Thinking Outside the Box: Don’t Forget Your Packaging! – Part II

In part II of our packaging case study, we offer some tips on photographing packaging for increased sales. To read Part I, click here.

Packaging Photography Tips

Here are a few simple ideas to keep in mind when photographing your packaging:

Make a Clean Start

First off, have some gloves and brushes handy so that you can clean all items before you begin shooting: it’s always much quicker to give the actual packaging a clean than it will be to have to spot-retouch dusty products in Photoshop afterwards.

Get Things Straight

Ragged box edges, crinkled packaging and crushed corners are all expected in real life, but when you’re showcasing your products, they need to be absolutely perfect. Use card to make sure the edges of your packaging are clearly defined. Also, double sided tape can be used under box lids to keep them nice and flat instead of bulging up. Getting this element looking exactly right in-camera will also considerably save on retouching time later.

Dress the Set

Bring the mood and quality of your product to life by positioning the packaging in interesting arrangements and displays. However, if you’re shooting the actual products at the same time, don’t destroy the packaging by opening it up! Always be sure to have multiple packaging samples available so that you can do group shots and stack them up, or in case any mishaps should occur.

Raise it Up

In order to avoid having the shooting surface reflect up onto your packaging, try raising up your box by placing it on a plinth (one that is smaller than the box itself). This way the color of your packaging will not be altered by reflected light from its surrounding, and nor will it receive distracting reflections from the background.

Final Thoughts

Good packaging design will differentiate your products from those of your competitors – even if in actual fact you’re both marketing an identical product. Having gone to the trouble of designing and manufacturing nice packaging, you should definitely make sure that potential customers get to see this packaging by means of your online product listings.

By following our tips above, hopefully you’ve now got a pretty good idea about how to photograph packaging for e-commerce. However, if you’re worried that your photography skills are not yet up to the challenge, or you don’t want to risk undoing all the hard work you’ve put into designing top quality packaging because of substandard photos, here at Photography Firm we are highly experienced in shooting product and packaging shots for online marketing. Feel free to get in touch with your requirements.