Product photography includes Food Photography

Commercial photography, also known as professional product photography is the kind of photography which involves taking pictures of various types of products like buildings, merchandise, artifacts, landscapes, etc. for commercial purposes. These photos are used in adverts, catalogs, books, leaflets, and other such promo materials.

Basically, professional commercial photography aims at promoting or selling a product or service and, is hence, different from advertising photography.

To explain further:

1. Commercial photography helps in Selling a Product
Whereas advertising photography concentrates on a concept or theme and various things simultaneously, commercial photography concentrates solely on the product, and strives to show either the design or use of the product. The idea is to make that product the centre of attraction and to entice customers to purchase it.

2. Commercial photography helps in Promoting a Business
In this case a business is taken as a single product and focused in the photo. Some aspects of the business also can be highlighted in this kind of photography. For eg., clicking the building of the company.

3. Professional product photography includes Food Photography
In many businesses such as restaurants or in culinary sections in magazines, Food Photography plays an important part. The focus of such shots is generally on the food, menu or the venue.

4. Product photography includes Fashion Photography
One of the most famous types of commercial photography, Fashion photography is used in both advertisements as well as magazine editorials. An example is catalog photos that show the complete detail of clothing.

5. Professional product photography includes Portrait Photography
This kind of photography includes individual and family portraits, wedding photographs, etc. that concentrate on an individual or group of people. And while it’s somewhat difficult to imagine this type as part of commercial photography, it is quite famous and is a service provided by several photographers and outlets.

Suggestions to Improve Your Commercial Product Photography Skills

Professional Product Photography gives a lot of stress to skill and accuracy, and therefore, should be done such that it appears professional and not amateurish.

The below mentioned advice can help:

1. Appropriate Lighting
As applicable to other types of photography, the appropriate type of lighting is vital to an effective commercial photography. It’s important in order to highlight the best of the product, and incorrect light can cause bad effects like shadows and reflections that can destroy the photo.

You might want to think of utilizing strobe lighting or work the camera shutter to use the lighting.

2. Create The Perfect Setup
A successful commercial photographer knows the importance of creating the perfect setup for the product based on the surrounding conditions. For example, at times minimalist shot is the best option while during other times a more dramatic shot consisting of bold lighting and background can be more desirable. And as such, setting up the appropriate atmosphere can create a great photograph.

3. Utilizing The Angles
In order to ditch the boring front angles, it is advisable to go for multiple angle shots of the object. This can lead to a fresh take on everyday objects while giving rise to an exciting final product using Professional Commercial Photography.