Hi there. My name is Robin LeBlanc and I’m going to teach you about product photography. Now don’t go thinking that this will be some kind of master class that involves me throwing out names like “jib” and “tungsten”. We’re not going that far.
No, this instead will be about THE BASICS. This will be about how just a little extra amount of effort can leave your site looking a little more professional.
Not many people think product photos deserve much attention, but just some very simple details such as being mindful of how the picture looks before you take it and letting the colors pop can leave your product photos looking as clean and professional as I’m sure your site does.
What Not to Do When Photographing Your Product
So let’s start with what you SHOULDN’T DO first.
The following can lead to your pictures looking unprofessional. And leads to beatings by myself and my Icelandic Dwarf companion Olaf. They are:
- Putting product in front of a white background – Admittedly this varies on some products, but generally it brings forth a very uninteresting shot.
- More background in the shot than actual product – No one wants a product they can barely see. Don’t go wild with that.
- Putting up the photos unedited – I’m not a fan of this. Unless you’ve set everything up with great lighting, straight from the camera photos can be a bit washed out and in need of some touch ups to bring forth the attractive aspects of the product.
- Using the flash – How many times have we seen product photos where the flash just made everything white and ugly? Try to be minimal with that. A simple way of avoiding too much flash is to shoot outside during the day. Or, you know, turn it off. If your camera can do that.
And how about that, you’ve already learned something. Now grab your camera and let’s start shooting.
How to Approach Photographing Your Product
So here’s what you should keep in mind when taking a product photo:
- Make sure all of the product is in the frame
- Make sure the background is more interesting than a blank surface, but not distracting. Later on you can choose backgrounds that are related to the product or feature people, but for now let’s keep it simple.
- Make sure the product is in focus.
- Aaaaaaaand SNAP!
Words to Sweat by "No excuses." towel
And there we go. A simple shot with the product fully in the frame! It was a beautiful autumn day outside and I decided to work with that.
Now let’s edit this mother. (Sadly, I don’t own a PC, so I’m going to be referring to a Mac program. If there’s a PC equivalent, go for that.)
If you open the image in the Preview application, all you need to do to start editing the color is click on Tools > Adjust Color. That will take you to a menu where you are able to control all kinds of color factors of the image.
With this I’m not going to tell you what to do as I find the best way of learning color editing is to mess around with it. But specifically for product photography I suggest not distorting the colors too much. A photo of a green product that’s actually blue? I predict annoyed customers.
So for this photo I think I’m only going to bring up the contrast just a tiny bit.
Words to Sweat by improved photo
And there we have it. A subtle change, but you’ll have to agree it looks less washed out than the original. Such a small thing makes a big difference.
And now that you’ve learned the absolute basics, experiment! Have fun!
Bio
Over the past year, Robin LeBlanc has made a name for herself as a photographer with a beautiful vision and great care for detail. Her photographs have appeared in newspapers, books and magazines and have set the theme for musician publicity campaigns. She lives in Toronto with a cat and a Ukulele.
