Photography, in general, is a passion of many people and a hobby of several others. The art of capturing things, moments, and life as a whole is appealing and gives the photographer a sense of control, relief, and relaxation. Out of the various types of photography, the product photography is gaining popularity. In this type of photography, you portray the product attractively to tempt the user into buying it.
As product photography gains popularity, many people are starting to try it out. Therefore, in this article, we have included a few tips for product photography for beginners.
Using the proper equipment:
Let’s clear a myth first. If you are a beginner at product photography, you do not need a professional DSLR. Unlike what others might say, a phone with a good camera like the iPhone 7 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 has cameras of 12 and 13 MP work just perfectly. Moreover, all the temperature settings, modes, grids, etc., present in your phone help you take a better picture.
The second point is that it would be best to use a tripod, whether shooting with your phone or a professional camera. When you are holding the device in your hands, the photo is more at risk of coming out shaky and unstable. Since you are not shooting a moving object, it makes more sense to keep your camera stable by using a tripod stand. This will protect your photos from turning out blurry and maintain a good focus, making your image look a lot better and professional.
The proper lighting:
The proper lighting will make your photo and the product captured visible to everyone and aesthetically pleasing. The sun works as a great natural light. You can set your product outside or near a window according to the sun’s angle and brightness.
Or you can use artificial lighting. In artificial lighting, you will have to make sure your product is well lit, so you will need to use studio lights pointing at every side of the product. Simple room lights won’t do the trick. With light shining at every part of the product, you get rid of shadows too.
You will also need to see if the shooting product looks better under artificial light or natural light. If your product is used outside or is being modeled by a person, it is better to shoot it under natural light. Suppose you are capturing the spring essence of a floral maxi dress. In this case, photographing the floral maxi dress, worn by a model, in artificial light would make it look dull, monotonous, and unappealing to the eye.
Edit to touch up and enhance, not change:
If you need to edit everything about your photo, it means your photo wasn’t good enough. Instead of sitting hours on your PC, playing around with Adobe photoshop, take a new picture. And this time, make sure the background, colors, and portrayal are according to your liking.
Always go for smart editing. That means you only need to touch up your photos, to enhance something you have already captured beautifully.
If you don’t know how to use a basic editing app like photoshop, you can take tutorial classes on youtube. Even though editing is a skill you shouldn’t have to use regularly, it’s a skill you should know if you are beginning photography.
The right backdrop and portrayal:
To capture the gist of your product correctly, you need the right backdrop and surroundings. You need to portray your product the right way.
As discussed above, you should see if your product looks better in natural or artificial light. You also need to observe if your product is meant to be used indoors or outdoors. If the product is a clothing accessory or a clothing item, it is best to capture it on a model. E.g., you can photograph a watch on the wrist of a model.
You can use a sweep for a better background. Professional made sweeps are also available, but you can clip a white craft sheet in a sweeping manner somewhere if they are out of your budget. The purpose is that your floor and background both are the same shade of white. White works best as it removes focus from the surroundings and amplifies the concentration on the product.
Placing your product on the sweep does the trick. However, you can further improve the background by adding a few items in the picture that contrast with your actual product. For example, if you are photographing a cake, you can arrange many flowers around it to amplify its beauty. Nature works as an excellent background for some products. Flowers, trees, grass, sand, water all make your product look classier.
Click several photos:
You cannot get the perfect shot in one go. It would be best if you put in the effort, take several pictures, and choose from them. You will need to change the lighting, backdrop, and angles at various times to get a correctly portrayed photograph. Then you should do a whole selection process to select the perfect photo.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, the product photography is simple once you get the hang of it. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on professional equipment or professional camera for beginners. As is stated above, you can use a smartphone camera with good quality too. All you need to spend money on is a tripod stand and some studio lights if you plan on shooting in artificial light. You will have to put in a lot of effort to get the perfect shot. Never forget, practice will make you perfect!
