IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

Product photography or “the pack shot” is an art form in its own right. Achieving the perfect shot requires some foresight and planning. Your approach will depend on what the product is but no matter what it is you will want to have total control over your environment. With two of the same product being sold on the same platform you can be guaranteed that potential customers will be drawn to the one with the better image and the best images are carefully crafted.

LIGHTING

A good product photo will be well lit with little or no shadow unless artistically necessary. What sets good pack shots apart from an average photo of an object is the realism crafted through perfect lighting. If your product is a reasonable size you can use a light box to illuminate your subject with diffused light from all angles minimizing unwanted shadows. When using natural light sources such as the sun it may be advisable to bounce light back into your subject to soften or remove shadows. If you were shooting for a something like jewelry or a watch you may want to even use reflections to create a timeless or more elegant image. The importance of lighting cannot be stressed enough and it is advised to have the right equipment on hand to illuminate your scene.

STYLING

Depending on your product and target audience, the styling of your scene can help draw the attention to your image, set the mood and create a connection with the viewer. For instance, if you are shooting food you should be thinking about everything around it including table cloth and cutlery or even raw ingredients used in the product. Is it fine dining or street food? Dress your set accordingly. Have you ever looked at a food shot and thought to yourself it looks way too good to be real? You are right. Often food is made “hyper real” by using polish, oils, sprays or other things to make them pop which ultimately renders the food inedible.

COMPOSITION

Composition can add context and dimension to your scene as well as assist in guiding the viewers eye to the subject using leading lines within your image. Examples of these could be roads, poles or hard edges and they help to immerse the viewer in the image. Use light and dark components to create contrast. Experiment with foreground and background elements whilst shooting with a wide aperture to create a shallow depth of field. Sometimes clients like the simplicity of having their products to be in empty space, it this case an infinity curve in your studio is the solution which has its own lighting sand placement methods. One should be careful not to overwork your composition with unnecessary clutter.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Special effects should not have to cost you the world. Whilst being able to use resources immediately available, a good product photographer should always have access to special effects tools such as mirrors, smoke machines and blackouts among other things. There are many everyday items you could use to give your pack shot the wow factor on a budget. In an example for a bottle of vodka you could place it on a reflective surface, backlight with available practical lighting or colored LEDs, separate subject and background with smoke from a vaporizer. Additionally, you could use high speed photography techniques to get more surreal images of the smoke or water drops by freezing the motion.

EDITING

It is always best to try get your final image as perfect as possible in camera but photo manipulation has come a long way and must not be ignored. There are many techniques to make your images “pop” after you have taken them. Some of these include contrast and saturation to further direct the viewers’ attention. You could also implement colors, levels or vignettes to further accentuate. Software can also hide imperfections, dirt and generally clean up the image if you did not prepare your scene perfectly. It is easy to overlook a finger print on a white surface or similar. Today’s high-end photo editing software offers infinite possibilities to a skilled user. Your imagination is your limit.

WHY PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY?

In a world dominated by e-commerce and multimedia the pack shot has never been more significant. Every business and product needs to be seen and remembered. Adding professional product photography to your business can lead to more sales and brand loyalty. With the necessary skill and experience jobs can be turned around quickly and efficiently giving you the visual edge over your competitors. A high-quality pack shot inspires trust and affinity between consumer and product.

If you are searching for experienced product photographers with an arsenal of techniques to help you stand out in the crowds enquire about product photography services today.