Creating Still Life Photos for Social Media
Consumers are active on social media now more than ever, making it crucial for your store to maintain an active online presence. While your business is disrupted, it may seem like a difficult time to create content. However, there are many simple ways to get creative from home and strengthen your customer relationships and brand image through social media content. PGI USA offers tips and best practices for creating engaging social content with eye-catching product shots for social media.
Although consumers spend a lot of time scrolling through their social apps, there’s also an overwhelming amount of content to view. Curating interesting and attractive imagery is essential to standing out in a saturated landscape.
Avoid Plain Product Shots
Simple product photography on a white background is great for your Ecomm site, but can easily be overlooked on social.
Consider combining multiple pieces in one shot and playing with the layouts and angles. Keep in mind that odd numbers are usually most appealing, and you should experiment with non-centered shots while keeping the main product the image’s focus.
Props can also be very useful in creating an interesting composition. Look around your house! Try laying your jewelry on different fabrics and surfaces and utilizing household objects.
- Fabrics include suede, velvet, or a kitchen towel with a fun print.
- Surfaces such as a marble, a wood cutting board or a nice wooden table can make for a great image background.
- Objects found around the home like shoes, china, drinkware + accessories can help your photos tell a story.
No Camera? No Problem! If you don’t have a high-quality digital camera on hand, that doesn’t mean you can’t take beautiful product images! Today’s smartphones are capable of taking excellent photos – especially for social media. When you find a look that aligns with your brand, try to emulate these settings on your future photos to create a cohesive-looking social feed. Follow these recommendations:
- Natural light: Head to your closest window on a sunny day and capture the natural light. Even overcast days can produce great natural light.
- All hands on deck: If you have another person to model jewelry or a non-dominant hand available, take the opportunity to show off your jewelry on someone. Find a pose that feels natural and try out some light movement in a video. Don’t forget to lotion hands and clean up nails first!
- Camera settings: Be sure to play around with Portrait mode if you have that capability.
- Have fun: Experiment with various light options and shadows to see what you can create. If you find a look you like, try to emulate these settings with your future photos.
Sizing Recommendations
- Instagram and Facebook feed post (photo or video): 1080×1080 for a 1:1 ratio or 1080×1350 for a 4:5 ratio
- Instagram story (photo or video): 1080×1920 for the 9:16 ratio *try not to post too much larger, as Instagram may compress your file for display and lose quality.
- Facebook cover: the same photo will crop to 820×312 for desktop and 640×360 for mobile, so keep a safety zone in the middle of 640×312
- Pinterest: 1000×1500 for a 2:3 ratio, ideal to not cut off in people’s feeds
- Profile images: 1:1 ratios for Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, keeping in mind that the programs will crop the image to a circle
A light box is a great investment if you’re planning to take your own photos. The LED light contained within the reflective interior of the tent or box allows you to achieve a very high-quality look to your jewelry shots, even if they’re taken with a phone.
If you’re not able to get a light box, a plain piece of foam board can help create an environment with a horizon line and a wall/corner. For shots on yourself or another person, a ring light may also be a good investment.
Source: Platinum Guild International