“I could take a picture like that for free. What do I need? Good lighting and a friend’s iPhone X, right?”

This is how I felt about product photography for a long time. I had become numb to the everyday beauty I see in advertising.

Who wouldn’t? If you see a high quality product too often, it becomes the norm, expected and never valued. Every single day, we see hundreds of images on social media: some are paid ads, some are just for the #aesthetic, but all of them are beautiful. And to someone who is trying to break into that scene, to brand her company, and to be appealing, it seemed so easy and achievable.

But then the light hits wrong, and I can’t get past the reflection on the waxed wood surface that I want to accurately portray. I go to the other side and my shadow is creating a harsh contrast. Eventually I settle for shots that are “good enough”. I dealt with my subpar photography for over a year, knowing it was good enough for now, since I was just beginning my blog and portfolio.

And then I met Selle. A small business owner and an accomplished photographer, Selle does product photography for her inventory and it looks amazing. I checked out her Instagram, and I could finally appreciate how much skill she must have to make her inventory look so good. I booked her as soon as I had my inventory completed.

Was it worth it? Yes. Selle spent hours working to get beautiful shots, and we collaborated on creative ways to decorate the shots. She spent hours afterwards editing and processing the photos. She saved me endless time and frustration. The process of adding the shots to my site and social media was made easier by having the right crops and angles. You can see the results on my front page, my catalog, and my Instagram account.

What you can’t see is how these photos helped me. I am no stranger to imposter syndrome – I feel it all the time. I doubted the appeal of my woodwork after staring at it for so long. Like the industry of product photography, the beauty of the wood became expected and undervalued. Selle’s work helped me believe that others could find my work as beautiful as I did.

I’m going to be posting these photos for ages, I never get tired of looking at them. And if you have inventory, and you are losing that spark you had with it, try looking at it through a product photographer’s eyes.