One important thing to remember when you are photographing your beauty products is that there will be no light on your item. This means that any reflections of the person holding the product in their hand should be avoided. It is always a good idea to photograph these items against a white or gray backdrop, so as not to confuse light from the background with light from the product itself.
How to Photograph Beauty Products
1) The subject matter
The most important thing to remember is lighting. You must ensure that the product is well lit so that it does not become a black hole in the picture. Do not use flash, or over light it or you will have to resort to color correcting in photoshop which is never a good idea, because you may end up with a greenish face or orange skin tones or something like that.
2) Beauty product photography pose
The beauty product photographer must remember that the product should be photographed in a most natural pose, i.e. not a posed picture. This means that it will look better when people are not posed, just as a picture of a painting or sculpture would look better if you did not try to “frame” them.
3) The background
Always uncluttered background, for instance a white or gray screen. This keeps the focus on the product and nothing else. Use a lightweight cloth that is light colored. Do not use a heavy material because it will absorb too much light and leave the product dark.
4) Lighting the beauty products photography
The most important thing is to avoid any reflections of the person holding the product in their hand. The beauty Product photographer must make sure that there are no other lights coming from behind or beside, otherwise he/she will have to do lots of color correcting in photoshop which is never a good idea as you may end up with some unwanted or unnatural colors in your photo.
5) Photoshop Actions
The beauty product photographer must avoid applying any photoshop actions, because this may give unrealistic results. A good example is color correcting in photoshop as it will lead to unnatural colors in your photo. Sometimes a combination of setting and using one or two filters from the photo editor will do the trick, such as setting the levels with exposure and clarity and then adding a bit of saturation and contrast (adjustment layers on top of your photo). These are possibilities for some final touch up work that could really go a long way to make your photo more professional looking.
6) Product placement
The most important part of the whole beauty product photography experience is the product placement. You must have a firm grasp of where you want the product positioned in your shot. The beauty product photographer must use a visual guide so that there are no uncertainties as to where should be placed and how. For instance, one hand against the screen, holding it (not touching the screen I must repeat) while leaving some space between yourself and the screen.
