Product photography has been in the limelight since the inception of the e-commerce industry. However, it has always been there wading through the tests of the time. Product photography is not a new concept but with the introduction of eCommerce and everything going online, it has seen its share of evolution. This evolution is all about keeping up with the changing times. This techno frenzy has resulted in more and more virtual interaction between the customer and the business house, company, or brand, and hence the importance of great product photography has been on the rise since then. As we know that today’s society is moved by visuals along with amazing features. But people have a tendency to prefer the first over the latter. Stunning or lifelike visuals guarantee the look and feel of a product. They can actually see its features and other physical details for themselves through photographs. This brings us to highlight the importance of product photography. Well to highlight the importance is only one side of the story, the other side holds the mysteries behind what actually is responsible for making it so significant. We’ll explore the latter with different ideas and possibilities in that category. One of the major factors that rise above all others is an appealing backdrop. Yes, the use of an amazing backdrop or background is the key to capturing a stunning visual or you could put it this way, a great backdrop is integral to make a stunning visual. Any dismal picture, portrait, or visual can be turned into a magnificent one or an exemplary one by incorporating an attractive background. The appeal of the background, however, should be such as to complement the whole imagery instead of overpowering the qualities it possesses on its own. The background should serve as a subtle and sophisticated complementary component of the picture enhancing its very nature. It should not be so overwhelming as to shift the focus of the viewer to someplace unintended and hence distort the actual implication of a photograph. Let us see some awesome backdrops which can be used in product photography to make it attractive.
- Tiles – coloured, slightly printed or textured tiles are a great option for backdrops. They are perfect for small products and food photographs. They are really compact and you can keep them below the product and take the photo from above or you could keep them standing behind the product. With these you could prepare your set up in a moment’s time and you will be ready for the shoot in no time. They are lightweight and really simple to look at but provide a certain appeal with an earthy touch to your photographs. Nowadays you have wood printed tiles as well. So you could look for different prints and textures to go with your product or the kind of mood you want to set in your photograph. A great shiny black tile could be the ultimate backdrop for stunning product photography. Its reflective surfaces help you add that oomph factor to your photos. You could shoot martini glasses on it, beauty products, jewellery or vodka bottles and it will result in amazing photographs. Glass products will also go well with this tile in the backdrop.
- White sheet – simple white backdrop is perfect for colourful objects. Extending this concept, you could go for construction sheets, which are just big, coloured sheets of paper. You could also use contact paper for this purpose. Paste contact paper on a phone board and you are good to go. Seamless paper backgrounds are a good option to add a dose of colour to your photograph. You could use a single colour sheet, a combination of complementary colours, a different sized sections of different colours or use them as a prop in your photographs. There are multiple possible arrangements with seamless paper backgrounds. You could experiment and explore a whole new plethora of backgrounds with them.
- Fabric – there is no dearth of prints and patterns in fabrics. You need to figure out the theme, the kind of product, the mood you want to portray in the photo etc. and then get a fabric accordingly. Tablecloths, blankets, rugs are great options. Keep in mind the colour scheme of the whole photograph, like don’t go for a plain white fabric for a white or light coloured product. Keep complementary colours together or better try to have contrasting colours. Velour fabric is an amazing fabric to choose as a background. It has a velvety texture and looks really good in photographs. It is wrinkle free thus, being photoready all the time.
- Faux fur – it could be a rug, blanket or any other fabric with faux fur. These are really great for beauty products, and even some clothings. It should be a basic colour, preferably white so that it doesn’t steal all the attention.
- Lumber – a wooden piece is also a great backdrop for food, clothing and beauty product photographs. It gives an earthy touch to the whole picture. You could leave the wood unpolished for a raw feel or paint it shiny for the chick and polished style or you could use certain colours to introduce a pop of colour to your photo. You could also sprinkle some small flowers or leaves around to really enhance the look of the photo.
To bring it to a conclusion, we could say that there’s no right or wrong with using different backdrops in your photograph. It is all a game of your imagination. It might be appealing for some people and not so much for others. So, it’s all a matter of experimentation and achieving a result that you are content with. Lighting should be great, the product should be enhanced, or overall, the intended result should be achieved and that is all. To introduce complexities in this sheer trade of imaginations and perceptions is not fair. It should be left for the artists to decide on the kind of backdrop they use, what material they use and what color they incorporate in their photograph, as they say, to each their own. Every photographer is unique in some way. So, just try to explore your imagination and let others do the same in order to provide awesome results for the viewers.