I shared a poll on my Instagram stories asking my followers to send in their questions about product photography.
I got so many responses from you! In this blog post, I have answered 10 of them but don’t worry I’ve got you. The rest of the questions will be answered in the next blog post of this series.
Table Of Contents
Questions about product photography that you wanted me to answer
Q1. How to get clean and that crisp quality in images?
asked by @slowthatshutter
Crisp and sharp images make a huge difference.
It might seem like a very basic requirement for a product photograph to be crisp but if you notice closely, not all product pictures are perfect in terms of focus.
There are some things you can do to ensure that your pictures are always blur-free.
- Keep your ISO as low as possible.
- Shoot at a faster shutter speed when you’re shooting handheld.
- When the depth of field is too thin, the camera can have trouble focussing on the product, choose a narrow aperture of around f/2.8 for sharper focus.
- If your hands are generally shaky, consider investing in a tripod. (I use this one)
- Invest in a prime lens like 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, and 90mm f/2.8-22. It’s an expensive investment but the results are massive and totally worth it.
- Use good-quality backdrops that appear smooth and seamless in pictures. (Check these out)
Q2. Can you share how you customize the backdrop’s color to match the product?
asked by @swetamehta_shukla
Most people think it’s a very hard-to-do thing but it is actually pretty simple on Photoshop. I did it in the picture above.
Let me quickly guide you through it.
Open your picture in Photoshop. Create a new hue/saturation layer, use the color picker tool to select the color of your backdrop. Move the hue slider to the left and right to find the color of your choice.
If your backdrop’s original color, which you’re altering right now, is present in other items in the image, use the eraser tool to remove the hue edits from them.
I’ve covered this in detail here – How to change color in Photoshop in under 5 minutes
Also Read: Out of ideas for your next shoot?
Q3. How to make a photography portfolio?
asked by @s_pictures__
Before making a Photography portfolio, you need to spend some time thinking about what kind of projects you want to take up.
Even in Product Photography, there are a lot of different genres you can specialize in. Skincare, luxury goods, e-commerce, etc.
After you have that in mind, you have to do 3 things.
- Research the industry and see what kind of images your ideal clients might be looking for.
- Shoot those kind of images as a personal project or you can collaborate with brands.
- Showcase these images in an line portfolio, you can use Behance.
Q4. How do I know when to use what kind of light?
asked by @high._click._photography
Before actually starting the shoot, you should have a mood board in place.
Let the mood board be your guide when thinking about what kind of light you should be using for your Product Photography Project.
If the picture you are using as inspiration has harsh shadows, use a harsh source of light. This can either be natural sunlight or an artificial strong light such as the Godox SL60W (budget option) or Godox SK400II, Godox FV150, etc.
When I started out, I used sunlight for the longest time before switching to artificial light. Investing in light makes the work so much easier.
You can control the direction of light and shadows, the intensity of the light, and the angle. I would highly recommend that you give this a thought and get yourself Godox SL60W which is an amazing budget-friendly option.
You will no longer be dependent on the time of the day, or the weather on your shoot day.
If you’re thinking of buying it, you need the whole set (in addition to the light itself) that you need has:
In the pictures above, I used Godox SL60W to mimic harsh sunlight.
To shoot product pictures with softer or no shadows you will need a different lighting setup.
- Two lights placed opposite to each other, facing each other. Put the stronger light in the opposite direction in which you want the shadow to be cast. Use the less bright light as a fill-light to soften the shadow.
- If you have only one light source available, use a reflector, thermocol sheet, or a white board to reflect back the light and soften the shadows.
I shot the picture above with a single light source – Godox SL60W paired with an octa-softbox with Bowens mount & a whiteboard to soften the shadows.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video where I used a flash on the right and constant light SL60W on the left.
Q5. I have started liking Product Photography but haven’t started yet. How do I find the motivation?
asked by @_2504_tanisha
Set your goals straight. Write them down a paper, writing your plan down always puts things into perspective.
Call me old school but I always prefer a simple pen and paper to notepads on our smartphones or laptops.
Write down what kind of Product Photographer you want to become, what kind of projects you’d like to do, and how much money do you want to earn from it.
Follow Product Photographers on Instagram, Behance, or scroll through Pinterest to find inspiring work from talented photographers around the globe.
Check out these Product Photographers on Instagram that I find insanely amazing,
Oh! and you can follow me as well if you’re feeling generous @garimashares
Q6. How to convince them to get their products captured by me?
asked by @incognito.0.7
Don’t convince them. (potential clients that you’re talking to)
If you have to convince them to work with you, this means that they don’t see the value and worth of your work.
You’re not a salesperson who has to make a sales pitch. You pitch your creative idea, your smooth communication skills, and your artistic approach towards each project of yours.
You absolutely don’t have to spend time convincing a brand to work with you. You can convey the message in a smarter way.
Tell them how your services would benefit them instead of directly convincing them to hire you.
Also Read: Skincare Product Photography IDEAS!
Q7. How do you manage lighting and presentation at the same time?
asked by @high._click._photography
Creating a thorough mood board helps a lot.
On every project that I take on, there are at least 2-3 rounds of discussions with the brand’s team, on the mood board.
Once you have the ideas finalized, I draw out the different setups that I want to create. This way, when I’m shooting I only have to play with light to get the best output since I already have a rough composition in mind.
Get every single thing approved by the brand so that there is no confusion in the expectations from the shoot. The best practice is to have everything written. If the discussion happened over a call/video call, follow up with an email listing down all that was decided in the conversation.
If you need more help with client conversations, I have curated a list of common questions (in my client conversation guide that you can purchase for just ₹499 / 10 USD) brands ask and answers that you can give to sound professional and avoid any mishaps.
If you want to purchase this Client Conversation Guide you can either mail me or DM me on @garimashares.
Q8. How do you select backgrounds for any kind of product?
asked by @ayushdevpura
The background selection depends heavily on the kind of shoot it is and what theme is the brand wants to work with.
Some of the types of backdrops in Product Photography are:
- Solid colored backdrops (can be vinyl, poly or canvas)
- Textured backdrops to mimic natural textures like that of marble or wood
- Cloth backdrops, satin for a chic shine in most cases
- Wooden board, hand-painted backdrops
Your backdrop selection should be perfect. It determines the final output. It should align well with the whole concept of the shoot and not take the focus away from the product too much.
For instance, if you’re shooting for a skincare brand’s moisturizer, it makes more sense to use solid colored minimal backdrop (beige/white/peach) than using a heavily textured, dark-colored backdrop. If you don’t have a backdrop stand yet, get one, it will simplify your work.
Some examples of different kinds of backdrops I’ve used in my work:
1. Tiled Backdrop
2. Solid Pastel-colored Backdrop
3. Textured Backdrop
Q9. How to get clients as a beginner?
asked by @awkwarrrrrd
As a beginner, focus on the thing that you can use as a selling point- smoother & transparent communication.
Because right now you don’t have a strong portfolio to gain the brand’s trust.
As I said before in this post, you need to identify what your ideal client looks like, which are the brands you’d like to work with. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What does your ideal client like?
- Where do they spend most of their time networking?
- What problems they might be facing?
Analyze these things and start building a strategy. Shoot images that would make those brands want to hire you ASAP. Connect with brand strategists, founders of brands of your niche on LinkedIn.
Engage with the brand’s posts in a non-spammy way. When you feel confident about work and are ready to make a pitch, always always, send them an email, not a DM on Instagram.
Q10. Is it always necessary to keep the exact white balance in product shoots?
asked by @rcsalbum
Yes, it is absolutely necessary.
The color of your product shouldn’t change. You have to keep this in mind while editing/color-grading product photographs.
The brand wouldn’t want to promote its products with pictures that don’t represent the actual product and packaging.
Conclusion
I hope this Q&A blog post was helpful. If your question was answered in this post, I’d love it if you would leave a comment and let me know if your doubts were cleared out.
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This blog post is really very helpful, great insights for a beginners, thank you.
Thanks Vinay!
Thanks for sharing informative article.