Tackling product photography, especially as a beginner can be an incredibly daunting task. Oftentimes I feel that people (including myself) get so wrapped up in taking the perfect product shot that it winds up pulling them away from where they should really be focusing, which is on creating the products that brought them into this industry in the first place.
I truly believe there is beauty in simplicity when it comes to product shots. Here are a few seemingly common sense, but valuable lessons I’ve learned along the way:
Focus on your Product
If you’re exerting all your energy trying to find the perfect props, you may want to take a step back to really evaluate what those props are doing to improve the quality of your image. If the purpose of the prop(s) is to display the product in its’ best light or if it serves a purpose (such as a metal tree for jewelers to display earrings while hanging) then it’s worthwhile. On the other hand, if your props are a distraction, remove them from your photo. Your concentration should be focused on making your items unique rather than their surroundings!
Be Consistent
Try to create a theme for your product shots through consistent backgrounds and props. This doesn’t mean you have to be boring! Again, as I mentioned above, the key is to avoid distractions. I try to use solid colored backgrounds, either black or bright colored and I typically take images of my products with river rock or metal trees as my props.
Start Slow and Build From There
Don’t try to make every aspect of your pictures perfect from the get go. When I started taking product shots, my biggest struggle was managing the lighting in my shots. Once I figured out how to capture good lighting for my products, I moved on to the props and backgrounds I wanted to use, and so forth. Becoming a good photographer doesn’t happen overnight, but if you're patient, you’ll develop the necessary skills, and before you know it, other people will be asking you for photography advice!
Let us know what your style is and how you manage your product shots!
Main image courtesy of Silvio Tanaka
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4 Comments
I often envy jewelry designers, because jewelry is always a rewarding and self-explaining item to shoot. But what about fancy apparel and accessories? Here you need to tell a story, you need some props to create a certain mood and context and yet avoid distraction. What I found out for my very colorful products is that they need a white background with some structure. We revamped all the fotos of my arm warmer collection lately with a white leather chair and a white laquered door as a background. When I uploaded the pics I immidiatly knew what I have to do better (next revamping upcoming, phew!): 1. set the camera focus on the item itself so the furniture, my face and the background appear a bit fuzzy. 2. Add a story/ a twist by having more and different expressions on the face. On one picture I had to love out loud. My mouth is a bit to wide open, but still this is the most interesting foto.
Great tips! Important advice!
While I agree somewhat with the 'Focus on your Product' paragraph . . . I have to add that sometimes props help make the image a little more interesting, even if they're unrelated. But you still want to make sure that they're helping capture the viewer's attention and not distracting from the product your featuring.
Excellent points and tips Eva & Tony! I absolutely agree.