The Shotfarm Monthly
by Rob Cardenas. Currently there is no across-the-board standard when it comes to naming product image files. This makes it incredibly difficult to determine at a glance what product your images relate to. Coming up with a consistent naming convention will not only save you time and frustration internally, but will make you a favorite Continue Reading…
by Rob Cardenas. I’m pretty sure Amazon knows what they’re doing. There’s no one who comes close to competing, so we think it’s a good idea to always keep an eye on their strategies and standards to see how they might apply to the rest of the eCommerce world. Just take a look at the Continue Reading…
Have you taken a good look at 360 spin photography lately? It’s a pretty compelling case. In a digital world where the holy grail is replicating the tactile in-store experience, spin photography arguably provides the most detailed visual product information possible. By giving consumers the ability to investigate every angle and feature of a product Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. I’ve written a few times about the importance of retail websites having great high-resolution product photography. It’s an extremely important piece of the puzzle and can be a great way for online retailers to differentiate themselves from their competition. Something I haven’t touched on is the similar importance of manufacturers’ product photography. Continue Reading…
by Sagar Chowdhury. In the past year and a half or so, I, and my fellow Shotfarmers, have occasionally shared our thoughts and tips regarding DIY product photography for small businesses, and we’ve led you to some hopefully helpful how-to articles published elsewhere in the Webverse. Well, late last June, I spotted an article in Continue Reading…
by Morgan Funke. The topic of color came up at the office the other day, and it reminded me of a time when I bought a jacket online but what came in the mail was a totally different shade from what I expected. I was only slightly irritated considering the jacket was heavily discounted (probably Continue Reading…
by Alisha O’Loughlin. As a user of your product, I can photograph and post and whatever I am feeling at the time. This dawned on my just the other day when I was making french toast on my new griddle. Six pieces of french toast, two for me and four for my husband, sizzling nicely Continue Reading…
by Alisha O’Loughlin As a retailer, you understand how important it is to provide that “in-store” experience to your online shoppers. It seems both 360 spin photography and video are moving online shopping in that direction. I met a very interesting woman, Colleen, at IRCE (Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition) a few weeks ago. She Continue Reading…
by Alisha O’Loughlin I have recently dedicated some time to research product photography. Quality high resolution images let potential customers see what the product looks like and can help them decided whether to buy. I am always preaching the importance of quality product photography so I want to provide some simple steps to make them Continue Reading…
By Shag Chowdhury I’m going to tell you the story of how I almost died as a result of poor product photography. So, a few weeks ago, I began training for a sport called Match Racing with the Chicago Match Race Center. Essentially, once I know what I’m doing, I’ll be working amongst a crew Continue Reading…
by Shag Chowdhury Last week, Shotfarmer Lee Syrjanen wrote about his trials in contacting key personnel from various manufacturers, to discuss centralizing “the image exchange portion of their business.” He articulated in detail about the difficulties of explaining that Shotfarm is a free service that gives great value, which some points of contact—if he could Continue Reading…
by Alisha O’Loughlin Did you know people actually purchase vehicles off the internet? What ever happened to that shopping experience where customers touch the product, feel its texture, smell that new car scent? I remember when I purchased my first car I went through that sucker with a fine tooth comb, inspecting every nook, interrogating Continue Reading…
A few months ago, in this blog, I wrote a piece about DIY product photography. I gave a few general tips about research, cameras, and other accessories that would be useful in getting your product photos to shine (without obnoxious glare) while YOU worked the shutter. And while I definitely felt good about highlighting camera Continue Reading…
Imagine you have a small business; a business that, due to limited budgets, is forced to do without hiring big-budget studio photographers, studio backdrops and, well, a studio, for your product photography. Or, alternatively, perhaps it’s not a small business, but in the current economic climate, your product photography budget has been reduced to less Continue Reading…
So, now that you’re easing out of your post-holiday lethargy and, let’s assume, running headlong into the first quarter with your e-commerce guns a-blazin’, I have to ask: did you make any new year’s resolutions? I don’t mean whether you’re giving up smoking or upping your reps at the gym or eating healthier or adding Continue Reading…
If you’ll think back to last month’s Grassroots Branding & Marketing blog entry, I wrote a few words about Viral Marketing; particularly, videos designed for the Web. I believe I wrote something to the effect of . . . thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars can (and have) been spent on online videos that Continue Reading…
Retailers know that the quality of their product images makes a difference but very few have actually tested to measure exactly what kind of difference they could expect (or, if they have, they certainly aren’t sharing that information with the rest of us!). Part of the problem in deciding whether to invest in product photography Continue Reading…
I finally figured out what to do with all this sittin’ around time! The other day I looked over at my shelf only to find a copy of Adobe just sitting there. I figured, “what the heck – maybe some of these folks could use some help with their images.” I loaded it up and Continue Reading…
On June 1, Nielsen Wire released the results of a survey it conducted among more than 4,200 people who had downloaded a mobile application during the month of May. Respondents were divided between smartphone users and “feature” phone users. The results were pretty interesting (though, personally, I’d like to see a survey of the 30 Continue Reading…
Unfortunately for Adobe and a diminishing legion of Flash developers, unless something drastically changes, Flash will likely spend more time on the sidelines in the coming years before being put out to pasture completely. But wait, you ask, why would Flash be put out to pasture?
We all know the importance of consistent branding, but what happens when you’re using manufacturer images and they all look different? One of the cleanest and easiest ways to maintain some semblance of consistency is to remove the backgrounds so that all of your images are outlined on white. This not only creates a uniform Continue Reading…
It doesn’t get more straightforward than this: your product photography absolutely must convey the essence of a product to your customer or they won’t be satisfied when it arrives in the mail. Custom photography shoots are expensive, but are hands down the most effective way to control how your products are perceived by consumers. Consider Continue Reading…
