stop scrolling through their feeds. The power of unique compositions, lighting, and angles in making a photo stand out is huge.

For example, a clothing store might have their models pose unconventionally, or a coffee shop might use creative drinks in their photos. It’s all about finding something special that makes people say, “Oh, what’s that?”

The goal is to catch the viewer’s eye without being overly gimmicky.

Accurate Representation of Product is Important to Build Trust with Your Customers

Finally, it’s crucial not to sacrifice accuracy for aesthetics when it comes to product photography.

It might be tempting to cheat a little by using filters or heavy editing to make your products look better, but this can backfire if the end result is not an accurate representation of what customers will receive. You never want to misrepresent your products as this can lead to negative reviews and a loss of trust in your brand.

Show off those details honey in the best way possible!

Now, that’s not to say you should completely eliminate post-processing, but it does mean that you should use it sparingly and in a way that enhances the product rather than disguises it.

Take a nail salon, for example. Customers value the specific color they want, so if you play too much with color saturation in the photo, they might be disappointed when they see the final result.

Why Investing in Website Photography Increases Sales for Your Retail Store

Did you know that 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos to make purchasing decisions? That’s huge!

Think about your own online shopping habits. Don’t you scroll through the images before adding them to your cart? If they’re blurry, poorly lit, or just plain boring, are you going to click through to learn more? Probably not. But if the photos are stunning and showcase your products in the best possible light, you’re much more likely to be intrigued.

The advantages of professional custom photography are many. Let’s break them down:

Increase Your ROI with Photos that Double as Social Media Content

As a business owner, you know that a strong social media presence is imperative. But constantly creating new content can be exhausting. Product photography is like hitting two birds with one stone. Yes, you use these photos on your website, but they’re also perfect for sharing on social media. This allows for the consistency mentioned above that you can spread over your various business accounts on different social media platforms.

The repurposed content can be used as is or edited to fit different platforms and their specific requirements. For example, you might resize a photo or add text overlays for Instagram.

Think about where you can connect with your audience! The caption of your posts is a great opportunity to say something that outside of the product description. While the website focuses on the product description of fabric and fit, the caption is an opportunity for you to suggest ways to style the product or where to wear it. You can keep these captions short and sweet, but friendly and engagement driven!

Did you know that high quality images can increase conversions?

High-quality product pictures have a 94% higher conversion rate compared to low-quality pictures. That’s a staggering number and one that should not be taken lightly.

Customers have a higher level of trust in businesses that showcase their products professionally. If you don’t care enough to invest in your products, why should they?

Finally, high-quality product photography can make a customer feel confident in what they buy. They can see exactly what they’re getting, which makes them more likely to hit that “Buy Now” button.

High Quality Photos Lead to an Enhanced Brand Reputation

As we mentioned in the previous section, high-quality product photography is in line with your brand.

When done right, customers will know that a photo comes from your brand, even if they came across it on social media or a blog. This consistency in imagery helps build brand recognition and trust. That can increase brand loyalty as customers feel more connected to your brand.

In short, professional-looking photos just make your business seem more reputable and trustworthy. It says you have invested in your brand and are committed to providing quality products.

Say More With Less When You Use On-Brand Photography

One benefit of product photography is conveying significant details in a single image. A good photo can showcase intricate textures, special features, sizing comparisons, and more at a glance.

This saves customers time from clicking through multiple images and deciphering dense blocks of text. It also allows you to highlight unique selling points they may overlook while browsing in-store.

Let your products speak for themselves through stellar visual storytelling.

Improved SEO … In other words, help them find you!

Finally, investing in photography improves your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). If you have high-quality pictures, they entice the viewer to stay on the page. The longer a user stays on your page, the more search engines recognize it as valuable and relevant to the user. Ergo, you go up in the rankings.

Plus, optimizing your images with alt text and metadata helps search engines better index and rank your site. It also makes your content more accessible for those with visual impairments – expanding your potential reach.

Not to mention, you gain backlinks when others share your photos with proper attribution. More referral traffic equals better SEO.

4 Tips to Take Better Photos for Your Boutique’s Shopify Site

With that in mind, you might already have one or two ideas for unique and on-brand product photography.

But even the best ideas don’t mean much without proper execution. When the time comes to snap that perfect shot, here are four tips to keep in mind:

How to Take Better Photos Tip #1: Understand Lighting

If you know the basics of how a camera works, you know how vital light is for a good photo. Good lighting can make the difference between a dull and flat photo and one that captures all the details and textures of your product.

Different lighting conditions can create different moods and effects, so experiment with natural light, artificial light, and even diffused light. A simple tip to improve lighting is to use a reflector or white foam board to bounce light onto the product from different angles.

Remember that the distance from the light source can also make a big difference in the overall look of your photo, so it’s important to adjust accordingly. Play around with it and see what works best for your products!

How to Take Better Photos Tip #2: Play With Composition

Composition sounds like a fancy photography term for pros, but it’s quite simple in reality. It is simply the arrangement of the elements in your photo.

So, let’s say you are taking a photo of the contents inside a beauty gift bag. Spread on a table are various beauty products like lipstick, eyeshadow palette and blush. Taking a picture of everything lined up would be disinteresting to look at.

Instead, you can play with composition by arranging the products, using different levels and angles to create depth and add visual interest. For example, bringing some products closer to the camera while others are placed further away creates a sense of depth in the photo. You can experiment with different angles and perspectives, such as shooting from above or at a low angle.

You can also use props like flowers or other complementary items to add some extra visual interest and enhance the photo’s overall composition. Just be sure these props don’t steal the show from your actual products!

How to Take Better Photos Tip #3: I’ll say it again…Stay Consistent

Remember that your brand guidelines should always define the aesthetic of your product photos. Staying consistent doesn’t mean you should copy old photos you’ve taken. Instead, use the same guidelines and techniques to create a cohesive look for your product photos.

So, if photos of your staff are all profile and angled, you might want to keep that going for any new hires as well.

It’s also important to stay consistent in terms of lighting, background, and editing style, especially if the photos will be seen in rapid succession. For instance, all the images in a gallery or carousel on your product page must have a cohesive look and feel.

How to Take Better Photos Tip #4: The importance of Post-Production

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of post-production in creating stunning product photos. Post-production involves editing the images to enhance their overall quality and aesthetic.

Here are some things you can edit with software:

• Lighting
• Contrast
• Color balance
• Sharpness
• Cropping
• Exposure

Post-production is an important step in creating a professional look for your product photos. It can also help to remove small imperfections or blemishes, resulting in a more polished final image.

However, remember what we said about staying true to the product and not over-editing. Your goal is to enhance, not completely change, your product’s appearance.

Trust Focus Creative for Your Website Photography

As you can imagine, it’s no easy task to nail all these elements every time. There’s a lot to consider and if you’re already busy running a business, you might not have the time or interest to take up the responsibility of product photography.

The fact of the matter is that photography is an art. Photographers spend years honing their craft, It takes time, practice, and a keen eye to consistently produce high-quality images.

If you don’t have that kind of time, we would love to connect with you on how our team of experienced photographers can bring your brand mission and aesthetic to life with our approach to custom product photography!

Don’t settle for mediocre product photos when you can have stunning images for your website that will gain customer trust and loyalty! Let us help you give your products the spotlight they deserve!