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BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR BEAUTY PRODUCTS

When I first started my blog, I’d just completed a photography degree. So it was created to carry on my photography but also love for all things fashion & beauty. I could spend hours taking product shots creating the kind of shots that I thought brands would want to use on their instagram. I feel like the reason my blog done well was because the photography was professional which gave a stronger look on my website, because lets face it, I aint no Shakespeare - I type like how I speak and we all know i talk like a silly Geordie so its not the best writing. 

So here is some tips I’ve gathered over the years of blogging which I thought would be nice to share because I know when you're trying to take images its hard to come up with some creative ideas. I'm not saying I'm amazing but these are what have helped me over the years and I quite like my style of photography. Everyone has a different style so make it your own.

First off lets talk about equipment.. I mainly use my Olympus pen E-PL7 with the 45mm lens as that lens creates a shallow depth of field which is the blurred background which makes the subject/product stand out more. (See depth of field bullet point for more info)
But I also use my iPhone 7Plus for easy & accessible images, plus the portrait mode is amazing. 


Lighting - I would say this is the most important factor in photography. If its too dark, its not going to be sharp plus it doesn’t look good. There's also nothing worse than a yellow image so switch off the light. Flash is too harsh and too unprofessional. Natural light is gonna be your best friend. Create your set right next to the window so your back is to the window, the light needs to go through the camera, not photographing into the window - away from. I never use lighting equipment for my beauty blog photos because you get the ring light circle in products with mirror like packaging plus it makes the image more yellow-y.


Set-up - If you haven’t got any plain white walls then buy some A1 white card or coloured whatever fits with your theme. If you haven’t got the set, then create your own. The amount of different coloured bits of card I’ve bought from The Range is taking up most of the spare room. Then just create a box like set up so you don’t get anything else in the shot. I don't have a spare corner of a room that I can use where its totally plain so I have got to set up either on my bed by sitting with the window behind me and putting card up (with pillows behind so they stay up) so you cant see the background. Bedcovers also make for good backdrops. 



Props - I’ve once spent £50 on fake flowers just for photography props because they can make a photo look so much better. You can lay whatever your product in amongst all your flowers to create a cute backdrop. Or use the flowers to create a camera effect. Have your set up then when you’re ready to take the photo, get some flowers and hold them close to the camera but only so they’re in the corner of the shot which creates this white blur. I find this makes it look more professional. Plus if you're doing a flat lay then you need loads of random bits so I like including magazines, a tray & some accessories. Trays, mugs, sunglasses etc also make for good props.




Depth of field - The depth of field is basically how much of the image is in focus. I went to college and uni and didn't really learn about this so I’ve learnt more off youtube so if you’re not sure what this is then go watch some youtube videos on it. To make it simple, the lower the F number then the more blurry the background will be. It also means that only a small part of the image will be in focus and it makes the product stand out more. How to get a small depth of field - you need the settings on a low F stop. This may depend on the lens you're using as some only go as low as 3 but for a blurry background you need to be on an f stop of about 1.8-2. So when you're buying new lens's for your camera and you're after a blurry background lens, check out how low the f stop goes - it should tell you the lowest F stop.
Portrait mode is amazing for this on the iPhone plus's though! 


Framing - the framing of the image is super important too because the way you frame the product could be the difference between a professional image and an amateur. Framing is where you frame the product within the shot, the middle of the shot is the most important place which makes it more focal. If the main product is more over to one side of the shot it means its not as important because when you first look at an image you're eyes are drawn to the middle of the photograph - always. Angles can also help, try to move about to see what works best.


hope this helps guys! Whats your main photography tip?

Laura xox

4 comments

  1. I love these tips! Beauty products are definitely what I struggle with most. Most of the time I'll just revert to a basic flatlay but I've been loving practicing with some different styles recently. xx

    Lucy | www.lucy-cole.co.uk

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  2. Your photos are gorgeous thanks for the tips! And I love your blog, when K read it, I hear it in my head with your accent haha it's lovely! Better than my boring Southern accent!

    Daisy :)
    www.daisybelleblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is such a great post with so many helpful tips. I really do think that lighting is key!

    Danielle xx
    http://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks a lot very much for the high quality and results-oriented help.
    I won’t think twice to endorse your blog post to anybody who wants
    and needs support about this area.


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