Product Photography - 10 Tips you must know

Product photography is considered as a division of the photographic profession. People are more inclined to choose product photography as it has a vast scope of presenting a product in its best possible manner. However, this skill is not a piece of cake. Many professional photographers still struggle when it comes to product photography. There are many key factors that contribute to a product’s overall look from the lens. Are you one of those who are struggling to achieve the best angle of a product? If you have landed on this page looking for product photography tips, then you are exactly where you should be! Here we have gathered 10 best product photography tips you must know to begin with:

1. Background

Has this ever happened that you have seen a product online which looks fine and on sleek but when you see that product in real, it is not so fine? Yes, that is a blessing called product photography. One of the key factors why a product is so glorified in pictures is because of its background. Choosing the right background makes the next processes a lot easier.

A bright color product is more hyped on a light, minimal colored background. Similarly, choose a bright, vivid color background for your light and beige tone products. It may seem a tough job, but it is worth the effort.

If you cannot decide what to put in the background, we recommend you go for a white background. Here is how you can create your own professional white backdrop:

Take a chair at your home or office and a roll of white craft paper
Push the chair against the wall and tap the white paper effortlessly so there is no crease between the horizontal and vertical planes.

2. Set up the light

Without proper lighting, not just product photography but any photography would not work. Lights play an important role in enhancing the details of your product. There are two kinds of lighting that you can use for your photographs. One is the natural light, and the other is studio lights. The style of choosing between these lighting depends upon the product you are shooting, its purpose, and the platform you will share it on.

Natural lighting works best when shooting for edible items, humans, and nature. Photographs taken in these lights are best for your social media platforms especially, Instagram. However, for bigger platforms and E-commerce websites studio lighting works the best.

People buying on these websites require the tiny details and artwork of the products. The artificial lighting technique works best for Amazon and Google shopping.

3. Gimbal or Tripod

Gimbal and tripod may sound old school and needy, but they are the best to reduce the risk of blur photographs. They are significant for clear and high-quality photos which is a must if you want your photography to look professional. The equipment will lessen the risk of shaky hand and blurry photos. The cherry on top, they are not even expensive to buy or difficult to use! Whether you are using an expensive DSLR or a simple phone, gimbal and tripod come in various types for every camera out there.

4. Photo Editing

Next on the product photography hack is the magic, the editing! Photo editing is a must on the list and is another branch of the profession. Many individuals opt to be professional photo editors because this skill is what every photographer requires. Editing a photo can make any sloppy photo look on sleek and a sleek one sloppy. Editing is a blessing that can enhance the beautiful piece of art in your photographs and even out the flaws.

5. Inspiration

Whenever you surf around the internet, look for inspiration. There are many local and international brands that market well. Their products may not be that fine, but the angle and lighting are always on point. Another thing to note about these products is the vivid color combinations and contrasts they use. The setting of background and frame is always eye-catching. Just know if the product catches your eyes, take the idea, and practice the same with your next product photography project.

6. Simple Props

Talking about product photography, props come in handy. Use props at the side of the product to enhance the product you are shooting. However, do not choose over the counter props. The props should not diminish the appeal of your main product, because props are just the catch; the focus is the product!

7. Take the angles

Product photography is all about playing with different angles around. However, if you have many products to shoot then angle might be a problem. Taking shots of one product is easy but how do you capture the angle for multiple products? The key is taking different angles and then select the best one because most of the time the result is the opposite of what you expected. The art of product photography is to take several angles and then you get to select and edit the best one.

8. Product and strange use

The goal of product photography is to catch the viewer’s eyes. The phenomena, however, can be of great effort at times. There are cases that many photographers encounter where the product is plain and even the pop colors and vivid editing is not adding any charm to it. In times like these, try showing the product in strange and weird use. Have you seen the commercial photographs of beauty products spilling around? Or lipsticks cutting into half? That is because the weird and unusual stuff will always catch the eyes. Here are some images we gathered from different platforms to explain the point:

9. Keep the background focus

Yes, you read that right! Blurring out the background keeps the product in focus we know that but at times not blurring the background works too. Let us suppose you have a food item to shoot and in this case, you can add related products and keep them in focus. Many food photographers use food ingredients as a prop in their photos. Below are some pictures with focused background and props around to help you understand our point better:

10. Reflected Surfaces

The technique to place your products on a reflected surface or a mirror is commonly seen is perfume advertisements or beverages photographs. This adds depth and enhancement to a single product photograph which boring if placed otherwise. The surface has not to be necessary reflecting as this can be achieved with a partially filled water in a pan and the product placed within. Here are some examples of reflected surface photography: