Every business needs professional & creative photoshoots to market its products or services, build its brand image, etc. Not just big brands, independent businesses need professional photography too! But a lot of people get confused about the types of photoshoot they should go for.
In one of our previous blogs, we talked about different types of photography. The blog mainly focuses on the genres of photography a person can choose to make a career in, but this is one on the opposite spectrum of that. This one is for businesses and professionals who look forward to displaying their brand through professional pictures by having a photoshoot.
Since there are so many professions, it is important to choose the right kind of photoshoot that best represents your brand. That’s why we have put together this “guide” to different types of photoshoots that one must know of. Also, we have also provided tips on how you can stage those photoshoots yourself.
What are the Different Types of Photoshoots?
Given below is a complete list of different types of photo shoots that you might be interested in or should be knowing about. The deeper you go, the more you will realize how different types of photo shoot can be from one another, even if the lighting and the whole setting is different.
1. Product Photoshoot
While doing professional business, companies look forward to putting their best foot forward. And the way to do that is by using high-quality pictures of products for marketing and advertising purposes. Take the example of an eCommerce website like Amazon.
If a vendor puts up his product and the images are really thorough, detailed, and of good quality, then only a customer would be interested in buying it. The thing is, good quality images not just appeal to the customers, but they also help build trust so that a business can establish itself as a brand.
In the eCommerce Industry, using a poor-quality image tells a lot about a brand, and it isn’t good. So, if a brand needs to stand out and get noticed, it is necessary to level up your photography.
There are various types of product photography:
Classic product shot
A classic or traditional product photoshoot consists of the subject in front of a simple white background. A white background isn’t a necessity, though; photographers have been using abstract backgrounds and environments in product shoots to enhance the visual appeal (or to fit with a concept).
Group product shots
A group product shot, as the name suggests, is a photograph that consists of a group of products – same or different (ones that pair together). Group product shots can be found scattered around on online marketplaces, as they are great for catching customer attention.
Product lifestyle shots (or product in use)
Instead of just clicking pictures of your product, you can show it in action! The product – shoes, apparel, headwear, electronics, etc. – can be seen in action, giving viewers a clearer idea of how it looks in real life.
Product lifestyle photoshoots can also help establish a positive association with your brand. If your product is food, showing people enjoying it in your product shoots subtly promotes the idea that it brings happiness or is enjoyable.
Detail shot (macro photography)
Some products -like jewelry, fine apparel, watches, etc. – require close-up shots so that customers can thoroughly check them out. This is where macro photography meets product photography, cinematizing all the intricate details of the product.
Hero shot
Almost every advertisement or marketing campaign has one product photograph, which is the highlight – it grabs the most eyeballs and invokes emotions within viewers. The visuals of a hero shot need to be strong, so using props and the environment is helpful in this case.
Product Photoshoot is typically reserved for the services and products that a brand needs to offer. So, there’s not much in terms of background that comes into it. Product photoshoots are done to make the subject stand out, so the background is usually kept simple, and if there are props, they are only there to tell its importance or support the claims made by the company about the product.
Once the photoshoots are done, the photos are taken to the editing table, where the photo editing happens. You can contact a post production services company that can help you edit your bulk images in optimum quality.
Now, photo editing in the product industry is crucial in order to avoid any glitches or clutters in the photograph that has the potential to throw off potential customers. There are a number of different eCommerce photoshoots for products that happen, such as jewelry photoshoots, guitar photoshoots, etc.
2. Fashion Photoshoots
This is one of those types of photoshoots that almost everyone knows about. From clothing photographing to other fashion items, fashion photoshoots have always been very influential on the masses.
The fact is, it’s not just fashion magazines or advertisement agencies who go for these fashion photoshoots. Now, it has developed an appeal of its own, and people on social media, such as Instagram, have such photoshoots to upload those pictures on them.
For fashion photoshoots, model photoshoots, or different types of photoshoots for models, in general, usually, a professional photographer is hired. People prefer to get professional help because it is much more convenient and a lot less struggle. A professional photographer who has experience doing model photoshoots knows how to turn an average picture into something magnificent.
But it is not a mandatory rule to hire one as you can also have a model photoshoot at home without hiring a photographer. There are small tips that you can follow to make sure that your pictures stand out.
Indoor Fashion Photoshoot
If you want to do an indoor fashion photoshoot yourself, given below are some tips that you can follow.
1. Find a solid color background or create one using chart papers. This DIY background can become part of your home studio, where you can have different types of photoshoots.
2. Use three-point lighting using an external flashlight and other sources of light. Make sure that the room is well-lit.
3. For the photoshoot, using a DSLR is preferred as you can make fine adjustments according to your needs. An online camera comparison tool can be helpful if you’re willing to invest!
4. To put some weight on the second point, make sure that you have ample lighting so that your pictures don’t look under-exposed or grainy.
5. Try different poses without any fear. Since you are doing the photo shoot on your own, there’s no need to be shy in front of the camera. This way, you can click some good pictures.
6. Bring the photos to the editing table. A little retouching here and there can only enhance the overall appeal of your male model photoshoot or girl photoshoot.
Outdoor Fashion Photoshoot
You’d be glad to know that doing an outdoor fashion photoshoot is a lot less hassle than doing it indoors. Firstly you don’t have to worry about lighting as natural light alleviates a photograph like nothing else. Also, you don’t have to worry about setting up a studio, as you are free to choose from the background that you want. It could be in front of a river, a bridge, or a carnival. There are endless possibilities when it comes to doing outdoor fashion photoshoots.
3. Food Photoshoot
The meaning of fine dining has changed over the years. A decade ago, when you’d go to a restaurant, you’d judge it by the ambiance, the taste of food, and maybe the prices. Now, things are a little different; restaurants are now judged largely based on their online reviews and food pictures. We’re just focusing on the latter part here!
When people look up your restaurant or cafe, they first go to the pictures of the menu, which gives them an idea about the options they’d have there. Following that, they check out the pictures of the food available. Photos can influence a restaurant business so much that they can become the deciding factor in whether the restaurant will get more customers or not.
Also, food delivery has gained massive popularity in recent years. People are more comfortable ordering in, even from the most upmarket restaurants! To capture these buyers, you need to nail down your photography game!
Your food images need to be very good. And by good, we mean absolutely beautiful! The pictures of your cuisine are what will get people interested in your menu. To make your restaurant photoshoot successful, make sure that you hire the best food photographer to do the job. They usually know what to do, and it saves you a lot of time and hassle.
4. Corporate Photoshoot
Corporate photoshoots are highly professional photoshoots that are supposed to enhance, regain, or build the image of an individual, group, or organization. These photoshoots are aimed at providing brief info about the company through pictures so that prospective clients can get to know the company better.
Sometimes the photoshoot can be a bit informal in order to show the fun side of a business. It doesn’t mean that such photoshoots are unprofessional. It’s just that they are informal but formal enough to be considered as a part of a corporate photoshoot.
There are a number of different ideas for corporate video photoshoots that you can take inspiration from.
Firstly, there’s a portfolio photoshoot. Such photo shoots are done by employees for corporations. A great photography portfolio can help you impress clients, making it crucial for your business. They revolve around showing the image of a person in a “good light”, pun intended.
Then there are those corporate photoshoots that are done within a corporation. Such as during a festival, group activity, etc. Professional Headshots are like an insider newsletter that lets the world know about a company through pictures.
If you are hiring a professional photographer to do the corporate photoshoot, make sure that you already know what kind of shots you want to take. You can do it by clicking model pictures from your smartphone so that you can guide the photographer to take kind of pictures only.
5. Advertising photoshoot
Advertising photography has a simple intent behind it – to get viewers to buy something. The subject of the photo shoot, i.e., a product or service, has to be presented in a memorable way to viewers, invoking desire if possible.
Advertising photoshoots could require a mix of photography skills and knowledge of the human psyche. The pictures shouldn’t just look good, and they should be able to communicate with people.
Everything, from background colors to framing, should build an emotional connection with viewers. The concept/story behind the photoshoot should be clear but unique so that it can audiences can relate to it but still be amazed (or at least intrigued). If the concept isn’t clear, your advert won’t hit the mark.
Usually, advertisement photoshoots are bound by a few limitations. The brand that commissions the shoot usually has a few guidelines, some for legal reasons, and others for maintaining the brand image.
The process of approval is also usually much longer than other types of photoshoot; photographers have to collaborate with the marketing teams of the brand(s) involved, and there are lots of rejections and reshoots along the way too!
6. Real Estate Photoshoot
One of the most demanding businesses is that of real estate. Real estate agents and property owners are always on the hunt for photographers to do real estate photoshoots. Photos of properties get looked at a lot. People who are in search of a good property to live, in take a long hard look at the photos of the property before even visiting it.
Real Estate Photography is about selling the house through pictures, and in order to do that, your photos should be so good that one gets everything he needs to know about it.
Also, for real estate photography, there are certain hours that work best.
For starters, you can have a real estate photoshoot during bright daylight. It is the best time to click the outside of the property as well as while doing an interior photoshoot where you can just keep the doors and windows open for natural light.
Apart from that, you can also have a real estate photo shoot under the moonlight. Just make sure that you click that when the lights of the house are on so that you can get magnificent pictures.
But the best time to do a real estate photo shoot is during golden hours. Golden hours are when there’s a sunrise or sunset. As briefly mentioned before, an interior photoshoot can be done if there’s natural light coming in, or you can use the regular tube lights inside the house to light up your subject.
7. Lifestyle photoshoot
Lifestyle photography aims to capture people during memorable situations – a milestone, a real-life event, etc. Such photoshoots usually fall somewhere between planned and candid (planted, if you will).
An energetic child running circles around their parent, a couple sneaking glances at each other in a crowd, a dog running behind its owner, a family enjoying a poolside meal, etc., are some great examples of what comprises lifestyle photography. These moments are perfect for creating personalized softcover photo book keepsakes that capture the essence of both personal and professional milestones.
The challenge is to capture emotions in the most authentic way possible.
Lifestyle photoshoots are dominant on social media. Influencers capture moments of their daily life (or scripted lifestyle) to entice their viewers. Such photographs don’t just cinematize a moment. They usually also have an aspirational value.
Lifestyle photography doesn’t follow a script, but it would help if there’s a plan in motion. It’s best to keep the camera handy at all times; whenever something noteworthy happens, just click it. To make it work, photographers would need good intuition and a lot of skills, to capture moments before they pass.
8. Portrait photoshoot
Portrait photography is perhaps the most common kind of photography. It is the art of clicking pictures of a single person or a group, capturing their moods, emotions, and personality. They can be either candid or completely scripted, depending on what you need to express.
A good portrait should be able to tell a story, establishing an emotional connection between the photograph and the viewers. For that, photographers would need a lot of skills, and perhaps a lot of experience as well.
Traditionally, there are three categories of portrait photography:
- Head and shoulder portrait – only the person’s head, shoulders, and upper chest makes it into the frame
- Three-quarter portrait – the model’s body is captured from the knees up
- Full portrait – the person’s entire body is in the frame
Posing is important to give emotional depth to a portrait photograph. The correct pose can also accentuate the model’s beauty, so a portrait photographer also needs to learn what poses work in which situations.
9. Automobile photography
Whether you’re an automobile manufacturer or a car retailer, you need professionally shot and edited images for your business. It is crucial to use high-quality car images in your brochures, billboards, advertisements, promotions, and website.
Every new car or motorcycle launch is accompanied by a slew of official images (and videos too), so that audiences can virtually experience a car before buying it. Even if someone doesn’t plan on purchasing one, scrolling through magazines or web portals and looking at pictures of automobiles is fun!
Also, with the rising popularity of online car sales (and also of motorcycles, scooters, etc.) sales, the need for high-quality car images is increasing as well. To sell cars online, you need to create detailed VDPs (Vehicle Display Pages) for your vehicles. This requires you to shoot top-notch images and videos, as online buyers need those to properly research their options.
Of course, helping improve sales isn’t the only goal of automobile photography; these pictures have the massive commercial potential of their own. Car wallpapers and posters are extremely popular, especially among gearheads! Around the world, 8 out of 10 teenage boys have a car poster stuck on a wall in their rooms. Although this statistic is completely made up, there’s some truth to it, right?
Bonus: Spyne’s AI-powered self-serve photography for your business
You don’t always need to hire a professional photographer. You can use AI-powered solutions to take care of your photography needs. Spyne’s AI-powered smartphone app (iOS and Android) has guided photoshoot features for different categories – cars, fashion, food, etc. – which instructs you on how to click the best pictures of your products from all the correct angles. The system even checks the proper lighting, framing, etc., in your clicked photographs.
You don’t need expensive studios or go scouting for locations! Spyne offers automatic image editing, which removes and replaces the background in your product images with virtual backdrops. You can even upload custom backgrounds for your images, which better reflect your business and brand.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of having a photoshoot, then make sure that you consult a professional car photographer. If you have decided to do the photoshoot on your own, make sure that you have the required resources to fulfill the requirement for a quality photoshoot, or else it will be like any other photos clicked from a smartphone.
But we would really advise you to get professional help in such cases because whether it is a corporate photoshoot or a family photo shoot, the quality of the picture can make or break the purpose of your entire activity.
Moreover, for businesses, good quality photoshoots can serve a lot of different purposes as they can use those photos on their website, blogs, advertisement campaigns, and other marketing purposes to establish authenticity and attract customers. So, if you want to hire the best photographer for the job, Spyne can help you with that.
