Photography may not be a day-to-day responsibility for every fresh produce marketer but in the increasingly visual world we live in, its value continues to grow each and every day. For brands to be able to compete, the content they share must be high quality and appealing to their audience.
At DMA, we recognize the growing need for photography and continue to invest in education and experiences that allows us to elevate the images of the brands we represent. In fact, Kendra and I recently had the opportunity to attend a food photography workshop from Pinch of Yum to refine our photography skills. Everything about the workshop was inspiring, from the urban loft location, to the delicious food and all of the amazing attendees we met. We left the workshop overflowing with new knowledge that will translate into beautiful imagery of the products we market.
Through our photography journey over the years, we’ve learned that capturing high quality photos for fresh produce brands requires technical knowledge, education, and a lot of practice! To help you sharpen your own photography skills, here are a few of the key takeaways that we learned during our workshop that we wanted to share.
Look with your eyes first
Before snapping a photo of your product, take an extra minute to stop and analyze what you’re going to capture. It is so easy to start snapping photos once you think you have everything arranged, but that extra minute can help you notice shadows and highlights you’re missing out on that can make your product pop. Try looking at your setup from different angles, move around and see what angle best conveys the feel you are aiming for.
Keep styling simple
When we think of styling, we think of props, props, and more props. However, styling can be as simple as your product, a good background, and some ideal lighting. Play around with what you have and learn to make the most out of your resources. Once you have your product setup it doesn’t hurt to take a few photos without props and then adding in a prop or two once you have captured a few images.
Prepare for your photoshoot
In the crazy world of fresh produce marketing, time is always of the essence. By spending a little time preparing for a photoshoot, you’ll save a lot of time during it. Create a simple shot list of 5 specifics that you know you want to capture. If you know that the images will be shared on different channels, photograph for each. This creates a plan that you can easily knockout once you have your product arranged and will allow for a larger variety of images with minimal effort.
Here are a few of our favorite photos we took during the Pinch of Yum Workshop:
Are you a fresh produce brand who needs a boost in your own photography library going into the holidays? You can have photos like this, too! Our custom recipe & photography package might be a great solution for you!
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