The 4 Most Common Types of Product Shots in Commercial Photography
Over the years of working as a commercial photographer specializing in product photography, I've noticed a common thread amongst clients. When trying to articulate the types of product images needed for any given project, they all seem to have different names for describing them. So in this article, we'll discuss the 4 most common types of commercial product shots that you're likely to need for your next marketing and advertising campaign or product launch.
Commercial product photography can essentially be broken down into four main types of shots. These shots are; a pack shot, an environmental shot, a product in use and a hero shot. While there are more than 4 types of product shots, I'd argue that these are the foundational categories that describe 99% of most companies product photography needs.
1. The Pack Shot
A pack shot in its most basic form is the product photographed by itself, front and center, on a white seamless background. These types of product images are often created to help provide the viewer with a clear and accurate representation of any given product, as well as visually describe and call out key features and benefits. Most often, a pack shot refers to a single product but can also be extended to a group of products. Furthermore, a pack shot can be used to help a customer make an educated purchasing decision based on visual facts.
Production and Backgrounds
These types of shots are typically produced in a controlled studio environment. The background can be any color you specify. But white is the most common and universal background color used for these types of shots, especially when it comes to e-commerce websites. More often than not, the product will still require being cut out with the pen tool in Photoshop and placed on a pure white background during post production if you want consistent results for print and web.
Benefits of Pack Shot Product Photography
- ✅ Industry-standard formatting for retail and e-commerce
- ✅ Engineered for clarity, color accuracy, and conversion
- ✅ Facilitates quick comparison and easy integration into any layout
- ✅ Cohesive presentation across product families
- ✅ Supports informed purchasing and minimizes returns
Common Uses
- E-Commerce websites (Target, Amazon, Walmart)
- Print Catalogs
- Product Packaging
- Brochures
- Corporate Websites
- Instruction Manuals
2. The Environmental Shot
An environmental product shot is a product shot that visually places your product in an environment. It blends storytelling with real world context, placing the product in studio built sets, lifestyle locations or brand specific environments that visually illustrate how the product belongs in your customers lives or space. This can be an abstract conceptual environment or a real world environment. The idea behind this type of shot is to create a sense of place.
Overview of Commercial Photography Categories
Commercial photography is actually a category of many different types of photography. It doesn’t matter if it’s a product, a buildings architecture, or image showcasing the workforce. They all fall under the umbrella of commercial photography. To better understand the landscape, here is a summary of common operations:
| Photography Type | Primary Focus |
|---|---|
| Product Photography | Presenting products clearly and attractively to appeal to potential customers. |
| Fashion Photography | Capturing and promoting fashion apparel and accessories. |
| Architectural Photography | Showcasing the work of real estate developers, architects, and construction companies. |
| Corporate Photography | Capturing a company’s professional environment, culture, and identity. |
| Food Photography | Presenting food in a mouthwatering way for menus and advertising. |
| Advertising Photography | Creating visual content with the intention to advertise or sell a product or service. |
Additional Commercial Examples
Architectural Photography
Typically, this is the type of photography used by real estate developers, architects, and construction companies to showcase their work and attract potential customers. It highlights design and structural details.
Advertising Photography
Advertising photography involves creating visual content—images, clips, gifs, etc.—with the intention to advertise or sell a product or service. For the most part, businesses rely on this type of photography to shape how their products are perceived and thought about by the end consumer.
Drone and Portrait Photography
Drone photography can be classified as aerial photography and is used to capture the significance of operations. Portrait photography can be used in the fashion, industrial, and even e-commerce industries. The main difference between a portrait photo and a non-portrait photo is that a portrait photo is longer in height than it is in width.