Product Photography

The objective of product photography is to show an object in the most attractive and descriptive way possible. Its main purpose is marketing, so it must arouse interest and provide information through the image. Here are some basic points to which we must pay attention:

• Background: it is common to use a white background in e-commerce photography. However, this should not always be the case. We should choose any color that allows the object to stand out from the background, making it more visible and attractive. The plain or flat background is also the most commonly used, but sometimes we can use textures or patterns to create an eye-catching image without taking away the importance of the object..
• Lighting: we can use diffused light, hard light or a combination of both to create aesthetics or highlight the volume of the object. The harder the lighting is (without diffuser or bounced), the more defined or "hard" the volume of the elements and general volume of the object will be shown. Another important thing is to correctly illuminate the whole area of the object we see in the frame, avoiding both very dark shadows or overexposure that does not allow us to see any part of the object..
• Placement and details (zoom): refers to the position of the object we see through the frame. Here it is important to assess which positions and how many photos are necessary to correctly describe the object. Detail is the action of zooming in on an area to make it more visible, so it is important to assess whether this detail contributes to the description of the object. As part of the concept of placement is also the form in which we present the object. For example: if it is a fabric, a dress, a flexible material, the presentation is the way in which we place the folds or the elements to obtain an aesthetic visual result. In the case of still lifes, it would be the way we present the scene as a whole.
• Focus: sharpness is an essential requirement in product photography. Although we can sometimes reduce the depth of field by opening the aperture (higher f/stop number) to achieve a desired aesthetic effect, it is important to assess whether this effect contributes to the purpose of the product photo..