Recently Masha made her dream come true – she opened a jewelry store. She collects them worldwide, finds talented local designers and brings their products to her pop-up store.
Sales are doing well, but they could have been better. Masha analyzed to find out where she is inferior to competitors. It turned out that everything is in order with the pricing policy, the location of the offline store and the goods themselves. She is inferior to the pictures of jewelry on the website and Instagram, her main sales channels.
Masha decided that since she knows how to open an online store, launch targeted advertising, and make a beautiful display on the stand, she will learn object photography.
What does she need for this? Let’s say.
1. Light
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Good light is 70% successful whether you are shooting indoors or outdoors. This is the basis for success and how to adjust the light in photography.
There are two main types of light:
Soft Light: Creates a subtle halo that illuminates the subject from all directions and eliminates harsh shadows, which is important to keep in mind when shooting 3D subjects.
Hard light: more contrasting. In this light, the shadows are more pronounced, such as standing in the sun.
What kind of light should you use for your product photography? We recommend soft. If you are shooting outdoors, try to avoid direct sunlight and mid-day. The best time in clear weather is morning or evening, the so-called “golden hour.”
When shooting indoors, direct the light onto the subject, but soften it with filters or paper if it is too harsh. In addition, you can buy reflectors with which you will not need to invent a bicycle and build complex light structures.
2. Angle
There are three typical angles for product photography:
- The goal is 90 °, that is, from top to bottom. Suitable for photographing “recumbent” subjects such as kitchen tools or utensils.
- A 45 ° angle, as if you were looking at an object in front of you. A working option for almost everything from toys to electronics.
- Angle 0 °, table level. Popular for products that sit on the surface. Suitable for displaying bottles, cans, glasses, containers, beauty and health products, etc.
Different shapes and colors can look good from different angles. Or maybe not. Take the time to take a few photos of objects from all possible angles. And it will create enough content for the site and even shoot a video.
3. Macro photography
What is macro photography? These are beautiful close-ups close-ups. Ideal for Masha’s products – jewelry and any other small products such as cosmetics, food, etc. Even if you don’t have a professional camera, you can achieve a macro effect on your smartphone. Most of them have a macro setting that looks like a small flower icon. Experiment with it to bring your customers’ attention to detail.
4. Background
Remember, the background is very important. It complements your product, makes it more attractive, displays it in the environment. The easiest option is a white background. It eliminates any interference and is a blank slate for your creativity. However, try different options – some items look better against a black or colored background, or maybe a city or nature will be the best backdrop to showcase your products? We encourage you to try different options – for example, stylish lifestyle photos of jewelry on a girl will show how they can be worn and convey the brand’s mood, and shooting the same jewelry on a solid background will allow you to show them in detail from all sides.
5. Composition
Composition is the placement or arrangement of objects to complement each other and look good together—swap items in different variations to find the most suitable combination, and maybe several.
Use stands if your products are in a difficult category to photograph at a 90 ° angle. Take Jewelry machines – earrings look completely different if they are hung on a special stand, so she takes pictures of them on it.
6. Stabilization
Another important component of product photography is the camera tripod. With it, you can take pictures faster and more conveniently. The best part is that you don’t need to go broke – on the Internet, you can find many options for every taste and wallet, while efficiency and quality will not suffer.