The importance of good product photography

One thing you can never do twice is make a first impression. When consumers look at your business communication, they decide within the first few seconds whether they want to buy your goods or services. Our attention spans are very short.

People look at images before they read text. It is the way our brains work. And whilst we may not all be able to take a good photograph, we are all experts in good quality photography - and bad!

This comes through years of reading magazines, seeing advertising, and television. We may also not know which elements in particular make an image good or bad, but it is clear to us all, when something is not right.

Professional photographers find comfort in this fact. Society has extremely high standards when it comes to images, and rightly or wrongly, photographers see themselves as the guardians of this bastion, protecting us all from inferior photography.

Everyone has a camera these days. Be it on a mobile phone, or something more elaborate, we all have access to image making. This is a far cry from only ten years ago. When RGB digital Ltd bought their first digital camera, it was a massive six megapixels, and cost a little over £20,000. You can now get a free phone with a better spec than this. The misconception that we face though, is that we can take good photographs with this wonderful advance in technology. This is a myth - luckily!

How so I hear you cry? ‘We have someone in our business who has a really good camera. Why pay all that money to get a proper photographer, when we can do it ourselves’.

I know we photographers make it look easy, but there is actually alot in it. Allow me, if you will, to take you to a concert, to illustrate my point. For one night only The Beatles are playing with Jimmy Hendrix and The Doors. Naturally, like everyone else, you want to get a shot of this momentous event. Thousands of flashes are going off every second in this sell out stadium. Every single one of those shots will be useless. The built in flash will work to a distance of about ten feet. So the majority of those shots will be the backs of peoples heads, directly in front of them - beautifully lit, with a dark or invisible stage somewhere in the frame.

Professional photography ensures a professional result. You would not think twice about going to an amateur dentist or doctor. When we visit the website of a company that has done it themselves, it is clear that they do not take themselves seriously. This is worrying if we are to part with our hard earned cash for a substandard product.

The benefits of using a professional photographer are that you can spend more time doing what you are good at, and let the photographer take care of producing fabulous images, so vital when it comes to selling your goods or services.

So what should you look for when choosing a photographer? With so much choice it can be daunting trying to find the right one. Here are handy tips that may help. It sounds obvious, but find out what experience they have and how long they have been going. You should ask who they are currently working with and ask to see examples. This will tell you alot about the individual or company. You can also enquire about the facilities they offer. Do they have their own studio?

The more successful and established a photographer, the more professional and successful their business should appear. Top name clients do not risk their brand and images associated with it, to substandard photographers. It is also important to know who will be shooting for you, and to feel you can work with them. Ask questions, and if the answers are not forthcoming, move on. It is vital to feel comfortable working together.

From the perspective of us photographers, things couldn’t be better. The new technology has brought numerous benefits and opened up huge exciting markets. The best bit though, is that even with the most advanced camera, you can never replace a professional photographer!

Time Lapse of Set Construction for Bisque Radiators

RGBDigital recently completed a series of shots for Bisque Radiators which involved building 5 different room sets for 5 newly designed radiators.
The video shows the process of construction from start to finish, with a specially painted vacuum formed PVC brick wall.
The brief was to show a typical Thames side apartment kitchen with stainless steel units. This was contructed to a supplied drawing.

About RGB Digital

RGB digital Ltd is one of the UK’s most successful and established, creative photographic studios. Owning over 4000sq ft of studio space in central London, and shooting for top UK and international brands.

Formed in 2001 by its three directors, RGB digital has a reputation for high quality, creative flair and excellent service. With product and still life photography as a core area, the studio has expanded to encompass fashion and garment photography as well as food and complex room sets.

Our retail clients include Selfridges, Debenhams, Habitat, Bodyshop, Space NK, Fred Perry, John Lewis, Pringle of Scotland, Blue Inc, White Stuff, Fenn Wright Manson. We shoot for publications such as Marie Claire, Grazia, Vogue, Sainsburys Magazine, Hello, Wedding Flowers, Essentials, Stuff, Weight Watchers Magazine, Readers Digest, Psychologies Magazine. In addition to this we have both direct and agency clients like JP Morgan, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Southwark Council, Crisis at Christmas, Powakaddy, Central Office of Information, Bisque Radiators, Toshiba, Mercury Music Prize, Reebok. They have commissioned both above and below the line advertising, as well as point of sale, pr and brochure work. Perhaps the fastest growing area is that of website and photography for e-commerce. With the capacity to photograph many thousands of products, whilst maintaining high quality and a consistent look, the studio is well placed in this expanding market.

The directors were established photographers before forming the company. Our achievements range from winning prestigious industry awards, to work being purchased by the National Portrait Gallery for its collection. Our work has been purchased by individuals and hotels, such as the Hilton, to adorn their walls, in both the UK and abroad.

In addition to this we have been pioneers in professional digital photography. Embracing the technology in the mid 1990s the directors have trained many professional photographers since then. RGB digital Ltd was invited to tender and won the contract to design and implement a photography studio for The National Magazine Company. We were also tasked with recruiting the staff for this new facility.

With the infrastructure of an established studio, RGB digital Ltd is well placed to meet any challenge that may arise. Constantly working to very tight deadlines, which is part and parcel of working for weekly magazines and press offices, we have the resources and experience to get the job done. We have a permanent staff of seven at the studio, and we also employ specialist photographers when needed.

We use the latest digital equipment. We have the capacity to run six shoots simultaneously in our main studio. In addition to this we have extensive location equipment.

The experience and infrastructure that RGB digital Ltd gives to its clients is unparalleled. A testament to this is the exceptional clients that we have, who entrust us with representing their brand through outstanding photography.

Food Photography

To make food look appetizing it is not simply a matter of throwing the ingredients into the pot and hoping for the best! As with most things, time taken to prepare will result in a better looking shot. One of the most important aspects about food photography is making sure not to spoil the look of the ingredients by over cooking, particularly vegetables and beans which can easily become too soft resulting in loss of colour.The final plate has to look fresh, inspiring and above all edible. It has to sell the dish, to make people want it.

Any unnecessary ingredients can be left out to save time and cost such as garlic which unless a major ingredient in the dish will not show. Just make sure to keep ingredients which will effect the final appearance of the dish such as spices for colour.

In a recent photo shoot RGBdigital did for Runners World Magazine, one of a series of shots, the brief was to shoot a beef stew meal on a farmhouse kitchen table. In this shot the beef was gently browned on the outside only. The carrots and potatoes were half boiled to preserve their shape and colour. The whole meal was simmered for a short while to appear cooked but not over done. Some carrots and potatoes were put to one side to add to the dish later.

When it comes to arranging the plate you have to be aware from which angle the shot is going to be taken to place the food facing the best way, in this case from above. This is when you need your Michelin star chef hat on to make the plate looks at its best. In this shot it was important to highlight specific ingredients such as the beef and carrots as this would be mentioned in the text. If the dish is looking a bit too over cooked and tired then the extra ingredients which were placed to the side can be used on the dish. A sprig of rosemary just finishes off the final look.

As with any product photography the more information you are given in the brief, the easier and more successful the shot will be. For the lighting which brings the whole shot alive, one flash head with a soft box was positioned to the left of the plate and and a tungsten light to the top right to provide a warm sunlight feel. The exposure was about 2 seconds to allow for the warmth of the tungsten to come through. A few thin columns of black card infront of the tungsten light created the long shadows. A white card was placed just above the cutlery to reflect light into the metal, otherwise the handles would be too black.

Even though this is a fairly basic food shot it is just a small example of what can be achieved with a little preparation, patience and creative flair!