When you’re a business, what’s one of the main things that will help sell your product? Fun and engaging photos of course! A walk down any main street or shopping mall will show us hundreds of similar-looking clothing models all posing nonchalantly against a brick wall – so much so that it’s possible we block them out due to over exposure. This isn’t so much a problem for the big players like H&M, Forever 21, etc., as they are already world famous brands. But for an emerging small business eager to show their product to the world, it may take something special for you to get noticed.
If you’re in a DIY mood, then hiring a studio and photography equipment (if you don’t have some already) is a great start for your product. You can experiment and throw ideas around all day, and come away with a lot of new shots to begin your campaign with. We recommend reading this online guide which covers everything from equipment, lighting, camera settings, and editing.
As for clothing and accessories, you have several more options to play around with, as you’ll likely to be working with models, or at least staff, friends, or family willing to be photographed. It’s hard not to have someone’s full attention when people are jumping in the photo, as it’s such an enjoyable action. Making shapes with your body as well (think of the ‘Help!’ album cover from The Beatles), is a unique idea if you have several models in one shot.
One photography idea that got our attention a while back was in this video from photographer Lorenz Holder. The panorama hack would be fantastic for clothing or accessories, as it could show the model in four different poses. Optical illusions are generally noteworthy and shareable, and it’s not hard to see why. Looking through this list will show you how easy it is to create illusions that are so effective (pretending to be on the side of a wall is our favorite).
Lastly, who says you always need to photograph an entire subject? Sometimes focusing on one specific feature does much more than a wider shot could ever hope to achieve. Picking up on little details can mean a lot to some people. All in all, the main thing is to play around and trial different options with your product photos. You want people to be amazed, rather than indifferent, when they see your images.
