dallas product photographer
- Aaron Fairooz
- May 12
- 3 min read
BEHIND THE SCENES: PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH
Would you believe me if I told you this was the first time I've shot toothbrushes? Clients often focus on finding a photographer who has shot a specific type of product when in reality if you understand lighting it doesn't matter. Lighting techniques are transferable across all product types. If you understand lighting then you can shoot anything! For example, a reflective bottle has the same challenges as a reflective jewelry piece. Master lighting and you will be able to photograph any type of product.
creative Product photography
Check out the results here! One thing I didn't mention in the video is that I had to focus stack this image to get everything in focus. Sometimes shooting at f.22 still doesn't get everything sharp.
The client gave me free range to do anything creative so I wanted to make these brushes feel larger than life, expensive and high tech. So I went with a low angle and slightly moody lighting for drama.
Anytime I shoot something white there's usually a color cast in the white. In this case there was slight yellow undertones in the white parts and in the bristles. Removing all saturation from white products really helps it look clean and professional.
lifestyle product photography
Ok I'll start by saying these shots are not easy...they may look simple once done but combining all of the elements together takes time. Shooting contextual product photography takes patience and creativity. I'll walk you through the steps I take when approaching a shot like this.
Step 1: Choose your background
Since the product is a dark blue going with a lighter background is the obvious decision. Because it's a bathroom product I chose a tiled marble look.
Step 2: Choose your angle
I wanted to do a birds-eye view because I love the graphic symmetry it offers. I feel this angle ads value to the product and it also helps with lighting. Because the product is right up against the surface we get these nice shadows that create depth and light direction.
Step 3: Light your product
Since we are at a birds-eye angle lighting is fairly easy. We light from one side only, a mixture of soft and hard. This combo of hard and soft light is my favorite. The soft light makes it feel bright and the hard light brings out colors and textures.
Step 4: Add your props
Once you have your product strategically placed, lighting is set and angle is optimized, now you can place props in your frame to compliment the story we are telling. Lifestyle is about expressing a scene, a way of living, a hint into the persons life who might own one of these products. Using the clients products as props is an added bonus and opportunity to cross promote other product lines. In this case toothpaste and a tongue scraper. Notice all of the props are cutoff by the frame of the image. This is done on purpose to keep the focus on the main product and to land down the props with the frame. Proping is all about layering in this case each prop has a buddy. The toothpast with the suculent and the tongue scraper with the towel. I always leave one corner of the composition empty otherwise it might look busy. You want to give the viewer negative space for their eye to enter the image, bounce around and the exit the image without feeling clustered.
Adding elements: Water
Applying the same steps as mentioned above, we can now add a creative step and add the water element. Since we are in a bathroom lifestyle setting, water would be a common element. In this shot I felt like water specks could help imply that the product is waterproof while also adding some interest. I drenched the space in front of the pot to draw the orange color down the frame a bit to help it blend into a primarily desaturated photo.
In summary, lifestyle product photography is a test of all of your photography skils; lighting, creativity, composition and color balance. It does'nt have to be overwhelming if you simplify the process and follow the steps above.
Contact us today!
If you need your product captured contact us today for a quote. We do both photo and video of everything!
