A photography portfolio is one of the most important tools in a photographer’s arsenal to draw clients to their product photography studio. It is a concise collection of photos, created to display your best work. If you’re a product photographer, then a portfolio is the medium that lets a business owner take a peek into your passion, dedication, and expertise.
The aim of a good portfolio should be to showcase as many kinds of products as possible, from various angles, with a background that highlights their best features and makes them stand out. This may seem like a simple task, but getting the kind of images that attracts business is tricky due to certain things that product photography studio overlook while taking, processing, and presenting photographs.
If you feel like your portfolio has scope for improvement, then you may want to find out if you are going wrong in any of the following ways.
Mistakes to Avoid During the Shoot
Once the stage is set for the shoot, here are the photography mistakes to avoid while taking the pictures:
1. Improper Composition
The arrangements of the objects in the picture make a big difference to the result. According to the ‘rule of thirds’, only 1/3rd of the picture should be filled with the products or any other objects. This is a good rule to follow for getting attractive captures.
2. Inappropriate use of Props
Using too many props, unrelated props, or props that overshadow the product defeats the purpose of using them. The right amount and kind of props can enhance the relatability and presentation of the products. But always remember that the ultimate goal of a professional product photographer is to keep the focus on the products. The key to that may be to keep your photographs simple.
3. Taking unsteady Pictures
Any unintentional movement during taking a picture can result in blurry, unsteady pictures. Product images usually need to have a high resolution so that the customer can zoom in and see the details. Even the slightest blurriness dues to an unstable hand will be visible at such resolutions. Therefore, it is wise to take your time, be extremely careful and use a tripod or the ‘stabilizer mode’ of the camera, while taking pictures.
4. Watermarking Images
In product photography, watermarking may not always be the right thing to do. Watermarks can distract the viewer from the center of attraction, which is the product. Today, watermark removing software is widely available, so, watermarking does not guarantee that your image will not be stolen.
Mistakes to Avoid During Post-Production Processing
If you are a photographer who provides Amazon product photography service, then the post-production stage of photography is of utmost importance to you. Popular eCommerce portals like Amazon have strict standards about adhering to the specifications of the product image that they provide. During post-production processing watch out for:
1. Lack of Clarity
Make the product the hero of the image while editing by brightening and whitening the background, so that the product stands out against it. For example, in makeup product photography, make sure the product and its shade and texture are visible. No matter how clean your background is during the shoot, you may still need to retouch it in the post-production stage.
2. Oversaturating Images
In cases like cosmetic product photography, you may want to increase the color saturation of the image so that the product looks more vibrant and appealing. You must, however, keep in mind that over saturation can make the product look artificially altered and reduce the customer’s trust in it. Such pictures in your portfolio may put off your client.
3. Inappropriate Cropping
Don’t underestimate the importance of having negative space in your photograph. The right amount of negative space can draw the viewers’ eyes towards the focus of the image. But, too much of it can make the product appear lost. So, it is important to crop, but keep in mind not to crop too closely or to keep too much space around the central attraction.
4. Over Sharpening
Sharpening can help reveal the texture of a product and highlight patterns on it. But overdoing it will make the product look rough, alter the look of the product negatively and make it look made up. You have to be careful while using the sharpening tool during editing.
5. Distortion from Resizing
Resizing your image may be necessary to fit the specifications of certain clients, but it should not make your photographs look overly stretched or out of proportion. Such images look unprofessional and unrealistic.
The goal of photographing products is to motivate customers to buy the product. When business owners look for a good photographer, they are primarily looking for a person who understands this simple fact. As a photographer who aims to cater to a certain industry, you need to look at the products through the eyes of the client and care about their features.