Welcome to product photography on a budget part 2 Composition. The first thing to think about when starting out with product photography is obtaining some basic equipment. You can read about what you could use in Product Photography On a Budget in Part 1. In this blog I will be concentrating on composition. A good photo could be the difference in making a sale. Or perhaps you need to impress craft market organiser. As a market organiser and online seller, I deal with a lot of product photos. Your photo needs to wow the person who is sitting in front of it. Taking the time to compose and edit your photos is time well spent.

Clear Photos

Clear, crisp photos are a must. Nevertheless, I see many fuzzy photos accompanying craft market applications every year. Your photos are the first thing craft market organisers see. Similarly, they are the first thing your customers see in your online shop. Take some time to learn the parameters and features of your camera. Here are a few things you can do with your camera to enable you to get better pictures

• Make sure you understand how to the focus features
• Clean the lens
• Avoid zooming in close as this lowers the quality of your photo
• Use a tripod, or put your phone on a stable surface
• Use natural light where possible
• Try using High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode on your phone

Simple Set Up & Background

I have received many photos of beautiful products that get lost due to a busy background. The aim is to show off your product, so it needs to stand out. Also, remove anything that may cause a distraction in the picture. I have had pictures sent to me where you can see irrelevant things in it. To name a few, glasses on the table, a tee shirt draped on the back of a chair, products displayed in their plastic bag. Nobody wants to see these, make sure you remove them.

Definitely remove price tags and labels. This is an important one. Price tags look ugly, and if you subsequently increase the price a customer might query it if they have seen your photo with a lower price. Therefore, try and make your photos timeless. Here are some tips that I have used.

• Aim to use a simple plain background, White or another neutral colour see Part 1 of this blog for ideas
• Try to us non-shiny materials for your set up to cut down glare
• Remove any distractions from view
• Remove price tags and labels

Use Props

Sometimes a product needs a helping hand to be shown at its best. Using props can help. The best props are those that help showcase the product like using filling in bags, demonstrate what it is used for e.g put make up items with a make up bag, or tie in with the look and feel of it, so props that are similar in colour or style. Here are some examples

• Fill a bag with clean soft filling like bubble wrap. This shows all aspects of the bag and allows it to stand up. A hanging empty bag often looks a little limp, and the part hung over the hook is often not visible.
• Other examples for showing the use of a product might be: if you make handmade bowls, add some fruit or sweets in it for one shot (this ties in with size and scale below), if you make bookmarks, show it in an open book.
• Colour and style. Define the style of the product rustic, modern, cute etc. Then find props that fit that style that you might pair with it. Similar styles, shapes and colours are all things to think about when choosing props. You probably have things around your house that you could use. When you are creating product photography one a budget this is an inexpensive way to enhance your pictures.

Size & Scale

It is important to show size and scale. You can demonstrate this in many ways. For the case of a shoulder bag for example, photograph it with someone holding it. Whatever you are selling there is usually a way to demonstrate size. Think about objects that you can put next to your product to demonstrate size and scale. A word about objects to use, make sure it is something people are familiar with. An object placed in a hand, or a coin if you have very small products are good options. Basically, any commonly used item is best, because customers will be familiar with the size and scale of it.

These are my recommendations to beginners in this blog Product Photography on a Budget – Part 2 Composition. But there are plenty of other resources on the internet for further help.