Would you know if you were using your product photos in the format they were made for?
All photos have an optimal use based on their image sizes and ratio. This blog will ensure your professional product photos are styled and captured for their intended use.
If you’re reading this blog you are probably interested in product photos, mage sizes and where they are best used and might think it’s as simple as having some nice photos and then adding them to your website or social media.
Whilst yes, we love, love, love when you proudly present your professional photos to the world, we also want you to utilise your photos in the best possible way.
If you’re working with a photographer to create or update your business’s branding photography and/or product photography, there is one really important question, ‘where do you intend to use your images?’
or
What will you be using the product images for?
To work this out you could ask yourself, where will I be using the photos? Ie website homepage? Website e-shop? social media? (It’s best to think about which social media platforms your brand has a presence on).
Did you know that depending on where the image will be used on your website or on which social media platform the photos will be used has an effect on how the photo is shot?
You might be thinking why do photographers need to know these details?
The answer is simple- How you intend to use the image determines how we capture and edit the photo.
For instance, if you decide you’ll use some photos in your e-shop, some on the website homepage and some on Instagram- these three areas require different styling and sometimes an entirely different orientation of either portrait or landscape.
Think the front cover of your website. This image would normally be landscape/panorama. The strategy used for these photos involves placing the product on the right-hand side, leaving room to add a logo or text on the left-hand side.
From a visual perspective, photographers are also taught about the psychology behind styling- like when humans look at an image, they usually view it from left to right so we want to ensure the customer’s eyes land on something appealing.
And when it comes to social media, all social media accounts have different ratios. This means all images need to be photographed for their intended use.
As an fyi you can check out the social media account ratios below:
Image Sizes and Ratios for Social Media Platforms
Instagram – the image is best in a cropped portrait (Image ratio – 1:1.25), Instagram Landscape (1.9:1) or square format (1:1) – You want to make sure the product is framed nicely within these dimensions.
Facebook (1.9:1)
Pinterest (2:3)
Twitter (1.77:1)
If this blog has you wondering what all the fuss is about and why a photographer would spend so much time perfecting ratios…. the answer has a lot to do with the final presentation of your images.
For instance, when a photo has been designed for your homepage it will not only work aesthetically but also work within the website platform (without frustration and hours of fiddling with sizing or orientation).
We not only want to make your life easier, we treat your business as though it was our own and we want every photo on every platform to be the very best fit it can possibly be.
For more blogs on Product Photography and Branding Photography browse the Client Resources page on the website.
Looking for product photography packages and pricing? You can say ‘Hi’ here
– Sarah
