Essential props for product photography
Whether you’re a business that has decided to take a budget friendly approach by taking on your own product photography or you're a new photographer, it can feel overwhelming when it comes to styling your own product photos.
Creating compelling product photography is important to attract potential customers and the key to achieving beautiful product photos lies just as much in the styling as it does in the photography.
Whether you're using natural light or artificial light to create your product photography images, the right background, wisely-chosen props and some patience when styling will serve you well.
If you are starting to curate your product photography props collection, here’s a list of essential props that I use in the majority of my shoots. By curating a collection of product photography props that work for a variety of set ups, you can save money and space and speed up your workflow.
Colour and Mood
The props you pull need to be of the same aesthetic that you're working towards. Wood and earthy tones suit an organic visual direction while bright colours might speak to something more playful.
Take a look at my post on how to prepare for a product photoshoot to read more about why the pre-production process is important to getting successful results.
If you are struggling to make things cohesive, match your props to the overall colour palette of your brand.
Blocks & Plinths
Blocks and plinths are used in product photography for a more abstract and playful aesthetic. They are particularly useful for hanging jewellery off or balancing products on. They can add depth and a graphic element to any scene by placing them in the background.
Tip: You can paint over the plinths and blocks to match the colour of your products. Go to B&Q where they have a colour mixing station. Give them an image of your product and they’ll create a bespoke pot of paint for you. The sample size pots are more than big enough and cost just £3 each.
I bought a set from Mad Props, but you can also find a variety of shapes on Etsy.
Vases & Flowers
Flowers, whether fresh or dried, are a lovely compliment to a styled home scene. Whether they are peaking into the corner, placed on a mantelpiece or just one or two stems as part of a flat lay, they are versatile and can add a pop of colour to complement whatever mood or season you are shooting for.
When collecting vases, pick neutral colours so they don’t distract from the product you are shooting and so they can be used all-year-round. Grey, transparent, and stone earthenware are all good options. Collect a variety of heights and sizes for multiple purposes.
Tip: Don’t let a vase or bouquet of flowers take up more space in the frame than the product you’re shooting. It should be a compliment to the scene, not the star of the show.
Books & Magazines
Books and magazines are a great photography prop and a good way to add interest to any scene. Think about the type of book you are using in comparison to the other elements in the scene. Cookbooks tell the story of being in a kitchen while you might find homewares, lifestyle or travel magazines on a coffee table in a living room. Books and magazines can bring context to your image.
Tip: Make sure the spine of the book matches the colour scheme of your image. A set up that feels really rustic would benefit from a cream or neutral book, rather than a bright yellow spine that might distracting.
Trinket Dishes and Pinch Dishes
Trinket dishes are really useful as a photography prop. It’s great to have a variety of small-ish pinch dishes - I have a few glass ones and some plain ceramic dishes in green, blue and white.
They are versatile and can be used for both food photography and product shoots.
Linens & Materials
I can’t tell you how many times a small linen saves the day! Obviously when styling a product photo, the story needs to make sense. A large part of that story is picking appropriate props. Linens are particularly useful when you are setting up bathroom and kitchen scenes.
There’s quite an art to getting a linen to look ‘natural’. Try throwing it down and see how it lands and repeat as many times as necessary, tweaking as you go.
Tip: Remember to steam any materials and linens you’re using to get rid of creases that you’ll otherwise have to spend time on in your editing software.
Other useful items for product photography include:
Steamer
Blue tac
Paint Brush
Are you looking for more guidance on your client processes, workflow, editing or pricing? I offer 1-1 mentoring sessions using the voice noting app, Voxer. If that’s you, I’d love to connect.
Helena is a professional photographer based in Bristol, specialising in product and food photography. She works with ethical and sustainable brands, creating joyful, story-telling product photos.