A splash of colour

Nicky Simpson gets creative with product shots

Since leaving university, where I studied commercial photography, I have been undertaking my own personal projects, because it enables me to get creative and photograph the things I love! I started this ‘colour’ project during lockdown, exploring and researching product photography and colour theory.

I remember looking at social media and thinking how

1

Things you will need

The essentials include a light source – window or external light

– a tripod and a backdrop. For my backdrop, I bought an assortment of coloured card to decide what colour I wanted to use with the nail varnish.

2

Setting up

Once I had my product and camera set up, I positioned my light side-on to the product to achieve a pleasing reflection. I placed a piece of white card on the opposite side to reduce harsh shadow.

3

Taking the shot

I placed my camera on the tripod facing down, to create a flat-lay style image. I used my ‘nifty fifty’ lens, because it keeps the product in perspective. It works well if you only have a small space to work in. depressing it all was, so I decided to produce something fun and colourful to brighten up people’s feeds.

I posted my images on a photography community page called ‘Wild Rose Family’, and it received overwhelming positive response from like-minded photographers. It is incredible how a simple thing like colour can bring so much joy. Instagram: @nicolasimpson photography