Show & Tell . { 5 }

I was pretty picky while choosing examples of product shots, mainly because I'm not really into that style/field and because I thought a lot of what I found to be quite boring. Was I supposed to find good examples of product photography? Bad examples? Beautiful photographs that happen to feature products? I'll go with all of the above.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickhess/2400568058/
This image is rather bland and in my opinion, a really poor product shot. We are too far away from the sunglasses and we can see the photographer and all of his equipment reflected in the lenses. The environment isn't even interesting enough to argue that it helps the composition. The sunglasses look small and cheap and the reflection is pretty pointless. While an intriguing image to some, it doesn't successfully glamorize the product.



http://www.perceptivephotography.co.uk
This photographer was much more successful in making the product appealing. The rings are colorful, but the lighting makes them pop even more and the reflections in this photograph give the rings a beautiful sense of dimension. In this case, it makes sense to reflect to see the bottom or other side of the item. Although a couple rings are a little blown-out, I think the lighting and tighter crop make them look delicious. I'd buy one.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/chantal-rose/345313911/
I'm a little biased on this one... A) I love bright colors. B) The subject matter! Feathers, glitter, ribbons... This photographer clearly knows what's on my list of favorite things. Compositionally, this photo strong: it's cropped tight bringing the viewer right up close to the objects without abstracting them. You know what you're looking at AND you're so close you can feel them. The softness of the feathers, the ridges in the woven ribbon. This photograph appeals to your senses in a multitude of ways and is extremely successful at making the products within the image alluring and desirable.

Overall, I prefer image #3. I myself like to crop in on products and items more when shooting still-lifes. I like showing texture, being able to feel the product, and I like the sense of harmony the image has not only with its analogous color scheme but also with the complimentary items chosen.