10 Beginner Tips for Unique Product Photography

Most photographers know the basics to good product photos – using a tripod, setting your camera to the widest aperture, using a white background, creating an out-of-focus background, and more. But what about those really unique product photographs? You know the ones. They simply don’t look like a normal product photo you’d see in a regular catalog. These are usually used for full page features in a catalog or in ads for top brands.

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While the photographers of these inspiring photos did follow the most important product photography rules, they also played around with breaking some of these rules. If you are too timid and unsure in your photography to step out of the box, you will probably never produce a truly unique product photo, such as what you see with Nike or the Anthropologie print catalog. If product photography seems lightyears away to you, and if you can’t even imagine shooting for Nike or Anthropologie catalogs do not worry! Every great photographer started from somewhere and here is a great beginner guide for how to become a photographer, if you are planning to get your hands dirty.

However, if you are ready to take the plunge, you may want to try one or more of these 10 tips for truly unique product photography.

1. Hang Products

Now, hanging products for better view is not necessarily an unusual practice in and of itself. Creative hanging, however, is. Maybe you should hang the product upside down, sideways, or in an unusual location. Suspend it from wires or ropes that remain a part of the photo. Go grotesque, sexy, or humorous. Play around with it and be sure to take way more photos than is necessary, and definitely be sure your lighting is perfect. Check out some of these creative photos with interesting suspension for some ideas:

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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
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Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash
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Photo by Ethan Rougon on Unsplash
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Photo by Irene Kredenets on Unsplash
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Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

2. Shoot from Strange Angles

Usually photographers place the camera at the same level as the product so that the shot comes out at eye-level. Most of the time, you want to be careful about shooting from odd angles, simply because it can distort a product. However, sometimes you can get away with this, especially if distortion is a look you are going for or if the product is one that will be difficult to distort. You may even want to try hanging the product normally but shooting from underneath or above. Here are some more photos shot from odd angles:

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Photo by Pat Taylor on Unsplash
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Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
10 Beginner Tips for Unique Product Photography Image-8
Photo by Malik Shibly on Unsplash
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Photo by Robin McSkelly on Unsplash
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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

3. Try Some Macro Shots

Keep in mind that most macro shots will probably need to be ones that are used in conjunction with normal product photos. However, they can be a great asset to a series of photos for, say, a feature page in a catalog, or an eye-catching poster ad. Just be sure that your lighting is phenomenal so that the tiniest details show up. The following are examples of excellent product macro photography:

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Photo by Josh Nuttall on Unsplash
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Photo by AB on Unsplash
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Photo by Shreesha bhat on Unsplash
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Photo by Courtney Smith on Unsplash

4. Show the Product in Weird Use

Grab the product, a piece of paper, and a pen. Now write down every use you can think of for the product. You may need to start with the more normal, everyday uses to get your brain up and running, but eventually try to come up with some ideas that are really out there. Then look over your list and circle the ones that have great potential for a unique product shoot. You may need to do some digital editing/illustration or costume/set design with this, so plan out your idea fully before starting the shoot. Here are some creative product uses:

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Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash
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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash
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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Shreesha bhat on Unsplash

5. Use Photo Manipulation

This secret goes hand-in-hand with tip #4 above. If you don’t have any skills with photo manipulation, you may need to hire a graphic design artist for help. However, this could be a great opportunity to learn Photoshop and Illustrator for some seriously original product photos. Check out some of these very interesting photo manipulations:

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Photo by Cierra Henderson on Unsplash
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Photo by Rishabh Dharmani on Unsplash
10 Beginner Tips for Unique Product Photography Image-22
Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Daniel Norris on Unsplash
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Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

6. Incorporate an Interesting Background

Many product photos stick with the rule of a plain background to put the focus on the product or to add another image in the background. Staging a unique background and props with the main product in the foreground can really add interest and even improve how desirable a product is. Take a look at some of these intricately staged product photos:

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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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Photo by Samuel Girven on Unsplash
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Photo by Pedro Araújo on Unsplash
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Photo by Jeet Dhanoa on Unsplash

7. Keep Your Background in Focus

Wait, what? Yes, an off-focus background keeps the eye on the main product. Sometimes, though, you may want to place, say, a food product with similar foods to suggest uses. In this case, keeping your product slightly in front but keeping the background clear can help promote this idea. Although, you can also try switching it up at times and place the product alongside the props or even in the background. Here are some great product photos with (mostly) focused backgrounds:

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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
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Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
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Photo by YearOne on Unsplash
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Photo by Veronika Jorjobert on Unsplash

8. Place Products Above a Reflected Surface

A reflection adds quite a bit of depth to an otherwise boring photo. And don’t get stuck using a mirror. Try using photo manipulation to reflect the image on water. Or place the product in a shallow pan of water. Use lighting to enhance the reflection and edit later to further bring out the reflection. The following are some great product reflections:

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Photo by Paul Cuoco on Unsplash
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Photo by Julius Drost on Unsplash
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Photo by Gold Chain Collective on Unsplash
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Photo by Aditya Sharma on Unsplash
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Photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash

9. Use Unique Stands

Setting products on fancy stands is a great way to add appeal to a photo. Take it to another level, though, by using items that you normally wouldn’t use for stands. An old box, another product turned upside down, a hand, a belly, the top of a head, geometric shapes, or even a photo manipulated stand. Below are some quite unique stands in use for products:

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Photo by Nandini Khandelwal on Unsplash
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Photo by Magda Vrabetz on Unsplash
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Photo by Hamza Ali on Unsplash
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Photo by Chibuzo Nwaneri on Unsplash
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Photo by Edoardo Cuoghi on Unsplash

10. Add Personality

Humanize products in your photography. Or create a story that surrounds it. Give it character. Ask your client what it is that makes their unique product better or simply different than a competitor’s. Use your photos to portray this aspect of the product for which the brand is known. These following photos certainly add personality to the products:

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Photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash
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Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash
10 Beginner Tips for Unique Product Photography Image-47
Photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash
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Photo by Ivan Didenko on Unsplash

Do you have any more great tips or ideas for creating unusual, outstanding product photos? Please share with the rest of us in the comments below!

Banner photo by Alexander Dummer on Unsplash

AUTHOR
Tara Hornor loves writing about marketing, advertising, branding, web and graphic design, and photography. She is a Senior Editor for Creative Content Experts, a copywriting company that she owns with her husband.

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