So, you want to know how to take pictures of clothes to sell them online faster?
Of course you do.
I am here to share all my tips and tricks to help you take better pictures, so that you can boost your sales by a gazillion times! (NOT guaranteed, but highly likely.)
In my 5 years of buying and reselling stuff for a profit, I have discovered quite a few tricks that have helped me get more sales.
One of those tricks is to take aesthetic photos that will make people want to buy the item immediately.
Just take a look at these photos, and tell me which of these jeans would you buy…
this:
or this:
Yeah, photos can make a huge difference.
Now, let’s see how you can start taking better photos as well.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Try different ways of taking pictures
2. Find tutorials on how to take better pictures with your phone
3. Try different lighting
4. Remove wrinkles, furs, and dust
5. Make your store look like a Pinterest page
6. Details, details!
7. Get a camera (and gear)
8. Make sure you have a good background
9. Take inspiration from others
CONCLUSION
1. Try different ways of taking pictures
There are tons of ways to take pictures of clothes.
Let’s say you’re selling a cute sweater. You can try different styles of photographing it:
Flatlay
Get a nice background to put on the ground (maybe a white rug, a curtain, or a blanket) and lay the sweater on it.
You can also combine an outfit to showcase a possible way of styling the sweater with other clothing. For example, try adding a pair of jeans, boots, and maybe a hat. (If you do that, however, don’t forget to clarify in the description that you’re only selling the sweater.)
Try snapping a few pictures and see if you like the result.
Hanger
Take lighting and background into consideration, and find a place to put a hanger. Hang your sweater on it, and snap some photos.
Mannequin
This requires you to make an investment and buy a mannequin. (Duh!)
Showcasing your sweater on a mannequin can make it easier to attract buyers, so it might be something worth considering. I still suggest that you only buy a mannequin once you’ve already sold some items.
Model
By ‘model’ I mean a person wearing the sweater. This could be you yourself, your friend, your mother, or anyone you find that’s willing to help you in your hustle of getting more sales.
The easiest ways to take pictures of yourself wearing the sweater is to take mirror selfies or to buy a tripod and set a timer on your phone camera.
If you two pairs of hands, you can take some photos in a scenic spot (maybe a busy street, or a nice beach).
2. Find tutorials on how to take better pictures with your phone
When I started out selling clothes online, I was taking pictures on the basic camera mode and didn’t even bother to adjust the settings, or apply any filters.
This resulted in mediocre photos that didn’t really stand out in any way.
Now, I still take photos with my phone, but I’ve started using an app that lets me regulate a wider range of camera settings (like exposure and ISO), and also editing my pictures after taking them in order to make them look even better.
I highly recommend learning to take good pictures with your phone, because not only will you be able to take better pictures of clothes (for free!), you’ll also learn some new techniques and tricks that you can show off to your friends and family!
So, here are some resources that will help you become a phone photography pro:
- Video: photo hacks to sell clothes online.
- Video: how to take good pictures for your clothing brand.
3. Try different lighting
To use or not to use artificial lighting?
That is the question.
My advice is to, again, experiment!
There’s no rule about lighting that determines whether a store gets a lot of sales or not – some stores do well with natural lighting, some do well with artificial lighting.
Tip! The type of clothes you’re selling can also give you an idea on what lighting to use – for example, if you sell vintage or handmade clothing, you might want warmer, natural lighting. If you’re selling some punk or gothic clothing, you may want a colder lighting.
Just see what suits you.
Do you constantly have rainy days and a short time of daylight? Artificial lighting may be better.
You don’t want to invest in lighting gear, and the lighting you already have at home isn’t suitable for product photography? Embrace the sun!
4. Remove wrinkles, furs, and dust
Ok, this should go without saying, but…
Make sure your clothes look good before you start taking your pictures!
If your clothes are wrinkled or have fur on them, nobody is going to want to buy them.
It’s much easier to iron your clothes properly before taking photos than having to go through the struggle of listing multiple times.
5. Make your store look like a Pinterest page
I’ve found that online clothes stores that have a consistent and appealing look throughout their listings tend to be doing better and get more sales.
Take these stores for example:
They both have that aesthetic Pinterest vibe to them, don’t they?
And there’s no reason why you can’t do the same!
If you find a great way of taking pictures, stick to it, and you’ll be on your way to an aesthetically pleasing store (and more sales!) in no time.
6. Details, details!
Does your item have something unique about it, such as an interesting pattern on the lining or some cool vintage buttons?
Then be sure to snap a picture of the extra qualities and pretty details!
Anything that would make the item more attractive to the buyer is a big yes.
And, if there are any flaws (maybe there’s a stain or a hole somewhere, or the fabric is a bit damaged) then you’ve definitely got to take pictures of those, too.
Otherwise, the buyer might want to return the item. And we don’t want to deal with that, do we?
Yeah, in conclusion, just remember that it’s better to have more photos on your listing rather than too few.
7. Get a camera (and gear)
Well, well, well.
Your business is doing well and you want to take it to the next level, I see.
A good camera along with some photography gear will definitely help you do just that.
Most phone cameras are good enough to take decent pictures of clothes, but there is still a damn big difference in good VS great.
So, in order to start taking even better photos, you might want to opt for some of the things in this list:
- a camera
- a tripod
- lighting and background
Psst! If you want to keep taking pictures with your phone, a tripod will still help you out!
8. Make sure you have a good background
Your background has to look good.
Mostly, a ‘good background’ means a solid lighter background without (or with minimal) patterns.
When searching for a background, feel free to get creative!
A good background can be anything like a white wall, or a light-colored rug, or a curtain you can pull over a shelf.
9. Take inspiration from others
Finally, my favorite tip of all – taking inspiration from others who are doing better than you.
You can find out what makes your competitors stand out just by visiting their store and looking around their items.
You can see how they’re taking their pictures, and incorporate some of those ideas to find your own way of taking better photos.
So, head over to Depop or Pinterest, find some accounts with awesome-looking pictures, and take inspiration!
CONCLUSION
That’s it, friend.
My top 9 tips on how to take pictures for selling clothes online.
I really hope that this post helped you and, at the very least, gave you some ideas on what you could try to improve.
If you have any tips of your own that you’d like to share, comment down below!
Till we meet again!