Want to understand how light works?
/Grab this light guide that explains how photography and light work together. Explained in simple terms.
Crafting Visual Flavor with BBQ Sauce
/Product photography is all about creating photos that can relay a message to it’s viewers.
You want them to feel connected to the product, and you can do that by incorporating ingredients within the product.
Showing these ingredients helps tell a story and makes the products come to life.
Storyline ideas for bbq sauce:
preparation in a kitchen
going to the park for a picnic or office party
headed to the lake
road trip in the family rv
food eating contest
grocery store shopping
Secret family recipe
Do you need product photos for the products you sell?
5 Compelling Reasons to Invest in a Professional Product Photographer for Your Business Success
/I’m sorry to say, but not investing in a professional product photographer isn’t helping you, it’s hindering.
Here are five ways a professional photographer helps you stand out in your product-based business:
1. Expertise: A professional photographer brings skills and experience to capture your products in the best light, ensuring high-quality images.
2. Equipment: Access to professional-grade cameras and equipment results in sharper, more detailed photos that stand out.
3. Creative Direction: Photographers can provide creative insights, suggesting unique approaches to showcase your products effectively.
4. Editing Skills: Professional photographers excel in post-processing, enhancing images to perfection for a polished and attractive look.
5. Consistency: A photographer can maintain a consistent visual style across your product photos, contributing to a unified and recognizable brand image.
Elevate your product business today!
2024 Vision: Elevating Your Product Photography Game
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If you are a product-based business and these are some of your 2024 goals, let’s work together this year.
1. Enhance the visual appeal of product photos.
2. Capture diverse angles and details for each product.
3. Ensure consistency in photo style across product lines.
4. Optimize lighting to highlight product features.
5. Experiment with creative compositions for visual impact.
6. Showcase products in real-life settings for relatability.
7. Implement a cohesive and visually appealing online product gallery.
8. Regularly update and refresh product photos to stay current.
9. Use high-quality images to convey product quality.
10. Explore innovative ways to showcase products through photography.
How to use your professional product photos
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Product photos can be used in a variety of ways to promote and enhance a brand. Some of these may be obvious, and you are probably already doing most of them, but there might be one idea in this list you haven’t done.
Here are some ideas for how business owners who sell products can make the most of their professional product photos:
1. E-Commerce Website:
- Use high-quality product photos on their e-commerce website to showcase their products. This is crucial for increasing sales and conversions.
2. Social Media:
- Share the photos on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to engage with their audience and drive traffic to their website.
3. Email Marketing:
- Incorporate product photos into email marketing campaigns to showcase new arrivals, promotions, and special offers to their subscribers.
4. Print Marketing:
- Use product photos in brochures, catalogs, and flyers to create eye-catching print marketing materials for distribution at trade shows, events, or in-store promotions.
5. Packaging Design:
- Incorporate product photos into product packaging to provide a clear visual representation of what customers can expect when they purchase the product.
6. Advertising Campaigns:
- Utilize product photos in online and offline advertising campaigns, including Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and banner ads.
7. Content Marketing:
- Create blog posts, articles, and other content on their website that feature product photos to educate and inform customers about their products.
8. Social Media Stories:
- Use product photos in Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and Snapchat to provide short-lived but engaging content that promotes their products.
9. Influencer Collaborations:
- Share product photos with influencers and brand ambassadors for them to use in their content, helping to promote the products to their followers.
10. Product Packaging Inserts:
- Include printed product photos inside the product packaging as a visual representation of the product, as well as to cross-promote other products or encourage customer loyalty.
11. Product Listings on Marketplaces:
- When selling on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, use product photos to create appealing product listings that stand out among the competition.
12. Trade Shows and Exhibitions:
- Display product photos at trade shows, exhibitions, and industry events to attract potential buyers and partners.
13. Website Banners and Sliders:
- Use product photos in website banners and sliders to create a visually appealing homepage and draw attention to featured products.
14. User-Generated Content:
- Encourage customers to share their photos using the products on social media and use these user-generated photos as part of their marketing efforts, with proper permissions.
15. Packaging Inserts:
- Include printed product photos, along with promotional materials, in the product packaging to enhance the unboxing experience and encourage repeat purchases.
16. Google My Business:
- Add high-quality product photos to their Google My Business profile to improve local search visibility and attract potential customers in their area.
17. Product Comparisons:
- Create product comparison charts or guides that include product photos to help customers make informed purchase decisions.
18. Affiliate Marketing:
- Share product photos with affiliate marketers who can use them to promote the products and earn commissions on sales.
By using your product photos across these various platforms and marketing channels, you can effectively build and promote your brand, increase sales, and engage with your target audience.
Tips for Sizing Photos for Publications
/When sharing photos to be published on professional blogs and magazines, it's important to send high-quality images that meet the publication's specific requirements. While these requirements can vary from one publication to another, there are some general guidelines you can follow:
Resolution: Photos should have a high resolution to ensure they look crisp and clear in print or on the web. A resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI) is a common standard for print, while 72 DPI is typically used for web images.
Image dimensions: The actual dimensions of the image will depend on the layout of the publication. Ask the magazine or blog for their specific size requirements. For web use, images are often measured in pixels (e.g., 1200 x 800 pixels), while print images may be specified in inches (e.g., 8" x 10").
File format: Common image file formats for professional use include JPEG, TIFF, and PNG. JPEG is the most common format for web use, while TIFF is preferred for print due to its lossless compression and high quality. I usually save photos in JPEG when printing.
Color mode: For print, use the CMYK color mode, which is optimized for the four-color printing process (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). For web use, use RGB color mode.
File size: The file size should be large enough to meet the publication's requirements for resolution and print quality. However, it should not be excessively large, as this can cause issues with file transfer and storage. Typically, a high-resolution image will result in a larger file size.
Compression and quality: When saving images in formats like JPEG, you can adjust the compression level to balance image quality and file size. Choose a high-quality setting to minimize compression artifacts, especially for print.
Naming conventions: Use clear and descriptive file names, including your name, a brief description of the content, and possibly the publication's name or date. This makes it easier for editors to manage and find your images.
Submission guidelines: Always follow the submission guidelines provided by the magazine or blog. They may have specific preferences for file formats, delivery methods, and other details.
Metadata and captions: Include relevant metadata and captions with your images, especially if you're submitting them to a publication. This information can help editors understand the context and content of the images.
Image release forms: If your photos feature recognizable individuals or private property, you may need to provide signed model or property release forms to protect the publication from legal issues.
It's crucial to communicate with the magazine or blog's editorial team and ask for their specific requirements and preferences. Different publications may have varying standards, and adhering to their guidelines will increase your chances of having your photos published in a professional manner.
5 Ways to Use Your Product Photos
/You’ve just received your professional product photos from your photographer. Now what? How can you use them? Below is a list of 5 ways you can put them to good use and promote your business.
Website
Publications
Shopify
Social Media
Newsletter
The website is like your cover page as well as a place to display a pretty view of the products you sell. It gives off the “welcome to my business” vibe when you walk into a store for the first time.
Every business should print information about their business. It’s a great way to reach the community that doesn’t know about your website and for the people who don’t have social media. Ways you can do that are; billboards, menus, mailers, magazine ad, and product catalog.
You also need professional product photos on your Shopify website. This is the place people are buying your product. Make them look good so people buy instantly.
59.3 percent of the total global population are on social media. Promoting and sharing product photos on social media is a must. Make sure to branch out to all social media platforms and repurpose your content in each place. (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn)
Email Newsletters are a perfect way to connect with your customers on a personal level and it’s a great way to use your professional product photos.
Professional tip: Add text to your photo with any of the Canva templates to elevate your graphics like I did in this reel.
How To Fake A Pool-Beach Look For A Product Shoot
/Planning ideas for a product shoot can be extremely fun and hard at the same time.
The goal is to make sure my clients are 100% satisfied in the end. The professional photographs I provide for them are meant to connect their clientele-present and future, with the products they sell in hopes they become long time customers.
Sometimes the ideas might seem impossible. For example, I don’t live near the beach, or own a pool.
For one of my styled shoots, I wanted the setting to be at the beach or pool. So instead of it stopping my creative process, I made a beach/pool scene and I chose to shoot this outside to give it the high contrast light.
The tools used:
Playsand
Clear acrylic container
blue poster board
water hose
beach props
clients products
white foamboard to reflect light on your subject and cancel out the warm tones from the brick.
tripod
Spray bottle with water to make the sand wet and condensation on products
Tips:
As you are shooting, be aware of your own shadow
Try several angles
Move props around to try different looks
Under-expose (darken) your photo when shooting outside. It’s hard to see the exposure correctly when shooting outside in the bright light.
Shoot with a variety of lenses so you can get different looks
You can shoot these with your DSLR or iPhone. I hope you have fun creating.
If you have questions, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Featured product: Pure and Coco
I want to know what you think...
/I want to know what you think! Do you imagine my days as a product photographer are all fabulous with creative ideas and perfect execution every time?
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Honestly, that’s kind of what I hope for every time I shoot, but sometimes you are dealing with food that melts, loses form in seconds, products that don’t stay out, or the shoot gets rained out.
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And I’m okay with it. All though frustrating sometimes, it challenges me to find a new route.
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How are your expectations stacking up to reality lately?
It’s been a fun summer so far photographing ice cream for a local donut shop. Yes, ice cream and donuts, what more could you ask for?
I’ve been exploring more studio light options, backdrops and thinking through all of the elements (start, middle, finish) a little more clearly and let me just say-magic is happening.
