Case Study: Iylah Cosmetic Product Photography

Case Study: Cosmetic Product Photography

The Brief

Iylah — a fledgling cosmetics brand built around premium-quality fragrance formulations — found dpix online, liked the portfolio, and made contact. Within three days of the initial conversation, the studio shoot was done.

The brief was to create two distinct image types from a single session: product photography with the polish and composure expected of a premium cosmetic brand, and social media imagery — vibrant, fresh and immediate — for Instagram and Twitter.

Both sets needed to communicate the same core idea: this is a brand that takes its ingredients seriously and its aesthetic equally so.

The Creative Process

Cosmetic product photography sits in a precise creative space. Too clinical and it looks cold. Too styled and it loses the sense of quality. For a new brand making its first proper impression on social media, getting that balance right at launch matters.

Darren’s approach was to treat the two deliverables as genuinely distinct creative briefs sharing a consistent identity. The social media images needed energy and brightness — a palette that would perform well in a feed. The product shots needed more gravity: considered composition, lighting that respected the product’s finish and packaging, and a slightly more editorial quality.

Understanding the brand’s story was a key part of the preparation. Iylah had done significant research into their ingredients and the quality behind their fragrances. That care and intentionality needed to come through in the imagery.

Preparation

Iylah came well-prepared. The client had proactively sourced and supplied a strong selection of props — which gave the team real creative options when it came to styling each shot. Arriving on shoot day with well-chosen props already sorted is one of the clearest signals that a client has thought seriously about what they want their brand to look like.

Lighting was planned for two distinct moods. The social media setup was built around bright, clean, high-key light that would give the imagery energy and a sense of freshness. The product photography setup used a more considered, sculpted approach — flattering the packaging and conveying the premium quality of what was inside.

Execution

The shoot was run in two clear phases to protect the integrity of both image sets. The product photography came first — working through the product range with careful attention to composition and the reflective surfaces that cosmetic packaging typically demands.

The social media session followed, with the set refreshed around the brighter setup and the props introduced more actively into the arrangements. The client’s thorough preparation with props made the creative decisions faster and more natural on the day.

The Result

Iylah left with a dual-purpose image library ready for both their launch product photography and their social media channels — consistent in brand identity but distinct in character between the two uses.