Some Thoughts on Product Photography
Show clients what they want to see
As a portrait and product photographer, I didn't set out to become a purveyor of "fine hemp flower photography," but sometimes a great product niche finds you.
I have provided fine hemp flower photography for The Flower Shop in Chattanooga since October 2023.
It all started when my sister/business partner introduced me to a potential client who recently opened a legal hemp flower boutique in Chattanooga. "I think his product and business model and your style of tabletop photography could be a great match," she said, pulling out a jar of buds to show me.
My new client made what at first glance seemed a simple request. He wanted the photos of hemp flower on his website to look like what a customer would view a light jar on the counter when visiting his shop.
Recreating the light jar experience wasn’t so simple in practice. We're talking documentary detail and true color at 10x magnification. I had to figure out how to duplicate the light jar look outside the light jar and, simultaneously, show a standard purchase quantity of an “eighth” (3.5 grams) of flower.
As it turns out, shooting hemp flower is more like portrait photography than product photography. Each strain has a distinct look and “personality,” and capturing it has been an artistic and technical challenge involving lighting, working with a specialty lens, critical white balance, and a workflow of editing each photo at the time of shooting with a light jar beside the computer screen.
Look at my hemp flower portfolio and let me know how you think I'm doing.
Although I don’t consume hemp products personally, I have become an admirer of our thriving hemp industry in East Tennessee. I am proud to have developed a photographic product that serves both retailers and consumers.
