PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY - BEHIND THE SCENES!
Product photography makes up a large portion of my work and its definitely one of my favorite things to do. I really enjoy working with people who have started their own business and are working hard on their passion! From roses to makeup to clothing, each person and business I get to work with is unique and its so great to be a part of each journey. I first had an interest in product photography in college, but it wasn’t until we moved to Florida a few years later that I was able to make that dream a reality. I had always worked portrait-style jobs, but in Miami I ended up getting a full-time product photography job photographing clothing for an e-commerce business. I also picked up freelance work where I could on the side of my “day” job, and while shooting at an event with a blogger one day I ended up meeting a couple who ran a business selling macarons and rose arrangements. I photographed their products while at this event for them, and this led to many other shoots with them during the rest of my time in Miami. I purchased my own set of lights so I could bring them along to shoots like this or be able to shoot from home. Since moving to Houston in January 2018 and starting my full-time freelance journey, I have been able to meet and work with more and more local brands & I love it!
In some cases, product photos require a solid white or black background for website use or something like Amazon. I’m sure some people may find these boring but I actually enjoy doing these photos! For me, a lot of it comes down to editing and its fun to watch it all come together at the end. For an example below, I photographed the Makeup by Sparkle set in two parts. First, I photographed the lip products on a dark background. The edges of the bottles are clear, so I photographed them on a darker background so that when I move them to a solid black background it will look more realistic rather than having white showing through that clear area. For the cosmetic bag though, I photographed that on a white background because it was easier to remove from the background due to the contrast from the black and white. (Not going to lie, editing that furry tag was very difficult but I am happy with how it came out.) So after removing both the lip products and the bag from their backgrounds during the editing process, I was able to layer them together on to a solid black background to create the final photo!
Whenever a black or white background is not needed, I like to play around with fun colors and textures. I’ll also incorporate props sometimes as well, though I do think my style is more on the minimal side. I love bright colors and having everything look clean and sharp. Here are some examples of work I have done for Lovinah Skincare using different backgrounds.
Last but not least for a little behind the scenes, you may know I have a cat named Lulu Beans. Since I do most product photography from home, she gets very curious and has to check everything out. I always end up having to lock her out of the room because she will try to steal my props or climb on the lights..not a very good assistant!
Product photography is something I continue to learn about and I am thankful for every experience I have to grow and improve. Thank you for stopping by, and you can see more of my favorite product photos with more brands here! :)