Product photography

How can we create creative evocative pictures of our product designs? You know, not an object on a solid background. Here's a bit of brainstorming, haven't used any of it, but I think I'm going to play around photographing some of my favorite things.

Check out the ID magazine archives, sometimes they have interesting product photography.

Look at exhibition designs for inspirations on how to photograph the products, it's just a still display of the picture.

Remember Ms. Baileys photo class: the assignment where we got an object and had to then make a series of photos with the object in it. Remember Paige's barbie inside kitchen appliances photo series? What did that say about the barbie, and what did it say about the appliances she was jammed into. Take your product and give yourself that assignment. Think of a thorough concept for the shoot, give your object some kind of odd juxtaposition. Give it a life. Give it a different environment than you'd traditionally think of that says something about the object itself, and about the environment around it.

Amelie's travelling gnome. What does this do for the gnome? It animates it in a way you wouldn't expect, with a few hand scribbled notes it seemed like the gnome had taken a vacation of his own.

Check out Philip Toledano's work again, nice photos, you might get some ideas. What about product photographs without the product in it? Like the video game pictures, the faces on the people says enough about the game, you hardly have to show it. Okay, might be too far for a portfolio, but interesting.

Look at other experimental photography for inspiration, take out the subject of the photo, and put your product in it. Check out the lomography website for more ideas.