Your Pet Product Photography Holiday Shot List
Did you know that 92% of millennials who own pets buy gifts for their pets? Millennials are also twice as likely to purchase pet clothes and accessories in comparison to older generations. *1
The pet industry is a booming market. Think toys, food, CBD, clothing, coat softeners, treats, specialty leashes, and beds. The list goes on and on as the variety of products continues to expand. What better way to promote your pet brand than during the holiday season?
In this article, we’ll discuss a potential shot list, ideal content, and how to stay seasonally relevant.
How holiday-specific photos entice buyers
The holiday season can be one of the most opportunistic times of the year in the world of ecommerce. Your business should shine among the various other companies vying for attention. The global pet care and product market size was valued at over $150 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow annually at a rate of 5.1%. *2
Holiday and season content is a quick win to push consumers towards purchasing. By developing a seasonal content calendar you can plan accordingly to drive customers to your website.
So, how can you implement holiday imagery to stay seasonally relevant? Swap out your website header to reflect any promotions, sales, or bundles. From BFCM through New Years, you’re going to want your ecommerce store, marketplace listings, social media presence, etc. to all reflect holiday content!
This year, buyers have been going through longer buying cycles. We’re in the thick of holiday promotions now, but as you're thinking ahead to the 2023 holidays (it comes up quicker than you think!) you’re going to want to start posting 4-6 weeks ahead of time.
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Living your best lifestyle
Lifestyle photography is geared towards presenting an image of your product or service as it would be used during everyday life. Lifestyle photos can help your audience imagine what it would be like to use your products themselves. Well, what it would be like for their pets to use your products 😋.
Plan your lifestyle shoot
Before you jump in and just start shooting, you need to create a shot list. This will help you keep things organized and allow your creative team to be efficient with time during your actual photo shoot.
Sure, you can use your smartphone’s camera, but there’s still so much more than just the camera. Extra equipment that can help you produce stunning visuals are diffusers, ring lights, tripods, and various lenses. Not to mention props to set the scene!
Why do you HAVE to use actual pet models?
So you’re probably saying to yourself, “‘I have a cat, she’s calm enough. She’ll pose for photos or ‘I can use my friend’s dog, he’s a golden retriever.’” This might be true, but have you ever tried getting your animal to behave when you need them to?
Using actual pet models will take a lot of the hassle out of your shoot. Pet models are trained to interact with your products in a playful yet professional manner. And, they show up groomed! This is the ultimate solution to showing how amazing your pet products are. You’ll enjoy the photos, and our pet models will enjoy the interactions. It’s a win-win!
Location location location
It should go without saying that you want your product to have broad appeal to your target demographic. Lifestyle photography aims to show how your product can be used in everyday life.
Are you selling a new type of dog frisbee? Then choose an outdoor area like a local park or a large backyard to shoot in. Trying to sell a new type of cat tower? Try a living room setup! Anything that looks like a home or a natural environment will make your product look like it belongs there.
Make a list of multiple locations for your photoshoot. It’s always better to have more choices when you’re editing. Also, more locations and photos will give you extra variety and options to use for your various other ecommerce channels.
Holiday Pet Product Sales
The holidays bring out some pretty adorable pet products. 70% of pet owners purchase gifts for their pets during the holidays 🐶🐱. *3
As we mentioned before, the variety of products is pretty astounding. And it’s not just relegated to Christmas either. Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July all have their own little pet product niches that continue to grow year after year.
We are creative professionals here at soona. Below are some of our favorite shots to make sure you include in your shot list. Pro tip: we’ve seen these boost sales!
The Solo Shot
This is the first step to getting a cohesive product lineup. Each product that you offer should have at least one photo front and center on a white seamless backdrop. Think of this as your hero shot. A clear image that shows your label. After that, get all the angles on a seamless backdrop. Show your product with its packaging. The ingredients. The contents. These types of shots supplement what people would see in a store, for example.
To supplement these staple images, you can incorporate solo product shots with props. Pet models. Hand models. The list goes on and on. We want to show your products as they are and in real-life scenarios to give your customers a full picture (no pun intended) of what they are purchasing.
The Full Product Line or Group Shot
This type of shot works great if you’ve got a multitude of pet products on offer. For instance, if you have a new type of all-natural pet shampoo and conditioner. Maybe you have paw balm. an edible coat enhancer. a brush. Be sure to include a full product line-up to upsell your brand before checkout. These types of photos also work well on social media!
Line up your products with your shorter products in front and your taller ones in the back. Feel free to use stands to prop them up and fill out the shot. A wooden stand, blocks, or clear plastic are the typical go-to's.
Pick a background that will make your products stand out. If your product packaging is smooth, go with a textured background like wood or brick. If your products have a bit more grit to their surfaces, go ahead and choose a seamless backdrop. Regardless of the backdrop you choose, make sure it enhances your products. Play with colors to bring out your branding. Create faux lifestyle scenes if you aren’t able to shoot in a true lifestyle setting. It’s time to get creative because the more asset options you have, the better!
Overhead shots are a great option to change up the angles. Place your product line in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. This can work beautifully on an all-white marble surface.
Pair your products with appropriate holiday props to snag those holiday sales numbers. Presents, bows, and ornaments for Christmas. Candy corn, jack-o-lanterns, and trick-or-treat bags for Halloween. Decorative eggs, baskets, and carrots for Easter. You get the idea.
Get the Details
We mentioned detailed shots above. These are essential to capturing the angles, textures, features, etc. of your products. Typically, detail shots involve zooming in close on your product. We suggest using a white backdrop to keep it clean and consistent for your website PDPs. Change it up for social media by bringing in your brand colors on a seamless backdrop to make your product pop!
Create a carousel of detailed shots to help supplement that hero shot you’ve already created. You’ll want to make sure there’s as little shadow as possible. There are a few different ways to achieve this lighting style, but your best bet is to use overhead and side lights to create that consistent brightness. Investing in a couple of macro lenses, or even a 24-70mm zoom lens can help you with this type of photography.
If you need help…
Product photography can be complicated. We take the complication out and bring simplicity in.
At soona, we will help your products shine with high-resolution photos, inventive props, and a lot of love and attention. We have the backgrounds that dazzle and the lenses that capture all the best angles of your products. We are creative professionals that will produce high-quality photos for your products. Once you complete your shoot, your photos are edited and delivered within 24 hours of that purchase.
Visit soona.co to build your own product photo shoot or check out our Pet Product Starter Pack! It is the easiest and fastest way to get all your pet product photos completed in time for the holidays.
Sources
2* https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-care-market
Your Pet Product Photography Holiday Shot List
Did you know that 92% of millennials who own pets buy gifts for their pets? Millennials are also twice as likely to purchase pet clothes and accessories in comparison to older generations. *1
The pet industry is a booming market. Think toys, food, CBD, clothing, coat softeners, treats, specialty leashes, and beds. The list goes on and on as the variety of products continues to expand. What better way to promote your pet brand than during the holiday season?
In this article, we’ll discuss a potential shot list, ideal content, and how to stay seasonally relevant.
How holiday-specific photos entice buyers
The holiday season can be one of the most opportunistic times of the year in the world of ecommerce. Your business should shine among the various other companies vying for attention. The global pet care and product market size was valued at over $150 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow annually at a rate of 5.1%. *2
Holiday and season content is a quick win to push consumers towards purchasing. By developing a seasonal content calendar you can plan accordingly to drive customers to your website.
So, how can you implement holiday imagery to stay seasonally relevant? Swap out your website header to reflect any promotions, sales, or bundles. From BFCM through New Years, you’re going to want your ecommerce store, marketplace listings, social media presence, etc. to all reflect holiday content!
This year, buyers have been going through longer buying cycles. We’re in the thick of holiday promotions now, but as you're thinking ahead to the 2023 holidays (it comes up quicker than you think!) you’re going to want to start posting 4-6 weeks ahead of time.
{{studio-ad="/external-components"}}
Living your best lifestyle
Lifestyle photography is geared towards presenting an image of your product or service as it would be used during everyday life. Lifestyle photos can help your audience imagine what it would be like to use your products themselves. Well, what it would be like for their pets to use your products 😋.
Plan your lifestyle shoot
Before you jump in and just start shooting, you need to create a shot list. This will help you keep things organized and allow your creative team to be efficient with time during your actual photo shoot.
Sure, you can use your smartphone’s camera, but there’s still so much more than just the camera. Extra equipment that can help you produce stunning visuals are diffusers, ring lights, tripods, and various lenses. Not to mention props to set the scene!
Why do you HAVE to use actual pet models?
So you’re probably saying to yourself, “‘I have a cat, she’s calm enough. She’ll pose for photos or ‘I can use my friend’s dog, he’s a golden retriever.’” This might be true, but have you ever tried getting your animal to behave when you need them to?
Using actual pet models will take a lot of the hassle out of your shoot. Pet models are trained to interact with your products in a playful yet professional manner. And, they show up groomed! This is the ultimate solution to showing how amazing your pet products are. You’ll enjoy the photos, and our pet models will enjoy the interactions. It’s a win-win!
Location location location
It should go without saying that you want your product to have broad appeal to your target demographic. Lifestyle photography aims to show how your product can be used in everyday life.
Are you selling a new type of dog frisbee? Then choose an outdoor area like a local park or a large backyard to shoot in. Trying to sell a new type of cat tower? Try a living room setup! Anything that looks like a home or a natural environment will make your product look like it belongs there.
Make a list of multiple locations for your photoshoot. It’s always better to have more choices when you’re editing. Also, more locations and photos will give you extra variety and options to use for your various other ecommerce channels.
Holiday Pet Product Sales
The holidays bring out some pretty adorable pet products. 70% of pet owners purchase gifts for their pets during the holidays 🐶🐱. *3
As we mentioned before, the variety of products is pretty astounding. And it’s not just relegated to Christmas either. Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July all have their own little pet product niches that continue to grow year after year.
We are creative professionals here at soona. Below are some of our favorite shots to make sure you include in your shot list. Pro tip: we’ve seen these boost sales!
The Solo Shot
This is the first step to getting a cohesive product lineup. Each product that you offer should have at least one photo front and center on a white seamless backdrop. Think of this as your hero shot. A clear image that shows your label. After that, get all the angles on a seamless backdrop. Show your product with its packaging. The ingredients. The contents. These types of shots supplement what people would see in a store, for example.
To supplement these staple images, you can incorporate solo product shots with props. Pet models. Hand models. The list goes on and on. We want to show your products as they are and in real-life scenarios to give your customers a full picture (no pun intended) of what they are purchasing.
The Full Product Line or Group Shot
This type of shot works great if you’ve got a multitude of pet products on offer. For instance, if you have a new type of all-natural pet shampoo and conditioner. Maybe you have paw balm. an edible coat enhancer. a brush. Be sure to include a full product line-up to upsell your brand before checkout. These types of photos also work well on social media!
Line up your products with your shorter products in front and your taller ones in the back. Feel free to use stands to prop them up and fill out the shot. A wooden stand, blocks, or clear plastic are the typical go-to's.
Pick a background that will make your products stand out. If your product packaging is smooth, go with a textured background like wood or brick. If your products have a bit more grit to their surfaces, go ahead and choose a seamless backdrop. Regardless of the backdrop you choose, make sure it enhances your products. Play with colors to bring out your branding. Create faux lifestyle scenes if you aren’t able to shoot in a true lifestyle setting. It’s time to get creative because the more asset options you have, the better!
Overhead shots are a great option to change up the angles. Place your product line in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. This can work beautifully on an all-white marble surface.
Pair your products with appropriate holiday props to snag those holiday sales numbers. Presents, bows, and ornaments for Christmas. Candy corn, jack-o-lanterns, and trick-or-treat bags for Halloween. Decorative eggs, baskets, and carrots for Easter. You get the idea.
Get the Details
We mentioned detailed shots above. These are essential to capturing the angles, textures, features, etc. of your products. Typically, detail shots involve zooming in close on your product. We suggest using a white backdrop to keep it clean and consistent for your website PDPs. Change it up for social media by bringing in your brand colors on a seamless backdrop to make your product pop!
Create a carousel of detailed shots to help supplement that hero shot you’ve already created. You’ll want to make sure there’s as little shadow as possible. There are a few different ways to achieve this lighting style, but your best bet is to use overhead and side lights to create that consistent brightness. Investing in a couple of macro lenses, or even a 24-70mm zoom lens can help you with this type of photography.
If you need help…
Product photography can be complicated. We take the complication out and bring simplicity in.
At soona, we will help your products shine with high-resolution photos, inventive props, and a lot of love and attention. We have the backgrounds that dazzle and the lenses that capture all the best angles of your products. We are creative professionals that will produce high-quality photos for your products. Once you complete your shoot, your photos are edited and delivered within 24 hours of that purchase.
Visit soona.co to build your own product photo shoot or check out our Pet Product Starter Pack! It is the easiest and fastest way to get all your pet product photos completed in time for the holidays.
Sources
2* https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-care-market
