Gift Hamper Photography with Crowley’s of Suffolk

If your business exists in a crowded market and you’re looking to stand out, then let me be candid with you: Your commercial product photography is the key to getting noticed, securing sales, and carving out dominance. Oh, and talking about being candid, that’s exactly the kind of photography you need to drive those sales. Let me explain.

I recently had the pleasure of working with a client https://crowleysofsuffolk.com/ who create and sell wonderful gift hampers. They looked exquisite, and were full of treats and luxury items that were Simply delicious. I have to say that getting a few samples is one of the perks of being a commercial photographer.

Now, the truth is, there are no shortage of businesses selling hampers online, particularly now as people have taken the opportunity to launch their lockdown businesses.

So the real question is, how do you stand out from the crowd? No matter how amazing your hamper’s contents are, or how tasty those treats may be, how do you get all that to jump out of a smartphone screen, and make someone click ‘buy now’?

Regular readers will already know what my answer is going to be, but I want to explain what else I bring to the table when it comes to delivering stand-out commercial product photography. Because a lot of what I do takes place before I’ve even removed my camera from its case.

Setting the scene

Long before I became a pro photographer, I worked in interior design. I learned the importance of creating an atmosphere by understanding how objects could be placed, to provide a certain feel. Those skills have been Simply invaluable throughout my photography career. They’ve helped me create images that put thousands on the asking prices of houses. For my hamper client in particular, they were put to use in making the contents of those gift boxes look as tasty and tempting as they actually were in real life.

For me, it’s about finding that story. Setting up an image that engages an emotion. In this case, desire. An unwrapped treat here, a tantalising glimpse of soap there. The story those images tell really is all in the careful placement of the objects.

Capturing the story

When it comes to online selling, particularly of tactile or edible products, it’s easy to feel like you’re at a disadvantage. After all, in a shop, people would be free to handle things, smell them, envision how they would fit into their life, before making their buying choice.

However, I don’t believe that is necessarily a disadvantage. In a shop, people can also be dissuaded from buying, distracted by other shiny objects, and let’s face it, put off when they see the reality of the plastic wrapped product behind all the marketing.

Online, using professional product photography, you get to retain total control of how your product looks to your customer. You get to pose your items. And with the right natural light, and candid images, particularly if you get a few angles, you can invoke the customer’s own senses, and memories, to build desire. A great product image can make mouths water, generate longing, and draw that credit card out of their pocket.

It’s not magic, but it certainly feels like it, especially when sales start to rise.

Are you looking to stand out in a crowded marketplace? Speak to me today.