Product Photography: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Photography Tips  •  Product Photography

When it comes to product photography, it’s all about making the product appear as attractive as possible in context. Ultimately, you’ll want to grab and retain the attention of potential customers with your photographs. This is what determines the success of product photography at the end of the day. In today’s video, photographer and content creator Peter McKinnon shares 5 quick tips that’ll help you to take better product photos:

Like with any other genre of photography, lighting plays a pivotal role in product photography. But the difference here is that you don’t want to light the background surface as much. This will highlight the unnecessary details and create a distraction. Instead, concentrate on the way the light interacts with your product. If the light is hard, see how you can modify it so that the light wraps around the subject. Using a modifier, you can also ensure that there are no distracting specular highlights on the product and that the shadows are soft as well.

“Get the lighting right or get out!”

And when composing the shot, you don’t want the product to completely fill the frame. This will make the image feel suffocating. Be sure to make use of some negative space and give the subject some room to breathe. However, if you’re taking a macro image of the product for some details, then it’s a different story. And if you aren’t a big fan of using too much negative space, you can use some props and supporting elements to complement the product. But again, be sure not to overuse them. You don’t want the product to be lost amidst the props.

As McKinnon shares in his video, your choice of lens will matter as well. Don’t use the wrong lens. If you want to showcase the product along with the environment, go for a wider lens. And if you’re looking at a tighter shot with greater emphasis on the product, use a longer lens. Using the wrong lens will adversely affect the perspective in your image.

Take these tips into account and you’re sure to end up with better photos for your products. What’s your favorite product photography tip?