Product photography is more than just taking pictures of objects. It's about creating a visual style that showcases the features, benefits, and personality of your client's brand. How can you achieve this? Here are some tips to help you create the perfect style for your product photography clients.
Before you start shooting, you need to understand your client's goals, target audience, and brand identity. What are they selling? Who are they selling to? What are their values, tone, and message? How do they want to stand out from their competitors? These questions will help you define the style that suits their products best. You can also research their website, social media, and competitors to get a sense of their existing style and how you can improve it.
As mentioned, target market, client goals and brand identity are the primary factors. Associating the people behind the brand is a great way of helping the buyer connect on a more personal level with the brand.
The props and backgrounds you use in your product photography can enhance or detract from the style you want to create. They should match the theme, mood, and color scheme of your client's brand and products. For example, if your client sells natural skincare products, you might use plants, flowers, or wooden surfaces to create a fresh and organic style. If your client sells luxury jewelry, you might use velvet, silk, or marble to create a sophisticated and elegant style. Avoid using props and backgrounds that are too busy, distracting, or irrelevant to your client's products.
It’s common for the background to compliment the products, but if you want to stir the pot a bit, have the background setting be subtly muted in order to make the brand clearly pop.
The lighting and angles you use in your product photography can also affect the style you want to create. They should highlight the details, textures, and shapes of your client's products and make them look appealing and professional. For example, if your client sells food products, you might use natural or soft lighting and overhead or 45-degree angles to create a mouthwatering and appetizing style. If your client sells tech products, you might use artificial or hard lighting and front or side angles to create a sleek and modern style. Experiment with different lighting and angles until you find the ones that work best for your client's products.
Take inspiration from cinema. How do you want the viewer to feel? That's the first and most important question to ask before you set any lights up. Once you know that, then you can figure out what the best way to create that feeling with light is.
The final step to create the perfect style for your product photography clients is to edit your photos consistently. Editing can help you adjust the colors, contrast, brightness, sharpness, and other aspects of your photos to make them look more polished and cohesive. You should use the same editing tools and settings for all your photos to maintain a consistent style across your client's portfolio. You can also create presets or templates to save time and ensure accuracy. However, don't over-edit your photos or make them look too unnatural or unrealistic.
The last tip to create the perfect style for your product photography clients is to communicate with them throughout the process. Communication is key to understanding their expectations, feedback, and preferences. You should ask them for examples of product photos they like and dislike, show them your work in progress, and make revisions if needed. You should also explain your choices and reasoning behind the style you create and how it aligns with their brand and goals. By communicating with your client, you can build trust, rapport, and satisfaction.
Once you have created the perfect style for your product photography clients, you should showcase it in your portfolio and social media. This will help you attract more clients who are looking for a similar style and demonstrate your skills and creativity. You should also ask your client for testimonials and referrals to boost your reputation and credibility. By showcasing your style, you can grow your business and reputation as a product photographer.