That is the question.
How to place a product in a shot often lies with an art director (thankfully). As far as I’m concerned, the less decisions I have to make the more I can concentrate on the photography itself. And the lighting.
However, when given creative freedom, the choices can seem overwhelming at times. Hence my desire to let someone else do it, if possible.
For this shot of a humble bar of soap, the challenge was placing it in context while rendering an attractive – but plausible – image of it in use. Or a suggestion of use.
I decided to focus on the water droplets rather than suds (or soap bubbles). Like it was lying on a counter or the shower floor. I liked the clean presentation of black acrylic for that purpose.
The other consideration was that I wanted the soap to look like it was used (not a new bar) yet still have crispness and definition, particularly in the brand lettering.
Product photography is challenging in that attention to detail is everything. It can be tedious. But it can also be a lot of fun.