Product Photographer’s 3 Month Review: What I Learned
In my first three months as a Product Photographer, I learned a lot about what it takes to be successful. In this blog post, I want to share some of the lessons that I have learned so far.
Product photography is an art form and not something you can learn overnight. It requires patience and focuses on getting the lighting right before capturing the perfect shot!
Where I started
I stumbled my way into my first paid product photography client. I started my content creator’s journey creating promotion videos and just took photos as a hobby. I reached out to a local brand to see if I could help them creatively, six months passed, and I had heard nothing. Then one day, I got an email asking me to come down for a chat.
They had seen my profile and could see I could take a good photo and wanted to work with a young local creator. My journey began; six months later, it has become the primary source of income for my content creation brand.
It’s not been plain sailing. I have learned three main things:
- Lighting is the key and can make a break a photo
- The composition can make a picture great.
- The client relationship is more important than anything else.
Lighting can be your make or break
I was so excited to get my first paid job, I had very little equipment at the time. The challenge came when creating studio lighting with a phone flashlight and standing lamp in pitch black conditions!
The Product needed good light for detail. Therefore, great photos are essential.
After learning about what works best from trial and error, I have settled down on using a set of LED lights that I found on amazon. They are battery-powered with brightness and temperature control. They have been a light saver.
I choose these as it means I can change the vibe on a shoot with the temperature control and shoot anyway with their onboard battery and lightweight build.
How you compose a photo is a real art
Composition is vital in Product Photography; I have seen some fantastic photos that make the product jump out of the screen. It can be a real challenge to get this right, as you need to find a good balance between the product and the background.
If your Product takes up most of the frame, it becomes difficult to focus on anything. If the product is too far away, the viewer loses sight of the proper focus of the photo.
When snapping product photos, I soon learned that you should have at least two objects in the frame that compliment the product being photographed. This can be a great way to show the scale or environment of where the product is being used. A create a true vibe and story for the photo.
Client Relationship building is complex but the best fun.
Without clients, Product Photographers are nothing! It’s essential to make sure that you keep the relationship strong and nurture it every step of the way. There will always be bumps in the road from start to finish, but it is vital to keep providing value.
Little things like sending over the Product images in a creative custom album are always appreciated.
These are just small tips to keep your client satisfied throughout the job, and you should be able to work together for many years with trust on both sides of the relationship .
Conclusion
I have learned so much since I started Product Photography, but it is a continuous journey. I hope that by reading this you can get some tips or advice on how to begin your Product Photography Journey.
- Product photography is an art form and takes time to learn
- Lighting is critical; good light equals great photos
- Composition is the real key to taking amazing product shots
