Whilst we’ve talked about choosing the perfect location for your photography in our previous blog post here, did you know that a lot of our glossy, catalogue-ready images of products in-situ in beautiful rooms or with stunning backdrops aren’t always shot on location?
The majority of our catalogue work is done here in our Worcester-based studio, where the real art of capturing catalogue photography is less about the click of the camera shutter and more about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ ideas, leg-work and lighting that can bring a product to life.
One of the skills we bring to our catalogue photography shoot is creating studio-based room sets, so we thought we’d give you a little peek into the world of studio set design, with a look at how our behind the scenes work helped craft some stunning photographs for a specialist radiator company’s catalogue.
Here, our set design guru Julie talks about how it all came together…
“When selling a product like radiators, the imagery can make all the difference to a sales pitch. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter how innovative or designer your range is, looking at a radiator as a stand-alone object can be pretty uninspiring!
“But offer an aspirational image, showing the customer how your high-end radiator could look installed in their home, and all of a sudden looking through your catalogue becomes less of a chore and more of a pleasant, even (dare I say) exciting task!
“When a few dozen radiators of various shapes and sizes were delivered to our studio, it was my job to create artistic room backdrops that would make them stand out.
“As some of the photographs were to appear as quite small images within the catalogue, it was important to keep them uncluttered – yet still striking and eye-catching. Colour was the most crucial element so I sourced various paint palettes to highlight the different radiator designs, from a rich deep red to a duck egg blue, and painted boards to act as makeshift ‘walls’ within the studio.
“The client also wanted an accompanying object in each shot – so I had great fun searching for unusual pieces such as decorative vases or statues that would complement each design.
“Here are some of my rough planning sketches matching colour, radiator and items.
“And here’s an example of a finished image.
“For feature photographs for the catalogue, we added much more detail – a window with a view, curtains and specialist lighting to create a streaming sunlight effect.
“In front of the camera – it didn’t look particularly attractive!
But the finished image? What do you think?”
So, before you go searching for that perfect location, why not see if we can create the perfect set right here in our studio?
If you want catalogue, or product photography images that radiate appeal, give us a call on 01527 874819.