PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY: THE MEGA GUIDE IN 2022

The product photography plays a very important role in the world of advertising, namely advertising as a way of publicizing a product and generate in the viewer the desire to buy it.

When we talk about product photography, we can include any product: food, jewelry, drinks, clothing, accessories, medicines, etc

Today I am going to give you all the keys to get a picture of product perfect, either to your own website, for your social networks, for a friend or for a client.

Take heed well this mega guide because I’m going to try to make it very thorough and sure that at some time you will again be useful. That said, we started.

WHAT IS PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY?

The picture of productis the representation of an object as closely as possible. What haunts the product photography is to publicize a product with the ultimate goal of selling it or trading it.

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

These are the main objectives of the product photography:

  • Awaken the interest of the audience about a product.
  • Make the viewer feel that you know the product without the need to see him.
  • Represent an attractive form to the couple that’s reliable, an object.
  • Do you buy it.

Keep in mind that the more quality the image, the more chance you have of the product being sold.

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY AND ADVERTISING

The picture of product is oriented, as I have already mentioned, to create an image attractive to the time that reliable of a product with the ultimate goal of being sold. It is an important part of the advertising photography and many times do not understand the one without the other.

Advertising photography, however, covers a wider field in which not necessarily has to be or why an image to appear on the product itself. So, in that sense, in general, the product photography is advertising, but not always, the advertising has to be a photograph of a product.

Now we already have more defined, we’re going with the team that I recommend to you.

CAMERA RECOMMENDED FOR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

The best camera for dive deeper into photography product should have the following characteristics:

  • With the possibility of working in RAW format.
  • Manual mode.
  • With the option of sharing goals.
  • Which has a sensor of good size.
  • Live View Mode.

WHAT IS THE BEST LENS FOR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY?

The best lens or lens to photograph product is, from my point of view, a fixed optical most light possible. For several reasons.

ADVANTAGES OF A FIXED LENS TO PHOTOGRAPH PRODUCTS

  • They tend to be very bright.
  • They are much cheaper than the zoom with a luminosity similar.
  • They are well constructed and are more resistant (have fewer items than the zoom).

For product photography, I recommend focal lengths from 50mm to 100mm, for example:

  • The King of the Lenses: the 50mm f/1.4.
  • Or in his absence, the Prince: 50mm f/1.8.
  • A macro lens 100mm f/2.8.

ADVANTAGES OF A ZOOM LENS TO PHOTOGRAPH PRODUCTS

  • They are more versatile.
  • You cover more focal lengths to invest in a single target.
  • If you have budget to invest in a zoom light, can be a good option for product photography.
  • Do you buy your camera with a lens in a kit so that, as you are, try to take advantage of it to yours in the best way possible.

RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES FOR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

The best accessories for shooting product are mainly:

  • A light box: very effective, simple, and economic. You will work great for small objects with simple compositions. You can even make your own light box by following these steps.
  • A white background: without a doubt, the white background is one of the most used in product photography.
  • A black background: another background very recurrent and need to have among your accessories.
  • A tripod: it should be robust, with a few sections on the legs and with interchangeable brush head. Take a look at the complete guide to buying a tripod if you are interested in becoming one.
  • A photometer hand-held: it is the most accurate way to check the exposure of an image.
  • At least one source of continuous light.
  • An external flash.
  • A couple of windows of light.
  • A letter of grey.
  • Polarizing filter to avoid reflections and unwanted.
  • A table acrylic to generate reflexes creative.
  • A remote shutter release.
  • Boards, wood and other substrates on which to place your products.
  • A photographic notebook can be very useful if you have already decided that this type of photography is your thing.

Now, these are the recommended accessories, my advice is that you cast if you do not have anywhere near the material that I recommend to you. That is the ideal, but you can get many of these accessories, home by investing little money. After you find out that this is the passion of your life, because you rascarás the pocket.

HOW TO BRIGHTEN UP A PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY?

The lighting is one of the most important aspects of product photo, and that you’ll have to spend more time and learning. Learn how to create volume, to avoid the reflections, to get a good exposure, or to create a reaction in the viewer simply modeling the light.

The first thing you must ask yourself is what result you want to obtain. What a picture with a lot of contrast?, how soft and warm?, how flat or depth?, what you want to convey with it?, what you must talk about your product? Act it out mentally and write down the results that you want to get. Then use everything in your reach to get it.

Let’s look at the main features of the enlightenment to be able to apply them to product photography.

  • The natural light is still a kind of enlightenment to bear in mind when photographing a product. If you have an environment with good lighting, take advantage of it, this light is very photogenic and does not require invest in too many accessories. The drawback is that it changes for the moments, so they must learn to know well and to be quite fast.
  • Artificial lighting allows us to control the light regardless of the time of day, which makes it easy, therefore, to dedicate to the pictures all the time that we deem to be necessary.
  • Keep in mind that a does not exclude the other, they are perfectly complementary and can fill the gaps of the other.
  • With both types, you must take into account the quality of the light: this can be light (light source is large relative to the subject) or hard (light source is small relative to the subject).
    • Light, soft or fuzzy is ideal for still lifes, generates a few shadows (for example, light of a cloudy day).
    • Hard light is ideal for highlighting the shapes and contrasts high. The light of the sun at noon would be, for example, an example of hard light.
  • Another feature of the light that you need to know is how he behaves the light depending on the direction from which it cast upon the object:
    • Front light: the light is incident on the object, and generates images are very flat with barely any texture or shadows, to the time that is more descriptive.
    • Side light: the light is placed to one side of the object, forming an angle of 90 ° with the camera. The result is an image with great lighting contrast between the illuminated side and the one that is not. Increases the texture and volume. To mitigate the dark side, you can use a reflector.
    • Light environment or background: it is the natural light that surrounds the subject. In a study is usually imitate bouncing light off the ceiling or using a light source directly overhead.
    • Light semi-lateral: the light is incident at an angle of about 45º. This lighting brand textures and creates a sense of depth. It is one of the schemes of the light used.
    • Light contour: it is used in an angle of approximately 135º and serves to highlight textures, highlight the perspective and follow the shape of the object.
    • Backlight: light comes from behind the subject and, therefore, in front of the camera. The contrast in this case is extreme between lights and shadows, losing the greater part of the object beyond its shape or silhouette.
    • Fill light: used to fill the shadows that might lead to a source of light.

HOW TO DO PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY AT HOME?

When we see pictures as well worked as it’s usually the photographs of the product, we may think that we’re not going to be, neither we nor the material, at the height of the circumstances.

Nothing could be further from the reality. The picture of product, it is a great candidate to be worked on at home. You don’t need large spaces or large investments in accessories to get you started. In fact, beyond a camera, an object, a tripod and light, you don’t need more.

I’ll leave you with a video that not only shows you how you can photograph a product, but it does so with a lighting and accessories completely homemade.

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY WITH WHITE BACKGROUND

The white background is one of the most used in product photography. If you want to get a white background that is really white, you should take several aspects into account:

  • You will obviously need a white background ;).
  • Make sure that it is well-lit.
  • Controls the white balance.
  • Works on RAW.
  • Just adjust the white in the development process.
  • Separates the object from the background (so not screened shadows on top of the background).
  • Opens the aperture to blur the background if necessary.

The white background is associated with purity and freshness that is often used for food, objects, intense colors, or everyday items such as personal care products, makeup, technology, etc

product photography

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY WITH BLACK BACKGROUND

The black background in product photography is associated with elegance, luxury, to look back and to the exclusivity. It is ideal for watches, products transparent as liquors, perfumes, glassware, and, in general, those objects that we want to give an air of exclusivity.

Now, to get a black background that really be black you have to take into account:

  • “Zoomed out” the object from the background.
  • Or about the lighting the object if you can’t separate him from the background.
  • Closes the diaphragm.
  • Reduces the exposure time to turn off the background.
  • Use a low ISO to maintain sharpness.
  • Works on RAW.
  • Just adjust the black in the trial.
product photography

BASIC SETTINGS FOR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

Each image will need their own settings depending on the result you want to achieve. However, there are a few general settings that can be useful in most of your pictures of product:

  • To master product photography is essential that you learn to master the manual mode.
  • Always use the lowest ISO possible. You’ll gain sharpness.
  • A tripod is essential to reduce any possible trepidation.
  • For the same reason, use a remote shutter, when you push a shutter produce small movements. In its default, configures the remote release of the camera.
  • Always work in RAW format, it is essential to obtain the best possible results in editing your photo.
  • Use the aperture to control the depth-of-field or area in focus in the image. Remember, if you want to blur the background, you must open the aperture (f-value/ low).
  • Please note the minimum focus distance of your lens.
  • Controls the white balance manually.
product photography

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING PRODUCTS

Beyond the technical part, you can’t lose sight of these other tips for shooting products:

  • The product must be in perfect condition. If it is food it must have a pint impeccable, if it is an object, you should not submit scratches or fingerprints, or any type of dirt.
  • Ensures the focus via the mode Live View, if you have it.
  • If you can connect the camera to your computer, it is a very good option for a better analysis of the image.
  • Always look at the histogram of your image, don’t trust the image on the screen.
  • To create a reflection under the product, it uses a table, acrylic or similar.
  • Try not to reflect never in the product. You can do it away from the same and by honing with the help of a telephoto lens or changing the point of view.
  • You can make use of a polarizing filter to reduce reflections (although reduced sharpness to the image, especially if it is not of good quality).
  • Uses a diffuse light for reflective objects and a light lasts for objects with a matte finish.
  • Controls the exposure and focus, the more perfect is the image in camera, the better the end result.

COMPOSITION IN PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCT

The arrangement of the elements in the frame are an essential part of the narrative discourse of your photo product. Composition is key:

  • Tells a story: all the images should suggest a story, the product also. Through the lighting, the arrangement of the elements, the props and the color, our image should speak to the viewer.
  • The human element: it helps to tell the story and it is interesting for the whole of the image.
  • Point of view: where to place the camera relative to the object, and with what inclination, you can radically change the image.
  • The rule of thirds: in what place of the frame you put the object also.

I recommend that you delve into our guide on photographic composition that you will clarify and expand all the information you need to know about composition in photography.

THE COLOR ON PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

Learning how to master the color composition is essential if you want to work for any product. Keep in mind the primary colors, complementary, how to generate contrast between them, or complement, or what transmits each color, is fundamental in the product photo.

product photography

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY AND HIGH-SPEED

The shutter speed is a creative element that is very interesting to your photos for the product. Take a look at this article to learn how to use the flash in high-speed photography.

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR INSTAGRAM AND OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKS

The good thing about this type of photo is you don’t need an extremely high quality as do other types of product photography for professional purposes, for magazines or catalogs.

  • Note the square format of Instagram when composing your image.
  • Do not upload any image which you are not 100% safe.
  • Create a niche, be consistent with your style and your images.
  • Take care of the color. The vibrant colors call more attention and triumph and more (red, yellow, etc).
  • The more impact, better reception on the part of the spectator and better positioning in Networks.
  • The composition is the key to help you to read your photos.
  • A good story is key, about the product to the viewer through it.
  • Create images simple but direct.
  • Also used the networks to inspire you.

HOW TO EDIT A PHOTO OF PRODUCT

The editing in product photography is an art, and to this day do not exist one without the other.

  • Do it with precision, increases to 100% many times as you need to check the settings that you performed.
  • Take care of the color: must be faithful to the original object.
  • Fixes the white balance if necessary.
  • To adjust the focus if necessary.
  • Fixes the highlights and shadows.
  • Cut out whenever you need it.
  • Corrects possible errors of the lens as the vignetting.
  • Adjust the lines if it has caused some distortion.
  • Remember, above all, your product photography should be faithful to the reality.
product photography

RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

If you want to expand your knowledge of product photography, I recommend the following publications:

Product photography is a great way to learn photography in its most broad-spectrum: composition, lighting, color theory… and all this without leaving home. Is it not true that at the end of this mega guide, you are able to give your first steps in product photography?

Let me tell you, to terminate, the accessory main you need to launch you to the product photography is… yourself. If you have the will and truth are you interested in the topic, don’t wait any longer. Do not wait until your photographic equipment is “full”, do not leave it for when you change your current camera on the other. If you’re shooting products, I think you should go now beginning. This is not what you start to do the night to the morning, it is all a learning process. While you practice, you learn. If you don’t practice, you don’t learn.

We read in the next article. Ah, remember that sharing is living, if you liked, share with photographers who can benefit from it.