ROSIE RU - Gifts For You - PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY SHOOT - The Perfect Social Distance Shoot!
Recently I had the pleasure of undertaking an "in studio" Product Photography Shoot for Jo McFarlane the creator of Rosie Ru and the company that now carries her name.
Rosie Ru is a small independent Huddersfield based British company, specialising in ultra high quality unique hand illustrated greeting cards, personalised gifts & bespoke illustrations.
Jo's aim for Rosie Ru is to "paint warm, inspirational characters our children will love, and relate to."
The Brief:
The brief was to produce some high quality product photography that displayed Jo's artwork & products in the best light possible that would mainly be used for an online ecommerce store.This involved producing two sets of images which could not only used for selling online in a standard shop format but also portrayed to the viewer how the product would look in a clients home, in situ or in a more "lifestyle" environment as it were.
When I collected all the products ( there were quite a few!:)) from Rosie Ru HQ, I can tell you I was blown away by the shear quality of Jo's artwork. Drawing,painting quality and attention to detail was off the scale! Simply stunning work and all presented in unpretentious frames so as not to distract from the artwork.
The Shoot:
Throughout the shoot consistency in lighting & composition was key as at all times the products needed to look like they belonged together, part of the same family etc and not with images of wildly different composition, backgrounds & lighting which would confuse the potential purchaser.
To ensure this consistency I decided to shoot with studio lighting so that I could replicate the results no matter what the weather! It would be no good using daylight and then Jo coming back to me in the future with more products which would potentially then look totally different if natural light had been used. That said, I did try to keep the studio lighting as subtle & as natural looking as possible.
The first element of the shoot was to produce what may be called "standard" online shopping images which would not only be easy to view for the potential purchaser but also comply with "Etsys" online store parameters. To this end the first batch was all shot on white background with quite contrasty lighting to give the products plenty of punch, ensuring they stood out from the background & where crisp & clean & did not confuse the viewer.
For the second part of the shoot I used a very large softbox to one side of the product with a small amount of reflected light opposite in order to emanate window light and thus produce a more "natural" look for the lifestyle images. This also ensured that the lighting could be easily replicated if required. This time the products were placed on a mock shelf and accompanied by a few props which help give the feel of a child's bedroom helping to give the potential purchaser a "feel" as to what the product may look like in their own home.
Before launching into the shoot I supplied Jo with a series of "TEST" images to ensure I was on the right lines with her brief. This I think helped with both our piece of minds.
Accurate editing was required following the shoot to ensure both colour & density remained consistent throughout.
Overall a very satisfying shoot for what I think I am safe to say a very satisfied and very talented client. So much so that Jo very kindly presented me with a superb recommendation which you can read below and for which I am very grateful.
The Recommendation:
"I first contacted Mark enquiring about product photographs for my business. Mark responded promptly (within 24 hours), and we were able to start discussing things very quickly. Mark was really intuitive to the look and style I wanted to create, and was proactive in finding what was required to create the shots I needed. I had a long list of photos required, again Mark used his intuition and skill to guide me towards the best look and feel for my products...giving me options that I hadn't even considered.
I was so pleased with the shots Mark took, they were perfectly detailed-and showed my products in the very best way possible. I was also very pleased with the amount of options Mark gave me, allowing me to choose the right shot for the right platform.
I am really looking forward to working with Mark again, and would certainly recommend him to anyone seeking a professional photograph service. Mark was a pleasure to work with: he is approachable, reliable, personable, and professional."
I am now looking forward to working with Jo on the next installment for Rosie Ru but for that you will have to wait a little longer so watch this space or any of the links below to Rosie Ru Gifts for you!
Village Shop: RosieRu Facebook page: Facebook
To make a purchase from Rosie Ru Gifts For You please see links below: NOTE Purchases can be gift wrapped for you too, so what are you waiting for!