product images, corporate look versus real-life

[AffiliateDreamer]

Do you find taking product images by a professional photographer really pays off or does just a natural image taken by your average digital camerca bring a more "real" home grown trusted feel to your site?

I am leaning towards the personal touch (i.e. just a regular picture with a regular digital camera) on this one, what do you guys feel?

[jsinger]

What do you think works better, emulating the garage sale peddlers on ebay or striving for a quality department store catalog look? Whether you're selling "red carpet" gowns or septic tanks, good images sell.

Expensive professional photography will almost always outperform what most people do themselves with a digital camera. The photography one sees on ebay is invariably laughable. Many websites aren't much better. "Home grown" photography does not engender trust.

Problem is that good photography is expensive to farm out. If you're shooting the same sorts of products all the time (say, jewelry) you can learn to take acceptable pictures yourself with simple equipment. Still, getting it right is time consuming, and the photography and image editing takes practice to master.

No question that you should aim for a professional look. Cut costs by doing your own work. Learn to use editing software such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. Don't spend a fortune on a camera. Learn lighting. You can learn to take acceptable product photos.