What is Product Photography?

What is Product Photography exactly? Well product photography is a form of commercial photography that involves taking pictures of products for use by businesses on their product pages, and in their promotions and other brand awareness campaigns.

The product can be anything, however it usually is small enough to sit on a table, or in a lightbox.

What is Product Photography

 

Product photography should show the product in an attractive or interesting manner that appeals to potential customers. These customers might be shopping online or looking through a catalogue. Whenever you visit a website where items are for sale; you will see examples of product photography. The quality of the images are usually dictated by budget.

Is Product Photography Different from Normal Photography?

From a photographers point of view, product photography is much the same as any other type of photography. As a professional I manipulate the camera and lens to give me the desired result, whatever the genre.

I suppose the goal in product photography is to capture a realistic and detailed image of the item being photographed. The way in which you capture the product in camera should help potential buyers to get a good idea of what the product is like. Without doubt images sell because the eyes buy. Understanding this is very important because the buyer will not have an opportunity to touch or see the product first hand; so it is your job as the photographer to capture the product in enough detail so that it conveys the look and feel of the item well enough to convince buyers to, well buy.

Who Does Product Photography?

There are amateur and professional product photographers. I particularly enjoy the genre as it gives me a chance to explore my artistic side without the pressure associated with my wedding photography.

To be honest, anyone can become a product photographer. There is a proliferation of small business websites, and the numbers are set to increase due to the pandemic encouraging more entrepreneurs online. On the down side for professionals like myself, there are more people are getting into product photography than ever before, but we are not all equal. In order to sell products online a photographer needs to capture great images of products that business owners want to sell online; owners often attempt to take these product images themselves using cell phone’s but the difference between these home cooked images and a professional product image is clear to see.

What is Product Photography & its Importance in e-Commerce

Selling online is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies heavily on product photography. The importance of great product images cannot be underestimated in an extremely competitive online marketplace.

Whether a company is is selling handmade bracelets or a top of the range cosmetics, they all rely on great product images to sell their goods on their e-commerce platforms of choice.

what is product photography

 

The success of any e-commerce site, is, I believe, largely due to the product images on display. As I mentioned previously, consumers rely heavily on product images to get a better grasp of what they are purchasing. Product images can often be the deciding factor in whether a consumer follows through with the purchase or not.

Types of Product Photography

As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of different types of product photography. Photographers who are interested in product photography can find a niche where they are taking product photos of things that they find personally interesting or inspiring.

Personally, I love product photography; it stretches my artistic muscles.

For example, if a product is shot sitting on a bare table, without any supporting materials, there is a fair chance it will not look very exciting. But if that same product is photographed in a managed setting or while it is being used as it was designed, the image suddenly becomes a lot more dynamic and appealing to the prospective customer.

Take this image of a candle and packaging. Even though the candle is lit in the top image, i is nowhere near as appealing as the bottom image. Without doubt this could be even better if it was taken in the setting it was made for, such as a living or bedroom.

happy place candle and box side by side

happy place candle and box side by side

Which image is more likely to motivate the consumer to buy? I imagine if you showed the two images to a selection of potential buyers, they would choose the image with the background. I could be wrong, but I know which is more appealing to me.

Shooting Individual Products

Isolating a product against a white background must be the most common kind of product photography. Sites like Amazon insist on this type of shots for their online products. Making a single item the focal point of the image is a very powerful way to show it off to the best advantage. This kind of shot allows the product photographer to emphasise the features of a single product.

Shooting Product Groups

Groups shots in product photography are used when there are multiple products in a line of products, such as a skin care line of products. Quite often, group shots are used when there is a relationship between the items, such as a ‘buy one get one free’ promotions.

what is product photography

Shooting Product Details [macro]

Detail or macro shots are exactly what it implies. They are close up, detailed shots of one particular feature of the product. An example would be the fastener on this leather necklace. Detail shots are used to emphasize outstanding features on a product that go beyond a competitor’s product image. In order to capture this much detail I use a 100mm macro lens.

what is product photography

Shooting Lifestyle Product Images

Lifestyle product shots are those where the product is shown as it looks when it is being used, such as clothing or jewelry. The power of a lifestyle shot cannot be underestimated because it allows the buyer to imagine what the product might look on themselves. In the image below the maker or retailer wanted to show off the jewely in a way that identified with their preferred target audience. Although the jewelry is front and center, the tattoos and the bike both reinforce the message and help the customer identify with the product.

what is product photography

To Sum it All Up

Product photography is very varied, and there is no doubt that as a business owner you can achieve reasonable results for yourself. The question you need to ask though is, will my product photographs stack up against those taken by a professional using specialised equipment. If not, what sort of effect might this have on potential sales. Look at your competitors images and go from there. 

If you need any help, advice or simply want me to make your products look amazing, drop me a line or give me a call.

Professional Product Photography