How To Take Product Photos
The world is changing, no longer is a store front always the first point of access that customers get to interact with your product or your business. More often than not, your customers are coming across your product through various social media platforms, your website or ads that you have created to show case your product. Far too often I see people pouring the soul into creating their product, only to fall short when they display it online.
Research
Every brand, website and product have a style to it. Before setting out to take photos of your own product, it is important to do your research and draw some inspiration. What colour schemes do you like, what formats or back grounds stand out to you, do you like the darker high contrast images or the light and airy images? Do you like images that include graphics or words on them? It is very important to develop a lay out of your products that is visually appealing to others as this is often the first point of interaction for your clients with your product. You want your space to showcase your product in the most aesthetically appealing way possible!
Once you have decided what theme you want to use to present your brand, this will help determine how you actually go about TAKING the photos.
Lighting
This is one of the MOST important aspects for your product photography. Often times people can get intimidated by this concept, but don’t worry, there are some SIMPLE tricks you can use to help you through. Don’t get me wrong, there is a science to lighting and this takes a whole new set of skills and equipment to pull off, but for the purpose of this blog, we can keep it simple! The best lighting to use is actually natural light! This can be done by setting up right next to the window or outside on a sunny day. A good rule of thumb for any photography is to work WITH the light. This means working during times of days when the light is softest. There is a reason why it is called the golden hour! Try to aim for light that does not fall directly above, but rather slightly behind (or in front, depending on the strength of the light). This can create a nice feathered look to the light that is soft. The amount of light you use in your set up will also determine the look of your photos (refer to the previous section about a theme for your photos). If you are looking for the very bright, white and crisp photos, you will want to choose a location where there is a lot of natural light to work with. If you are looking for something darker and moodier, then you will choose a time of day when the light isn’t as strong. For the moodier photos, you can also work with shadows, rather than having the light source directly in front or behind, you can shift it to be on a slight angle, creating a shadow across the product.
It’s also important to note that different types of light create a different hue to your product. For instance, if you are taking photos in the early morning with the light creeping in through your window, you will get a soft blue toned light. However, if you wait until the sun is setting, the light will be soft and golden with a yellow tone to it. The same goes for artificial light sources, often light bulbs give off a warm glow whereas tungsten gives off a blue glow to it. This can be accommodated for with editing programs (changing the temperature of the photo), but I always find it best to take the photo with very little adjustments needed.
Display
After completing your research, you are going to be able to determine what kind of theme you want for your feed. This will help you determine what display you are going to want for your photos. Some people like to have a nature background, offering rustic natural colours and textures as the background. Other’s like to have a clear, crisp lay out that can be easily replicated. In terms of background, you can easily set up with a fence, tree, plant, wall or table as the background. You can also create a “photo box” for capturing your product. This can be done very cost effective by purchasing foam board from the dollar store and some scrap book paper to cover it. I generally like to go for light backgrounds with little distractions to take away from the product. Next you need to determine HOW you would like to capture your product. Is your product something that would look good as a “flat lay”, or does it need to be propped up?
I personally like photos that display and interaction with the product, showing how it could be used, or having someone hold it up for the photo. I like placing the product in settings that highlight the use. To provide an example, I was working with a dog treat company and so I had my dog model for me as he played fetch in the background of this shoot. This created an eye-catching image that showed the product being used as it was intended.
Stay Focused
There is absolutely NOTHING worse than a photo that is out of focus. Not only because it is not aesthetically appealing, but it also PSYCHOLOGICALLY confuses the brain! Let’s be real here, a confused brain is not going to purchase a product. So, if there is anything you take away from this blog, please let it be to KEEP YOUR PHOTOS IN FOCUS! Now, that’s not to say that you can’t get creative with focus on your photos, especially if you gave a camera that allows you to play with depth of field a little bit more.
PLACEMENT
Staying focused and placement within the photo go hand in hand. Any introduction photography course will teach you about the rule of thirds, and this is the best rule to follow when you are lining up the focal point of your shot. The rule of thirds can be explained as an imaginary 3X3 grid that is placed over your photo. Ideally you want to line the focus of your photo along one of the intersecting lines. Many people take their photos with the focus point or the product right smack dab in the middle, but to create and image that is eye catching and will hold the clients gaze, you can use the rule of thirds and place the product slightly left or slightly right.
Another thing to take into consideration when taking photos is what lines are being used to draw your attention into the photo. Psychologically speaking, a person unconsciously follows the lines within a photo. If there is a line (an edge of the product or a hand) that is cut off outside of the photo, the persons eyes will follow this out. The key is to create another line within the frame to lead the person’s eye back in. Ultimately you want the photo to hold a person’s attention as long as possible for them to truly take it all in! You can also avoid drawing attention out of the photo by using what is called “visual tension”. This is where you crop the photo with a tiny bit of space between a visual line (such as an arm or a stem from a tree) and the frame of the photo.
Keep It Simple
Once you have found something that works for you, stick with it. A lot of product photography takes some trial and error to find out exactly what it is you want to display on your website/social media page. But once you have nailed down a routine, there is no sense trying to reinvent the wheel. Remember how you captured the images you liked and maybe take a couple of notes to help you remember such as what time of day you shot (to account for the light), how you set up the backdrop, what props you used, and if you are using a device that can alter settings, what settings you used.
Try to help yourself out
You can do this by batching your product photos. Choosing a time and taking multiple photos at once. This will help ensure that your lighting is decently consistent, your set up is the same and the props used are similar. Also, when you are in the zone, use that to your advantage! It saves you time in the long run, I promise.
Try to account for as much as you can BEFORE you take the photo. I know we have access to filters and editing tools, but I find it’s so much easier to try and set up for how I want the photo to end off rather than relying on editing after the fact. Again, this will save you time in the long run and it will help ensure that your images remain as consistent as possible.
