a (kickass) business owner's guide to product photography

three reasons why you might be reading this post:

1. you are, in fact, a kickass business owner who loves their brand. so much so, that you’re looking to use product photography to make your own products jump off of the screen and into someone’s life.
   

(if this sounds like you, congrats! you’re the reason pronto exists, and we’re happy to have you here.)

2. you have a passion for photography and are itching to get some basics under your belt.
   

(welcome, shutterbugs.)

3. you’re browsing the web out of mind-crippling boredom – or relentless curiosity – and have come across pronto by chance.
   

(in that case, browse away.)

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whatever your case may be, welcome to pronto’s guide to product photography (for kickass business owners).

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product photography: let’s get basic.

as a business owner, your mission is simple: to make your brand shine bright through online bling. aka get bangin’ product photos for your site, feed, and social that will stop people in their scrolls.

your challenge? you don’t have the time for all the bells and whistles that go into product photography because you’re too busy running a business (you little hustler, you).

that’s why pronto exists. and also why we’ve created this quick and dirty guide to product photography.

if you’re looking for a sign to start driving clicks and winning hearts with stand-out product photography, this is it.

so without further adieu...

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in short, when done right, product photography puts your product center stage.

when you have something for sale, the in the viewer’s experience with your product. and when your product is shot from all sides (angles, baby) it gives the viewer a comprehensive look at its size, features, and use cases.

the better a viewer understands your product, the more likely they are to purchase it.

remember, more often than not, it’s the images that drive sales of a product. in pronto terms: the more bangin’ your photos, the bigger the bang for your buck.

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got a type? so do we.

at pronto, we focus on two types of product photography:

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E-COMMERCE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

these are the product-centered photos that we talked about above.

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e-commerce photography is used on your own website, as well as on Amazon and Shopify.

(be sure to check out pronto's best practices toolkit for how to navigate product photography for these sites.)

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shots for e-commerce usually consist of a hero image (or main listing image) and supplementary images (or secondary listing images).

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your hero images are those that have a white or – if you’re feeling bold – coloured background and are used to display the product that’s being sold.

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your supplementary images are the photos that play up all those angles and show the viewer who your product truly is. these are the supporting actors and sidekicks that are just as worthy of taking center stage as your hero image.

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CREATIVE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

this is where we both get to have some fun. while your e-commerce product photography takes care of the showing, your creative product photography does the telling.

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these are the photos that make you do a double-take when scrolling through your social feeds, which is why we (respectfully) call them ‘digital eye-candy.’

to tell a brand’s story to the fullest, creative product photography brings in props, models, backgrounds, and environments to showcase the product in a different, more interactive light. creative product photography is meant to visually impress viewers and is used for advertising, branding, and selling.

meet pronto: your go-to product photography service.

as a business owner, we know you’re busy kicking ass and taking names. that’s why pronto makes it easy for you to get jaw-dropping, studio-quality product photos in a snap. the best part? you can do it all from your couch.

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see how simple our process really is or get shoot-spiration for your next product photography session. when you’re ready to book your shoot, we’re ready to get to work.

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