How to Plan and Shoot a Lookbook for your e-Commerce Store

Creating a lookbook is an effective strategy to enhance sales on your online shop. Essentially serving as a catalogue with an increased focus on lifestyle and creative presentation, a lookbook is a compilation of photographs displaying a product or multiple products in use.

By featuring high-quality images of your products being worn or used in creative ways, you can really show off what your items are all about and how they can be styled.

It makes shopping for clothes easier by providing a visual representation of how your item may look its best when combined with other items in their wardrobe. And if you did great, your customers will most likely be inspired to purchase all the items on your lookbook if they like it or buy an item they might not have considered purchasing before.

If you’re selling clothes, for example, a lookbook can show off how a piece of clothing can be worn in different ways and with different items. This is especially helpful if you’re selling items that can be dressed up or down, like a nice pair of jeans or a little black dress.

Creating a lookbook doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You can do it all yourself with just a few simple tips.

In this Guide:

• Why Shoot a Lookbook?
• Tips to Keep in Mind Before Creating a Lookbook
• How You Can Create a Lookbook for Your Products
  • Pre-Shoot Planning
  • Shooting Your Lookbook
  • Using The Photos for Your Lookbook
• e-Commerce Photo Editing Services by Pixel by Hand

Why Shoot a Lookbook?

• It helps to boost sales: A well-executed lookbook can be extremely effective in helping to increase sales on your site.
• It’s a great marketing tool: In addition to helping to increase sales, a lookbook can also act as a great marketing tool.
• It’s a good way to show off your products: If you have a lot of products, or if your products are particularly intricate or detailed, a lookbook can be a great way to show them off in all their glory.
• It helps potential customers to visualize how to use your products: As we mentioned before, one of the benefits of a lookbook is that it helps potential customers to see how they can use and style your products. This is especially helpful if you’re selling clothing or other items that can be styled in different ways.
• It’s a great way to show off your brand: A lookbook is also a great way to show off your brand identity and what your company is all about. By carefully selecting the items you include in your lookbook and the way you style them, you can create a certain look or feel that will be associated with your brand.

Tips to Keep in Mind Before Creating a Lookbook

Now that we’ve gone over some of the reasons why you should create a lookbook for your online store, let’s talk about some tips you should keep in mind before getting started.

1. Define Your Aesthetic

One of the first things you need to do before creating a lookbook is to define your aesthetic. Consider the overall look and feel you want your images to have. Do you want them to be light and airy? Dark and moody? Colorful and fun? Once you’ve decided on the general aesthetic you want for your lookbook, it will be easier to choose the right items to include and style them in a way that fits with your overall vision.

2. Choose the Right Items

The next step is to choose the right items for your lookbook. When selecting items, you should keep your brand identity and aesthetic in mind. If you want your lookbook to have a certain theme or feel, be sure to choose items that will fit in with that theme. For example, if you want your lookbook to have a summery, beachy feel, you’ll want to choose items that evoke those feelings.

3. Style the Items in an Appealing Way

Once you’ve chosen the right items for your lookbook, it’s time to style them in an appealing way. Again, you’ll want to keep your brand identity and aesthetic in mind when styling the items. If you want your lookbook to have a certain feel, be sure the way you style the items reflects that.

4. Choose the Right Location

The next step is to choose the right location for your shoot. When selecting a location, you should keep your brand identity and aesthetic in mind. If you want your lookbook to have a certain feel, be sure the location you choose reflects that.

5. Take Great Photos

Once you’ve chosen the right items and styled them in an appealing way, it’s time to take some great photos. When it comes to e-commerce stores, a great photo means a photo that accurately represents the item and makes it look appealing.

For example, if you’re selling dresses, you’ll want to take close-up photos of the dresses so potential customers can see the details. For shoes, you’ll want to take photos of the shoes from different angles so potential customers can get a sense of what they look like.

6. Edit Your Photos

Even great photos need a little editing. Photo editing is the process of manipulating photos to make them look their best. When it comes to product photography, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when editing your photos.

First, you’ll want to make sure the colors in your photos are accurate. This is especially important if you’re selling clothing or other items that come in multiple colors. You’ll also want to make sure the photos are well-lit and free of any unwanted blemishes or imperfections.

Lastly, you should keep your brand identity in mind. Lookbook is all about branding and marketing, so you’ll want to make sure your photos reflect your brand in the best possible light.

How You Can Create a Lookbook for Your Products

Now that we’ve gone over some tips for creating a lookbook, let’s talk about how you can actually create one.

Pre-Shoot Planning

The first step is to do some pre-shoot planning. This includes defining your budget, creative direction, booking, and shot list.

• Budget: How much are you willing to spend on this project? If you don’t have a lot of financial resources to hire a professional or rent a studio, consider using your home or office as your shooting space.
• Creative Direction: Next, you’ll need to decide on a creative direction. What kind of look are you going for? Will you showcase a single product or multiple products? Is it for your spring collection or holiday? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine the overall aesthetic of your lookbook.
• Booking: After you’ve determined your budget and creative direction, it’s time to start booking your team. If you’re working with a professional photographer, stylist, or model, you’ll need to book them in advance to ensure they don’t have something scheduled for that day.
• Shot List: A shot list is a document that outlines all of the shots you need to get during your shoot. This includes the number of shots, the type of shots, and any specific instructions. Creating a shot list ahead of time will help you stay organized and on track during your shoot.

Shooting Your Lookbook

Now that you’ve planned everything out, it’s time to start shooting your lookbook.

1. Choose Your Location

The first step is to choose your location. As we mentioned earlier, when choosing a location, you should keep your brand identity and aesthetic in mind. If you want your lookbook to have a certain feel, be sure the location you choose reflects that.

If you’re on a tight budget and choose to shoot at home or in the office, you can set up a DIY studio space by hanging a white sheet or piece of fabric from a curtain rod to create a backdrop. The key is to ensure there is sufficient lighting so your products are well-lit in the photos.

2. Set Up Your Camera

Once you’ve chosen your location, it’s time to set up your camera. If you’re using a DSLR camera, you’ll want to use a tripod to keep the camera steady and avoid blurry photos. If you don’t have a tripod, you can set the camera on a stable surface like a table or shelf.

3. Start Shooting

Now it’s time to start shooting! Begin by taking some test shots to make sure your lighting and composition are perfect. You’ll want to consider things like lighting, angles, and backgrounds when setting up your shots. Be sure to get a mix of close-up shots and wide shots so you have a variety of options to choose from.

Using The Photos for Your Lookbook

Once you’ve taken all of your photos, it’s time to start putting your lookbook together. If you’re creating a digital lookbook, you can use a program like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign to design your book. If you’re creating a print lookbook, you’ll need to send your files to a printer.

When creating your lookbook, put emphasis on branding. Make sure the typefaces, colors, and images you choose reflect your business and set your book apart from others. As we’ve mentioned branding is crucial for these style guides. You want to show a more creative, artsy, and put-together side to your company.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of online templates you can use as a starting point. Once you’ve designed your book, all that’s left to do is print it out or send it off to your printer.

Pixel by Hand Photo Retouching Services for e-Commerce

Got no time to edit your own product photos? No problem! At Pixel by Hand, we offer high-quality photo retouching services for e-commerce businesses.

Photo retouching is a service we offer for online store owners which entails editing and enhancing product photos to make them look their best. This can be anything from removing imperfections to adding shadows and highlights.

Even the best product images need a little retouching to look their absolute best. This is where photo retouching can really come in handy. Photo retouching can also help salvage images that might otherwise be unusable.

We understand the importance of high-quality product photos for e-commerce businesses. That’s why we offer our professional retouching services to help you achieve the best results.

Our team of professional editors has worked with various store owners throughout the years we are in business. We have already mastered the art of retouching for any item and we can do the same for you. We also provide other image editing services including background removal, color correction, and more.

Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy solution or something more complex, we’re here to help. Contact us today or use our chatbox below to learn more about our photo retouching services!