Build your perfect shot list: 6 concepts for your lifestyle product photography shoot
What if every time you went to write a blog, post on social media, or refresh your website, the photo you needed was just *right there* waiting for you? Creating that beautiful, time-saving folder of product photos is what hiring a photographer is all about, but there are some things you can do to make that set of images as useful to you as possible.
A simple yet effective bouquet image, with the focus on the flowers and soft details bringing context to the shot.
Align your content planning with your photos
The key is planning ahead. First things first, make a list of topics you might want to cover in blog posts, social media, and sections of your website. For example:
What does your audience want to know about your product, and how can you help them fall in love with it?
Are you giving your audience styling ideas, showing them how the product fits into their lives?
Do you talk about your sustainable packaging, the ingredients or materials you use?
Have you introduced the face(s) behind the brand?
Variety highlights your brand, not just your product
Having a variety of images, showing different aspects of the product, in different settings, will give you more options later. Showing that variety also gives your audience a sense of your brand, not just your product- and anything you can do to strengthen your brand identity is valuable.
Once you’ve got some prompts from your planning, use those ideas to visualise the images that will work best for you. Your photographer can help you with this!
Here are six ideas for shots that will show off your brand and products, and give you a variety of images for a really successful product photography shoot.
Six ideas for your lifestyle product photo shoot
A vase of flowers styled in a home setting; multiple bouquets grouped together; a product photo including hands brings the image to life
1. Show your product in use
This is the heart of lifestyle product photography- when you style your product in a home or realistic setting, you help people the visualise that product in their idealised life- which makes them want to buy it. You’re also giving them styling tips- if there are multiple ways to style your product, you could make that a blog feature and style a series of images to match.
2. Groups of products
Our eyes and the algorithm both love seeing multiples of an object in one shot- especially odd-numbered groupings. Create visual impact and show off your product range all at once.
3. Include hands or people in your shot
It’s important to keep the focus on the product, not the person, but using a model (or yourself!) to add a human element to an image can really bring it to life. Just make sure everyone’s nails look decent!
Branding and packaging; ingredients and materials for bouquets; adding action or movement to an image can make it more compelling
4. Showcase ingredients or materials
Styling a shot which references the ingredients or materials you use in your products is a great visual illustration to accompany text which elaborates on those materials. This kind of shot works really well for food brands, candles, and beauty products
5. Highlight your packaging
Show off your beautiful wrapping, your brand’s stamp, the matching ribbon you use for gift packaging. Shots like this will beautifully illustrate copy about your packaging and gift options, and give your audience a chance to visualise how lovely it will be to unwrap. If your packaging is carefully chosen to complement your product and augment your customer’s experience, show it off!
6. Add some movement
A blurry person moving through a room, smoke curling up from a just-extinguished candle… there are different ways to add a sense of movement to a shot, and they can be so captivating. Anything which creates a sense of action happening in an image works here.
A final note on format and aspect ratio
As you’re working through your content plan, make a note of what platforms you’re sharing images on and chat to your photographer about format, or aspect ratio (the height and width of an image). Different platforms have different requirements and planning ahead for these means you’ll avoid awkward crops later. I have a whole separate post on this coming soon!
Was this blog helpful? Do share it with friends, if so, and let me know if you have any questions.If you’d like to chat more about brand photography or lifestyle product photography, send me an email- I’d love to hear from you.
All the images in this post feature Wild Rose Flowers- a lovely boutique florist based near Bristol.