The festive season can be make or break for small and large businesses alike, which is why you need to be regularly promoting your business and its products on your social channels. With the Black Friday/Cyber Monday lead up starting earlier in November, you will want a large bank of images on hand for your promotions, sales and offers to entice new customers. Smartphone photography is by far the easiest way to gather these shots, edit them on the go, and turn them into graphics for your social channels. So, here are our top tips for using your smartphone to promote your business this festive season.
Creating a design for your product shots
When it comes to product photography, creating a design for your shot is vital. You will want to tell the narrative of your product, describe its use and, most importantly, make it desirable. This is where thinking about the design of your shots can really help.
The setting for your shots
Think about creating a setting for your product. For example, if you sell jewellery created from natural material like gemstones or sea glass, you could describe the narrative of your product by incorporating other natural materials or taking the shots on location, such as a beach.
Creating a theme for your shots
You will also want to create a theme for your shot. This could be developed by the setting (urban street, country home, dinner party, children’s nursery etc), but the theme will also describe the feel of the product and its relation to the customer. For example, you could present your products on a neutral background, or use a vibrant complimentary colour. This will make your products eye-catching on a social feed while also describing the emotions of your product, like fun, peace, strength, or joy.
Using a flatlay (an image taken directly from above) can be great for creating dramatic themed shots using a structured layout. But, whatever shot you go for, remember that the presentation is key in conveying the product’s narrative and creating a professional finish.
Focusing on the details
Creating macro shots for your product photography can be great for showing off the details of more intricate items. For crisp and detailed shots, consider investing in a clip-on macro lens for your smartphone and a small tripod with a Bluetooth clicker, so you can set up and take your shot without the camera moving.
In-action shots
Some products are better described through their use, such as make-up, children’s toys, or kitchen tools. Think carefully about the setting when creating these images. You don’t want to overwhelm the shot with too much distraction in the background. But, on the other hand, you don’t want to understate the setting. If in doubt, go for a natural looking shot that focuses on the product rather than the surroundings.
Lighting
We can’t overstate how important lighting will be for your product shots. Natural lighting can work very well, but as we get toward the festive season, there isn’t an abundance of it. Instead, consider investing in a portable ring lamp that you can freely move around to create the best light and shadow.
Creating a collection of shots
It is often the case that creating a mix of images from the list above is the best way to thoroughly covey your product and its desirability. A collection of shots taken from different focal points, incorporating use and setting, as well as the intricate details, is the best way to convey your products online. This mixture of shots also works really well for Instagram carousel posts and Reels and as product photo collections on Facebook.
Creating graphics from your shots
A sometimes-overlooked consideration when creating social posts from your product images is how well they incorporate into a graphic. Around Black Friday sales and Christmas events, you will want to create more descriptive graphics that get right to the point for your customers.
Canva is probably the most well know free app where you can easily create a graphic from your image by incorporating text and images. You can also save templates on the app that will make it much quicker to produce promotional graphics on the go for all your social channels.
Think about how your smartphone images will be incorporated into a graphic. Perhaps you will need to create more space in your image to overlay text or you may need a close-up image or collection of micro shots that you can group into a graphic.
This sort of promotion is where a smartphone really comes into its own as it can be used for photography, storage for a large bank of images and as an editing tool through custom photo editing apps. It allows you to create and edit images and design graphics on the go while taking pictures pretty much anywhere.
Find out more
Calling Hertfordshire small businesses!
Jet will be running two Christmas Photography Masterclass at Village and Co. in Wheathampstead on Friday 17th November, 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.
Over the two hour session, you will learn how to use your smartphone camera to capture your Christmas products ready for your social posts. Bring your own products to shoot, enjoy complimentary refreshments and network with other local businesses.
Cost of the session is £95 and there’s only 10 places available.
Get in touch
If you would like to learn more about product photography or if you want one of our team to take some professional photos for you, get in touch. We can create a group or 1-to-1 masterclass for you and your team that is specifically designed for your business.