COSMETICS, BEAUTY
& FRAGRANCE PHOTOGRAPHY
IN LONDON
Our photography and video studio is based in London, in SW2 Brixton. We shoot cosmetics and fragrance photography and video for beauty brands that need product imagery, campaign content and short-form films.
Shooting photography for the beauty industry requires a delicate balance between high-end retouching and more natural light techniques.
Fragrance bottles and cosmetic products can be shot with complex techniques for impactful advertising visuals while a more organic feel often involving props sourced from nature can be required for lifestyle images or social media. This, of course, depends on the brand positioning too.
We photograph product shots, lifestyle pictures for social media and press kits, as well as advertising visuals and campaigns. We can work with you on the mood board and concept and can source props, location and models, if this is required in the brief.
Creative still life product photography
For cosmetics, makeup, lipstick and other luxury products, there are a couple of elements that are key to create a great shoot. We pay special attention to lighting, colour and texture for example, but also for example, make sure the packaging is in pristine condition when we start the shoot to avoid any extra retouching.
Our beauty product photographer will work with you during the shoot to capture under its best light. The techniques used for cosmetics photography are sometimes a bit different than the ones used for other product photography, as they often involve liquids: water, oil, etc.
The different types of Beauty product photography
As for any product photography, there are different types of beauty product photography that are a prerequisite for brands.
In our London based studio, our product photographer can shoot still life photography, as well as imagery against white or colourful backgrounds. We can also create conceptual ideas with models or shoot on location if you want to have a more lifestyle feel to your brand imagery.
Worldwide image rights, unlimited time
Our standard image licence gives clients worldwide usage rights with no time limit for website, ecommerce, marketplace, advertising, social media and brand communication use.
Cosmetics photography packages
We offer a range of prices and quality options from basic to very high-end product photography and creative still life photography.
We adapt the lighting and retouching, so that we can match your budget and offer a free test shoot, so you can decide on what level of quality suits you best.
For still life project, you can also access our range or props and backgrounds.
A great shoot is always best when it is properly planned. Planning also enables to maximise your budget and we are always happy to help and bounce ideas back and forth.
FAQ
A key aspect of a shoot is planning. It is important for a brand to know ahead:
- what type of imagery is needed – A mood board is the best way to prepare for this, so the brand’s team can agree on the creative aspects of the imagery and the still life photographer can understand a bit better what type of creative photography ideas and lighting will be required when the project is being shot.
- how many pictures will be required: does the brand PR team need 10 fully retouched creative still life shots, while the social media team needs 30 pictures with more natural lighting for example?
- the ratio/sizes of the imagery: are they for a banner? square? portrait? landscape?
- will there be a need for specifics props, models ?
- will some extra packaging or product be required: this is especially the case if we need to do some experimentation during the shoot, for example if we play with the texture of cosmetics, a lipstick or makeup.
Texture and how the product make you feel is a big part of a beauty product. It is important that the packaging, but also the creative imagery convey this.
This can be achieve through lighting, but also with selecting the right creative props: for example, we can use sand for a deep pore cleanser or rounded props for a softer beauty product.
The colours of the backgrounds are also an important decision as they will create the overall look: do you want a golden, pastel or a very white colorama? Should the props and the products stand out or merge into the different backgrounds?
The beauty industry has taken different directions depending on the brands when it comes to the general look and feel of product photography: some brands prefer a more natural feel, while some others have chosen a technical and clean look showcasing the performance and the research involved in the product.
Similar to texture, colours are intrinsically part of product photography, especially beauty product photography. Just think of a nail polish or a lipstick and you will immediately visualise a range of colours. Capturing the right colour for each shade is a team effort at Kalory Photography: it involves 2 very different sets of skills: the one from the product photographer and the one from our retoucher.
A beauty brand mood board should include visual references for lighting styles, background textures, colour palettes, prop ideas, and model casting notes. It serves as the creative blueprint that aligns the brand team and the photographer on the visual direction before the shoot.
Including specific examples of desired shadows, highlights, textures, compositions and the level of retouching helps the technical setup match the brand’s aesthetic.
Props for beauty photography can be selected based on the product’s ingredients, benefits, texture, packaging, colour palette or wider brand story. The right props should support the image concept without distracting from the product.
For skincare and makeup, natural textures like raw stone, sand, water droplets, botanicals, ceramics or soft rounded shapes can help suggest freshness, hydration, exfoliation, softness or a more organic feel. For fragrance photography, props can suggest scent notes, atmosphere, materials, seasonality or the architectural lines of the bottle packaging.
Colour accuracy is critical in cosmetics photography because customers often rely on digital images to judge shades, finishes and undertones before purchasing. Lipstick, foundation, eyeshadow, nail polish and colourful packaging all need careful control during capture and retouching.
At Kalory Photo & Video, colour accuracy is a collaborative process between the product photographer and the retoucher, combining controlled lighting, careful capture and detailed post-production.
Yes, we produce both soft, natural lifestyle beauty imagery and more technical, clean advertising visuals. We adapt our studio lighting, prop styling and retouching level to match the brand positioning and the intended use of the images.
Some projects need natural-feeling content for social media, press kits or campaign storytelling, while others need sharper, more graphic images to highlight product textures, packaging, ingredients or performance.
Our London based photography studio has been creating images and videos for the luxury and beauty industry since 2011. We work with young start ups and established brands to create stunning luxury product work, there be for makeup, lipstick, or any other beauty product.
Our team work closely with the brand from the conception of the project to the delivery of the final set of visual assets. We usually have at least 3 people involved and each member of the team is a specialist and brings a specific set of skills. Your project manager will work with you on your creative brief and budget while your product photographer will work on the creative and technical aspects of your beauty product photography shoot. Our retouchers exclusively work on retouching and have developed techniques to create the perfect assets.
