What to wear

What to wear for a product photoshoot

Relevant only where hands or a model appear: plain sleeves, clean short nails, no reflective jewellery. On glossy products the photographer and the…

In short: Relevant only where hands or a model appear: plain sleeves, clean short nails, no reflective jewellery. On glossy products the photographer and the room appear in the surface, so dark plain clothing matters more than it seems.

What works for a product shoot specifically

Colour. Dark and plain for anyone near a glossy product, because you appear in its surface. On chrome, glass or lacquer the photographer is visible in the final image far more often than people expect.

Fabric. Non-reflective and lint-free. Fibres land on dark products under hard light and every one of them has to be retouched out.

Hands in frame. Clean, short nails, no watch, no rings unless the ring is the product. Hands are the most common human element in product photography and the least prepared for.

The thing that ruins frames. Working over a product in a bright top. It bounces colour onto white backgrounds and shifts the entire white balance of the set.

Two rules that hold everywhere

  • Steam it the night before — creases are the most expensive thing in any retouching bill and the cheapest to prevent.
  • Bring options and decide on set, where you can see the light and the background rather than guessing at home.

Next step

See if a session makes sense

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