There’s more to product photography that just shooting a product

Some product photography is easy, the client as a box or package, we set it up on the table, light it and snap, the shot is done. But this is a rare case. Some photo shoots are much more involved.

For example, one job I was recently asked to price out involved finding models, a very specialized location with the right equipment, and props. The photo shoot itself would be rather easy, once all the pieces are in place, but just getting to that point is the challenge.

Another large product shot I will be doing involves multitudes of products assembled into one neat package photo. This will take a lot of time, it’s rather like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You have this many pieces that go into this amount of space, so you set up the borders, and work your way in. Just don’t bump the table, and watch everything fall down! Don’t laugh, I’ve done this! But resetting things up again was a lot faster because we already knew where everything would fit.

Many of my product shots are done on a white background as this is the trend for web use. Occasionally a product shot will be done on a color background, to add some contrast, or set up and styled with props. But with advertising, you then have to be clear that the props are not included.

When you need product photography make sure your photographer knows the end use of the image, whether it’s for advertising or editorial, for print or for web use, and if there are any design considerations, like if a shot should be horizontal or vertical. If a catalog or brochure is already designed, bring it along so the photographer can see where the image will go, and what surroundings it should blend in with.