2 Tips For A Better Catalogue Photo

Packshot photography is all about selling your products. Every single catalogue photo has to work hard to sell both the product itself, and your business or brand. Getting it right is critical, and yet every year businesses struggle to keep afloat because they fail to make the right impact with customers.

Packshot photography should occupy your thoughts at every stage of the marketing process, and making the right choices early on can make a massive difference further down the line. When it comes to creating a catalogue photo it isn't always necessarily the case that bigger is better, more expensive options are better ones or that technology is more important than ingenuity.

Professional photographers who work in the world of marketing know that often it takes more inspiration than perspiration, despite what some may say. That's not to suggest it isn't hard work, but one of the toughest things to come up with isn't the set, the props, the models, the lighting or the equipment - it's the idea. Once you have an idea then you're up and running, although often that idea will require a good deal of nurturing, encouragement, trial and error, adaptation and serious thought.

It might seem like a great idea to you - very clever and ingenious, but it's important to think about your target audience. Will it appeal to them? Will they get it? Will they be able to quickly and correctly interpret your message? Are you conveying the right message, and to the right people in the right way?

Often it's difficult to know this without the benefit of many years' experience in packshot photography, but if you're setting out to take a catalogue photo of a product, here are two good tips to bear in mind that could save you time and money, and make a big difference as far as the effectiveness of your advertising photography is concerned.
Tip #1 - Get Up, Close And Personal - Sometimes people taking a catalogue photo become obsessed with showing every single part of the product. Take a picture frame for example - they feel it necessary to show the whole frame, often with a picture in it.

But there are many examples where this just isn't effective. Get closer. Even if it means you only see part of the product. Try getting just a few inches away from the corner of the frame, showing the details, colours, shape and embellishments much more clearly.

People know what a picture frame is, and know that you put a picture in it - so why show them that? Show them what they want to see - show the detail, because isn't that what makes your picture frame different from anyone else's?
Tip #2 - Work With Your Shadows, Not Against Them - If you're taking a catalogue photo of a product which is difficult to light, such as a motorbike, you may find yourself battling with shadows. By lighting most of the bike in a way that's natural you inevitably find shadows forming, hiding details that are important, and could be seen in real life.

By adding more light you just end up creating darker shadows, or bleaching out those areas which are lighter. Instead of fighting the shadows, work with them.

One of the best ways of doing this is to simply light the product normally, and taker three images - one under exposed, one normal, and one over exposed. By using a graphics package it's possible to blend these three images together in a way which shows the lighter areas illuminated clearly, without any bleaching, with the details hiding in the shadows being brought out too. The result is packshot photography which looks more natural, and works harder to sell your product more effectively.

For more helpful advice and information about packshot photography visit The Packshot People, where you can also find out how affordable it can be to have a professional catalogue photo shoot.