10 Years in Business – #1 Getting into Product Photography

January 2024 marked 10 years since I started my own product photography business. There have been lots of ups and downs, “ooh’s” and “aah’s” over the years. To celebrate this milestone I’m doing a recap of key moments and lessons I learned running my photography business.

It has been a bit of a journey thinking back about all the different stages of my career so far. On a professional level, this recap has allowed me appreciate my own growth as a photographer. On a personal level, it has taught me to trust my instincts and follow my passion.

In this 8 blog series, I’m sharing some lessons I have learned over the years. Other product photographers may have had different experiences but I know we all face similar challenges in the industry.

Whether you are a photographer or run a different type of small business, I hope you find this blog series useful and interesting.

This is blog 1/8 – check out the rest at the end of the page.

Back in 2014…

I was a recent graduate, still trying to figure out my path. In my early teens I decided that I wanted to be a photographer, but in my twenties I was still unsure what type of photography I wanted to pursue. I studied Photographic Art at university and the main thing I learned was that, while I loved photography as an art medium, I was certainly not an artist.

Later, while working in a social media admin job, I had the opportunity to photograph artworks as part of an artist residency project. I absolutely loved the experience. This is when I decided to specialise in still life photography for artists. It felt like I had finally found my niche!

My university degree provided me with very little studio photography training, so I still had a lot to learn. I attended a studio lighting workshop in London, which was kindly paid for by my employer. I also did a lot of self-learning and watched countless YouTube videos. I practiced using inexpensive equipment, such as second-hand flash guns, homemade light modifiers, and a scrap of white vinyl material for a backdrop. I tested different lighting setups and quickly discovered that with simple equipment I was able to achieve great results. The key was to control the lighting. I was pleased with my progress and began building my portfolio.

Don’t be intimidated by pros who have more experience and gear than you

To gain valuable advice and establish useful connections, I reached out to a local product photographer and asked if I could visit his studio. When I entered his studio, which was a converted pub with a fully equipped professional setup, I was in awe of the space and I felt a little embarrassed to call myself a studio photographer. The words that stuck with me from our conversation were, “If you haven’t got all this, you can’t do it.”

Although I loved visiting that studio and getting a glimpse into the professional world of product photography, I didn’t feel the need to acquire lots of expensive equipment that was deemed necessary to “do it.” Not only was it financially unrealistic for me to spend tens of thousands on equipment, but also I could see potential in my own work and believed that I could succeed regardless.

For the record, I still haven’t spent tens of thousands on equipment, and I can confidently say that,

you can absolutely “do it” without breaking the bank.

The rest of the blog series

• #2 Follow your gut and take risks – getting a studio READ IT NOW
• #3 Know your worth – getting paid READ IT NOW
• #4 The power of a great community READ IT NOW
• #5 Be yourself – Instagram and managing expectations READ IT NOW
• #6 Learn, share, grow – try new things, stay creative (COMING SOON)
• #7 Take your work-life balance seriously – work hard play hard (COMING SOON)
• #8 Embrace change and opportunities – moving countries and new challenges (COMING SOON)

You can see my work and continue following my journey on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter for occasional news and updates.