The 4 P’s to Photoshoot Perfection

The 4 P’s to Photoshoot Perfection

Expanding your product photography folio is no mean feat. Thankfully, Bek Sheppard & Jasmine Kha are on hand to help. In this article, they share their top tips on increasing photo longevity, picking props, personality in colours and engaging the right audience.
People

Think carefully about the target audience and avoid letting your personal taste interfere, particularly with the setting and props. I encourage clients to take a step back and revisit the product features and benefits. Particularly, what problem is this product solving for this particular customer? It’s about inspiring your target audience and creating a personalised link between them and you. The blinds in figure 1 provide an attractive and functional solution to achieving privacy in the family home.

Figure 1: This blind range provides functional solution for the family home with an additional child safety benefit.

 

Personality

As a stylist working with businesses on a regular basis, I find it always helps to revisit core values. ‘On-trend’ and ‘achievably stylish’ were 2 key attributes Zone Interior were looking to communicate. How you communicate individuality is essential to resonate with the right people. Photography in your asset library represents your brand’s personality just as much as your logo does – the last thing you want is to look like a competitor! We chose colours with a long life expectancy, grey and white with a pop of pattern. Creating images with longevity is a clever investment.

Figure 2: White & grey will never age. Pair with a Polka dot to make it contemporary.

 

Props

I like to research into brands with similar values when selecting propping. Similar brands with a similar brand aesthetic are likely to have a similar target audience. With more experienced brands, they know what customers respond effectively to and that insight is advantageous. Keeping informed with furniture trends and forecasting can help you get ahead of the game when selecting the correct propping and ensure the photography doesn’t date.

Figure 3: Props are complementary. It’s important to not get carried away, restraint shows confidence in the product.

 

Product

Your product is always the hero and everything else is complementary. When you look at the photography, the eye must be immediately drawn to the featured product. Spotlights and contrasting can achieve this in the editing process. The daylight filtering under the blind in figure 4 supports the functional objective that this product blocks light beautifully and effortlessly.

Figure 4: Spotlights, contrasting or using a short depth of field can help drag focus to the product.

 

Article and photography taken from a recent photoshoot with Zone Interior blinds. View the full case study here. 
Looking for some advice for an upcoming shoot? Email jasmine@finlaysoncommunications.com.au.