Product photography is any image of goods for sale. Product photography is a type of commercial photography which aims to show an item in an attractive, interesting, and desirable manner.
The purpose of product photography is to create images of goods that will show a potential customer what the time item looks like and persuade them to purchase the goods.
There are two main types of product photography, studio product image, and lifestyle, or in-context shot.
Individual studio product images are the most common kind of product photography and are often photographed on a white or plain background. This allows the photographer to emphasise the features of a single product without distractions.
Lifestyle or in-context images are more often used to advertise and show off the product in a picturesque setting or in an environment the product would be found or used. For example, a pillow could be photographed where it belongs, on a bed. This shows the potential customers what the product looks like in a real-life situation and if the potential customer likes what they see, they are more likely to purchase the goods.
How we Photograph Products?
The process of product photography starts with a conversation with a client, which then defines what the best solution is for that particular product or brand. This will decide whether the product needs to be photographed in a studio, on a white or creative background, or on location.
These decisions are often made by the client as they decide where the images are going to be used. For example, if a client has a selection of products that will be going onto an e-commerce website, this will most likely require plain background photos of the product to start with and then possibly expand to in-context images.
Once the image type required is decided, we get to the fun part, planning, and shooting. If plain background images are required, we set up our lighting and equipment in our on-site studio and ask the clients to deliver the products to us. We then photograph each product and remove the background if needed after it has been photographed.
If the client requires in-context images, there is a little more planning and production involved and there are multiple ways to go about it. We first work together to gather ideas and get a brief together and from the brief, we decide on location (if required), styling and lighting.
Why is Product Photography important?
Working with the photo mood board created in the planning phase, the photographer will dress the dish and surroundings using the mood board as inspiration. They will experiment with adjusting the lighting, changing the camera angles and repositioning props and ingredients until they have captured the perfect food photo.
After the shoot, it's a case of backing-up the files and then editing the photos to make them as delicious as possible.
