Creative Product Photography

Every Project Starts With Idea

We are all stuck in the same boat or in our own homes at the moment, so why not have some fun, be creative, think outside the box and improve on our photography skills. At the moment, the world is on "lock down", not ideal, but as the proverb says "Every cloud has a silver lining". We have been given time to catch up with old jobs that we have been putting aside, and time to create new projects, which will inspire us and hopefully people around us.

Therefore, I've decided to create a studio in my living room. Mainly I'll be using natural light and one flashlight to challenge myself of creating interesting and unusual product photographs. If nobody else is giving new projects to us, then we just have to create our own.

Choosing Your Lighting

Lighting has always been a key factor in creating a successful image. It determines brightness and darkness, as well as tone, mood and atmosphere. My main light source is going to be natural light, which can work really well in product photography, but to create more dramatic look, I'm adding a splash of light from the flashlight. Remember, it is necessary to control and manipulate light correctly to get the best texture, vibrancy of color and highlights.

Building a Studio In My Living Room

As natural light is going to be my main light source, I've built my little studio by the window, which is the best location in my home for ambient light. My coffee table will work really well for little things, like jewelry, shoes, ornaments, etc. Also, depending what sort of mood you want to set, you could use white, black or colored paper. Something to keep in mind, if you are using dark colored paper, it will absorb light instead of reflecting it, whereas white board will reflect it. In this case, I'll be keeping the natural wood look as I think it will add a nice contrast with my chosen products. One of the biggest advantages of product photography is that I don't need lots of space, I can work in comfort of my own home, and more importantly, I have to be more creative as I only can choose products and props that are around me.

Products & Props

When it comes to product photography, remember, the main focus should be on product. Props should be added to compliment the product or to create contrast between product and prop. I love creating contrast in my photos to add interest, therefore, I tend to combine opposites, whereas it's color, variations of texture or different materials. Sometimes a little accent can bring your image to life and tell a story.

I've chosen jewelry as my main product. During the photo session I'll be scouting my home for props. This should be very interesting. Most importantly, remember, to get the best results, you'll need to experiment with different products and different props as some things work really well together and some don't. It's about being creative, and utilizing light, space and day-to-day products around you.

Composition

Composition is a term that is used in all genres of art, whereas its fine art, photography or music. Composition in photography can be defined as positioning the objects in the frame in such way that the viewer's eye is automatically drawn to the most significant area of the image.

I believe that composition is the most important aspect of a photograph. Sometimes it may seem that composition takes a lot of planning ahead, but remember, it's the composition that delivers your message, tells a story and defines your style, therefore a little planning ahead can mean amazing images afterwards.

There are many established rules of composition in photography, but rules can be broken or transformed to express your ideas in the best way possible. It's about practice and being creative, it's about every photographers view. There is no right or wrong composition, it's about your choices.

Final Images

These are my final images. I've experimented with different backgrounds, materials and props. I believe that you don't need a fancy studio to create impressive images. It's about practice, creativity and sometimes you need to look outside the box, break the rules and have some fun. If some products and props doesn't work, then try something else.

Conclusion

I hope this article will inspire you to be creative with product photography, improve your skills and, more importantly, have some fun along the way. All you need is some space, some product photography props, a couple of flashguns, some products and a crazy idea to challenge yourself.

Stay Safe,

Santa :) xx