E-commerce Photography: the less glamorous cousin of fashion photography
Although E-commerce photography forms a large part of what we do, it’s not something we focus on too much in our regular updates on our various channels simply because it’s not necessarily as interesting as the campaigns we shoot. You know it, and we know it. That being said, it’s easy to underestimate just how much goes into creating the perfect product photography, so it’s time we did a feature on this because it is something we really do excel in…
We’ve produced e-commerce photography for over 300 clients, with our images featured on sites such as Opumo, House of Fraser and Wolf & Badger, and to date have shot over 65,000 products. Each month we receive new client requests as a result of our clients’ recommendations, and we are a recommended studio by Trouva
Rory Gullan, director and lead photographer of Studio Rogue, has ten years’ experience in this field, and not just as a photographer. Rory led multiple studios across Europe for a leading online fashion platform, and during this time tested and implemented new workflows and processes for e-commerce photography, training studio heads and ultimately created higher quality product photography at a lower cost/product.
Since then, Rory has consulted for studio start-ups and spoken on a Q&A panel. With this background, Studio Rogue shoots many hundreds of products each month, and doesn’t just offer a standard “product photography” solution for our clients, but instead offers solutions tailor made to each client’s needs under the following definitions:
Model Product Photography
Products shot on Models either recognisable (with heads in) or unrecognisable
Ghost Mannequin (sometimes known as invisible mannequin) Photography
Products shot to give the shape of a body without seeing the mannequin
Styled Flat Product Photography
Products laid flat and shot from above - there are many variations to this style of photography
Table-Top Product Photography
Used for shooting accessories, jewellery, footwear and similar items
We’ve all seen these types of photography before, but there are some particular areas where we have found Studio Rogue stands apart as an E-commerce Photography Studio. By creating style guides for every client, we ensure that no matter how regularly or rarely a client needs to shoot their product photography with us, the look of their images is indistinguishable. That means, always consistently aligned, same background colour, same lighting. High quality images every. Single. Time.
Before product shots are viewed alone, they are generally displayed side-by-side on a web page and this means that any variation in colour or alignment is instantly noticeable, taking away from the product itself.
Note the images below for Solillas; the background alignment and colour, product base alignment and size, and lighting, are all completely consistent across the images. These images were shot over a period of two years.
This is similar when shooting products on models; even if we use a range of different models, the alignment ensures that potential customers can compare the fit or length of a product:
Ultimately, this is what it comes down to. E-commerce photography needs to create conversions that stick. Accurate, clear representations of products result in customers knowing what they’re looking at, and knowing what they expect to receive. The better this representation is, the less likely returns are. This is no secret; we know we’re not unveiling a huge discovery here, but these are principles which some easily overlook when product photography needs to be turned around to short deadlines.
So while E-commerce photography may not be glamorous, we sure make it look good. Get in touch today to grab a coffee and a chat at the studio, or view the E-commerce gallery on our site.