How I Approach Product Photography
You Don't Need a Studio - Just Go Outside
Hello and happy friday!
I’m excited to share some recent product photography with you and discuss how I approach a type of work that can often involve a lot of gear and a lot of faff, both of which I don’t embrace when it comes to how I shoot in this niche.
Whether you are a working photographer or not, I hope you enjoy this insight into my process and the images I’m sharing.
August Book Club
Don’t forget that book club will be kicking off again on the 1st of August and we are reading The War Of Art. I will be live streaming in August to talk about the book and other things so join the paid subscribers and get in on the action!
Objects Amongst The Everyday
I live for an off the cuff looking photo.
I love when things look a little rushed passed, perfectly askew or incongruous. Like a bright red tote bag on top of a freezer in an asian grocer! A shoe randomly somewhere or a wonky angle to evoke that candid feeling of rushed capture.
This is how I shoot a lot of my commercial work and I’m very lucky that certain brands have been receptive to it. I do dial this back a little depending on the client but when appropriate, I lean into it as much as possible because it’s kind of how I shoot my personal work too so it feels very aligned with my preferred style and that is a special thing to be paid to do!
So much fashion photography is slick and glamorous, or shot in a studio with perfect lighting and perfect people and all that pretty perfection just makes me want to put something out of place.
So that’s exactly how I approach product photography when tasked with it.
I take the object outside as much as I can and find interesting elements to include alongside the shoe or bag.
Colours that make the product stand out more or just grab your attention, because after all, that’s what I’m being paid to do when making these images.
I also think that showing these items, that will eventually end up on foot or slung over a shoulder or an arm, look and feel better alive in the real world not on card as a flat lay doomed to always be scrolled by on a website.
To me fashion is an art, the designs and the craft that go into it are living creative works that will go on to have their own unique life once worn by an individual. So why not show them out in the world?
For example, this pink bathroom above was the best find! It’s the bathroom at my local Japanese cafe and yes I unashamedly took my camera back in and made use of its complementing tile colour scheme to the bag I happened to be photographing.
This type of product photography (can we call it that if it happens in a public restroom?) is the exact vibe I’m looking for and it genuinely thrills me to go out with some shoes and bags and not know exactly what i’ll get.
It’s actually very awful in terms of productivity and efficiency but when it works it really evokes that ‘IRL this just happened’ look i’m going for.
The Human Element
These type of “art” shots are great and to me they echo Jill Sander campaign photos, which I love. The thing is though, this isn’t the only vibe I would focus on.
The people buying the items want to imagine themselves wearing and using them so this is where I include myself, whether that’s from my POV or directing Lux to execute the vision. This type of shooting allows for more storytelling as well, which is always welcome and appreciated by the viewer.
We are lucky in this regard as I’m happy to jump in front of the camera and Lux is more than capable of doing the behind the camera aspects. I’m so thankful for this creative duo we have and I think working closely together like this has resulted in a unique offering that saw us be full time with this work pretty much all of last year.
I’ve said this before but I really think this remote format of photography is a flexible and possibly more lucrative way to work as a photographer in today’s world. Images are needed at such a high rate and despite all the AI dread, I really don’t think that works for fashion, especially fashion that wants to build brand legacy and place an emphasis on ethics and storytelling, which is becoming more and more vital to breaking through the noise.
Playing On The Theme
Sometimes a product is just beautiful and it stands on its own and then sometimes it’s wise to convey a message or mood in the image, much the same as we sometimes want to in our personal work.
Perfume always has a good story and its not wearable as such in a photo, so it pays to give it some props or in situ moments that help to tell its tale.
Often these types of shots are more planned out, or less off the cuff at least and I bring in some lighting as well to elevate a little. The spectrum of photography is wide and it always amazes me how we can all have the same hobby or profession, but go about it in such a myriad of different ways. I think that’s probably my favourite thing about photography actually!
Although my client work is at a minimum right now due to YouTube being my full time gig (still can’t get over that!) I am so glad I got to play around so much last year with so many campaigns and I’m still taking on small jobs where it fits and I’m passionate about the product.
In these ever changing times it’s also really prudent to have a few skills in your back pocket to pull out when things don’t go to plan. Knowing I can pick up more work like this if I want to is wonderful and I recommend nurturing a skill you enjoy just to have it there as a possibility if your circumstances were ever to change.
I dreamed of shooting fashion campaigns when I was young and although I didn’t shoot for the biggest big global names like Prada or YSL, I’m so stoked I can look over my folio and tell myself, “you did it, you made that happen!”
I think that’s another reason having a website is great because you can host all your previous work and achievements there and remind yourself of your hard work.
Ending with one of my favs below that Lux took this year!
Feel free to let me know what you want to read about in future newsletters guys - I’m always keen to help and inspire where I can.
Love Lucy x
I usually hate product photography as it is too dull. You manage to take it to a different level that makes me think Oh I could try that
Great read, I love this approach!
I feel like so many people shoot themselves in the foot with photography by telling themselves "I can't" because they don't have studios, models, etc. But this shows that all you really need is your own personal approach to something to make it happen.