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Ecommerce solutions for professional Photographers

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So you’re an amateur photographer with a modest budget, you just got sponsored by your local museum to take photos of the upcoming exhibit, and now after weeks of work you realize that your photos need professional retouching. The next step? Uploading them to an eCommerce website!

It’s not unusual for photographers to find themselves in this situation. Fortunately, there are plenty of quality eCommerce solutions for photographers already out there. There isn’t a single platform that will fit every photographer’s needs. But it’s worth taking a look at some of the big names in eCommerce photography if you want to make sure your up-and-coming career is on track come showtime.

Ecommerce Photography


Ecommerce photography is one of the more laid-back sub-industries in the photo industry. It’s great for hobbyists but you’ll want to be mindful of theme requirements that both clients and merchants set. “You have to be careful with this because some agents won’t want images that look like stock art on their website,” said Eric Eklund on his website, which he uses for his business as a commercial photographer. “They want images that look more professional.”

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Ecommerce themes tend to include a flat design aesthetic, which can work well with amateur photographers. The photos themselves will need to be straightforward and professional-looking. This means having all of your equipment neatly organized or stored off-camera. Make sure that you’re posing subjects in ways that are flattering, and that you’re making your subjects look their best.

One of the biggest pitfalls of eCommerce photography is action shots. While it’s tempting to take shots of models doing exciting things. These can come across as cheesy or tacky when presented out of context. A wing-suit model leaping off a cliff might be awesome. But putting it on an eCommerce site would make viewers think that your entire website is about jumping off cliffs with wingsuits. You’ll want to avoid the temptation to do awesome stuff in your shots if they’re for presentation on an eCommerce website.

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On the other end of the spectrum, you’ll want to make sure that your professional-looking photos don’t look too posed. A photo of a model standing next to a product with a nice smile is great for some eCommerce sites, but it’s not especially useful on some other kinds of websites. Make sure that you keep this in mind as you’re shooting images for eCommerce services.

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You’ll also want to remember that anyone can upload photos and tell people that they’re selling something. Even if the photos aren’t taken by them! To avoid getting into any legal trouble over the copyrighted property. You can use photo rights and licenses provided by big stock photography companies like Adobe Stock.

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A lot of eCommerce photography solutions are provided by stock photo agencies like Shutterstock, iStock, and Art.com. These sites will provide you with all of the basic tools for uploading your images. Browsing other photos in the marketplace, and finding new vendors to work with. You can also find free stock photography sites for photographers like Free Stock Photos or Deposit Photos. That allow you to upload photos without paying a single cent. These smaller websites are excellent if you’re looking to build up a portfolio without diving into an exclusive contract with a big agency.

If you’re in need of something more advanced than just uploading photos, you’ll want to look into eCommerce photography services.

Ecommerce Photography services

ECommerce Website – Facile Consulting Associates


The main benefit of working with a professional photographer for eCommerce photography. Is that they can be both more experienced and provide you with training on how to use the eCommerce solutions that they offer.

If you’re new to the world of photography. Or if you’re looking for a visual training course, an agency might be a good way to ease into the industry. In addition to providing access to its own eCommerce photo solutions – which can make your life much easier – agencies will provide guidance around how to upload photos and ensure that you’re ready for a successful career as a photographer.

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If you are just looking to have an online shop front for selling your photos. There are also agency-provided eCommerce solutions you can use. Agencies like ZOOM Media, which specializes in providing photographers. With services like printing and retouching, will give professional photographers access to a number of eCommerce solutions. These make it easier for agencies to set up shop fronts on their own websites. Without having to go through the work of setting up eCommerce photo solutions themselves.

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Other agencies might offer different services that you might find helpful. If you’re looking into working with an agency for eCommerce photo services. Be sure to ask about the kinds of things that they provide before hiring them. You don’t want to end up paying a lot of money for a complete service that doesn’t fit with what you need.

One thing you’ll want to keep in mind if you go the eCommerce photo service route is that your agency needs to be able to work with the platforms and solutions they provide. If you’re working with someone who only provides an eCommerce photo solution, ask them about their experience. They should be able to describe how they used solutions like Shopify or Volusion, and how it helped them grow their business.

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If you’re not sure that an agency is the best fit for you, it’s always a good idea to test them out. Put up a proof of concept website and see what your options are. They should be able to provide you with details on how much hosting might cost. If they do charge more than you’re looking for, try looking at other agencies in the same industry. Like ZOOM Media or Agoda might be able to provide better pricing options.

It’s also good to look around first before maybe joining an agency because some agencies aren’t as professional as others. Some of these agencies can be a scam and they may be more interested in getting paid. And not providing the service their customers need. So look around and try to find at least a few different options out there before joining an agency.

However, working with eCommerce photo agencies does come with one major drawback: commissions. Because eCommerce solutions need to get their cut from each sale that is made. You might end up paying them a percentage of each sale you make. This can get expensive if you’re trying to set up an online store to sell your photos for a living.

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Consider the alternatives

Setting up your own eCommerce photo solutions can be difficult. If you’re not working with an agency. You’ll want to make sure that the software you’re using is simple and easy to use. This is especially true if you’re not working with an agency and selling images for a living. The last thing you’ll want is to spend hours wrestling with eCommerce software.

You can also look into using a solution like Volusion or Shopify – both of which provide hosting. And shopping carts for business owners looking to sell products online. These solutions are easy to set up and use, but they’re often overpriced for what photographers need them for.

After you’ve tried out some of the solutions offered by stock photography websites and eCommerce agencies. You can decide if setting up your own photo site is really something you want to do. You can also compare prices and shop around to see if there are better options for you online.

Either way, it’s a good idea to get familiar with eCommerce solutions. And how they work before jumping into hosting your own store. That way, if somebody comes along and offers you a contract with an agency or eCommerce solution that’ll make your life easier, you’ll be ready to make the most of it.

Conclusion

Using eCommerce photography services through an agency can actually be a good thing. If you’re looking to drive traffic and sales to your products. However, for those photographers who want to sell their photos outright, it might be worth finding an option that’s more affordable and easier to use.

Get your own online store up and running with a full-blown eCommerce solution like Volusion or Shopify. And you’ll have more options available than you’ll know what to do with. With these kinds of solutions, all you’ll need is a bit of time and patience and you’ll see that your business will be able to grow as fast as you want it to.

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