After 7+ years of working as a portrait and event photographer, I’m starting to transition myself into doing more commercial work. Like any other type of photography though, I need to practice in order to develop my personal style and practice technique.

I decided that I would choose one product and photograph it with a minimum of 5 different compositions. I have loved the beautiful packaging of the Milani Rose Powder Blush ($9) since I first laid eyes on it, so I ran to my local HEB to pick up the blush and lucky for me, there was a huge sale on roses that day too, so I picked up a dozen to use as props*.

Here are a few lessons I learned from my shoot**.

Lesson 1: Less is More

I started out by removing one rose from a stem and placing it under the blush, then surrounding it by other real roses, but the more I looked at the image, the more overwhelming it felt. Once I removed the unnecessary flowers, the blush became more prominent in the image and the simplicity made it much more memorable.

Lesson 2: …But More Can Be Good

I knew I wanted to do a monochromatic product flat lay, but the image with only pink had nothing to balance it out. Without any contrast, your eyes don’t know where to go or what to do. Once I added the green of the leaves (complementary colors for the win!), the image didn’t seem busier, but felt much more complete.

Lesson 3: Check if the Glare is There

I loved everything about this setup, the stemless flowers place upright, the placement of the leaves, how perfectly the blush sat on top, but…I made a mistake. I didn’t pay attention to my angles of reflection on that plastic cover, and the flash I used for lighting can be seen covering the product. There were several things I could’ve done to fix the problem, but I was too focused on everything else.

Lesson 4: Get Closer

Robert Capa once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This shot was the same setup as the previous shot (but with a fixed glare), and the composition and message dramatically improved by moving in closer to the product. The repetition of the curves from the rose petals, the sharpness of the logo, and the center-weighted composition created a hard sell that became my favorite from the whole shoot.

Do you want to see me do this challenge again? Do you have a product you want to see me shoot?  I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment or tweet me @boldjoyphoto using the hashtag #BJPblog.

*Tip: Real flowers will almost ALWAYS look better than fake and are totally worth the investment!

**Lessons are important to keep in mind, but I will always recommend trying new things, breaking rules, and developing your own style. Make it work!

 To see more of what I do, visit my website!