Product Photography Case Study - Acoori Room Fragrances
Acoori creates and sells a range of reed diffuser-based luxury room fragrances. George from the company approached me to help them with the images required with their initial launch of six fragrances. The diffusers are now available directly from the Acoori Store and via Amazon.
The Brief
As a new venture, Acoori did not have an established brand identity. They were looking for catalogue-style photos of their diffusers ready for ecommerce listings, but also wanted some shots of the products with “more interesting” lighting and backgrounds.
They also asked for some simple ‘turntable’ videos - literally just shots of the product rotating in place, to give potential customers a 360° tour.
An important element of the product and, indeed, an essential part of the ethos of Acoori as a brand, is the recyclable, compostable packaging the diffuser bottles are shipped in. Although not glamorous in themselves, the box and bottle protector have an interesting structural nature to them.
First Steps
When I initially received the products, one of the first things that struck me was how appealing the bottle looked. I knew straightaway that I would want to light the bottles directly from one side, rather than a more typical lit-from-above set up. This would ensure the bottle’s ridges really stood out. It also had the benefit of showing off the texture in the walnut wood top used in the cap.
Another aspect that I felt would suit the product was to borrow a common trick from beverage photography and bounce some reflected light into the back of the bottle. This creates that gorgeous inner glow that makes whisky appear so rich and luxurious and a pint of beer look so refreshing in the adverts.
The Shoot
Acoori agreed to a brief consisting of four “catalogue” photos per fragrance - a “hero” shot of the bottle itself, bottle and reeds as they would be unpacked, a photo of the bottle with the reeds in place, and a pack shot showing the shipping carton and bottle protector - the turntable videos, and a small selection of more commercial photos. Due to time and budget constraints I didn’t have a lot of scope for experimentation, so I stuck mostly to a similar lighting arrangement as for the catalogue photos, changing the background to give some different views for individual bottles and the full range of fragrances.
In hindsight, in the interests of variety I would have liked to have included a few light and bright settings, although I think the dark, moodier style suits the product well.
Note: The turntable videos can be viewed as part of each product’s Amazon listing.
Follow-Up Work
Acoori were very pleased with the photos and simple videos, and were kind enough to leave some fantastic feedback on my Google Business Page. The images helped to launch the products and attract the brand’s first customers, as well as providing all the ecommerce images needed for the sales section of their website.
Following a successful launch, Acoori went on to develop another four fragrances (Spritz is making my office smell particularly nice at the moment!). When I was asked to photograph the new diffusers, I asked whether they would be interested in a brand video. By that point I felt I had a thorough understanding both of the range of products themselves, and the type of imagery that suited them. The video below is the result. My aim was to create a narrative that told the story of the way the room fragrances are developed and delivered to the customer, using the same rich, warm imagery that Acoori had responded so well to with the initial batch of photos.
Product video is a relatively new aspect to my work, and though I know I have plenty to learn I feel this video works really well. Some of the shots took a lot of planning and experimentation, but the finished result is satisfyingly close to the original vision I had for the video. Acoori were particularly pleased with the outcome and premiered it on their Instagram almost as soon as I’d sent it to them. It’s since gone on to attract thousands of views.
Product Photography and Video to Boost Your Business
If you have a product or range of items that could do with some engaging imagery, why not get in touch? I’d love to talk to you about how we can reflect your brand and showcase your product, creating eye-catching images and video for ecommerce, your website, or social media.
