how to photograph products Archives

If you need examples of great product photography, I have one today.

I gave across this online shop the other day and I was blown away by their product photography so I had to share.

HerriottGrace.com is a father and daughter team where the father, Lance, hand crafts beautiful kitchen and serving ware in wood, ceramic and metal and his daughter, Nikole, an established photographer, styles and shoots his creations. The results are very inspiring.

examples great product photography

What Makes These Product Photos Work

Showing the product in use
The addition of pops of color against a white background
Creating interest by having others items leading the eye off-center
Including the shadows makes it less sterile
Keeping a little of the messiness of eating makes it realistic
These are magazine quality images that editors will use and people will share on social media

great product photography

How to Get Professional Photos for Free

If you cannot afford professional looking photographs, local photography students may do it for free.

Simply go to your local community college, see if they offer a photography class, and then ask the professor if they would be willing to do a class project whereby they shoot your products for you. They get a class project, you get free photos. Photography students are also in need of subject matter for their portfolio, so you could also approach individual students about shooting your products for this purpose. You can barter with them and/or offer a credit/link to them on your site.

great product photography tips

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Want some awesome product photography tips with examples?

When you group a variety of items together in a manner that works and compliments each other, it is called a vignette. Photos in which products are incorporated into vignettes can be highly effective for selling your products in many ways.

Helps people visualize how to use your product
Helps show the perspective of size
Helps upsell your other products if they are shown in the photo

Take this product photo from the online store, Wisteria.

Product Photography Tips Examples

Why It Works: This photo is for the blue textual wall art sign on the left. What I like about it, is that it gives you an idea of how to use the wall art, plus you get a good idea of the actual size (it maybe not as big as you initially thought), and it helps upsell the other Wisteria products in the photo, such as the oars, the fish, the mirror, even the table, because it all looks so great together.

You can do this kind of photo for virtually any type of product, from wedding products and vintage items to pet products, kids and baby products and beauty products, but it is really effective for decor items and fashion and accessories.

product photography tips examples Even if you just sell one type of product, display them together, as in this photo from One Kings Lane.

Why It Works: If you sell candles, why just promote one candle? I mean why sell one when you can sell five? Therefore, have a photo that shows how a mix of your candles of various sizes, textures and colors would look together. It may be enough to convince a buyer to buy all of the candles because they want to duplicate the look.

product photography tips examples If you sell a variety of products, why not show them bundled together as part of a gift basket like this one from One Kings Lane.

Why It Works: You don’t necessarily have to offer the gift basket, but it does make the buyer think about maybe including your product in one, or how buying several of your products would make a great gift.

I love how this hand holding a variety of nail polish colors also features the colors on the nails themselves.

Why It Works: The photo is definitely a lot more bright and colorful, therefore eye-catching, plus you immediately see how to use all of the colors together, as well as on their own.

FINAL WORD: Photos can always sell products, especially with the current popularity of visual social media sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr. Just try to find creative ways to photograph and display your products that will encourage customers to buy more.

Be sure to visit my Shopify store to see my Products and Services for sale.

Be sure to also read New Ideas for Product Photography.