This week I wanted to pop in to discuss how you can add that high end look to your images. Certain brands, that might be yours, are targeting a particular type of audience with more of a high end look. So here are my top 5 ways you can add that appeal to your images!

1. Investing in your props – this is key. That $5 particle board from target might work for a little while or for a general image but it won’t have the same appeal as the $40 cutting board made of marble and real wood. Now, I don’t mean rush out shopping for all the beautiful things at once. Let’s face it, we all have a budget. So start small with investing in 1-2 better props each week or couple of weeks slowly turning over your prop stash to a more high end appeal.
2. One thing high end brands have in common is the clean, simple and minimalist look! That means in most cases less is more unless you’re a styling pro. That means you want to strive for a more simplistic look. Style your image and then step back to see if you might have a few things that are necessary. Clean up the extra props that might not be necessary to complete the look.
3. Another thing is lots of organization and order in your props! This is most commonly seen in products that tailor to those in a profession such as aestheticians. So that means you will want to have clean lines in your prop or product order.  This requires thought and pre-planning on placement and prop coordination.
4. Another key component to a high end photo is consistency with your look. Bright pops of color, clean lines, minimalistic approach or having a more dramtic lighting choices for your photos. Keep them all consistent. Shooting in the same setup, same lighting and more will help you acheive this. No matter what though, a high end brand sticks to the same style every time!
5. Oh filters, the thing everyone is selling right now BUT high end brands use minimal to no use of filters! They invest in professional photographers to edit and prep their images to have a great combination of lighting and contrast. So be careful when it comes to filters, I am not saying they are all bad but know how to use them. Some times crazy amounts of contrasts, tones, warmth and so forth can make it hard to keep up with that consistency especially when, in the real world, our photos will vary in the way they are shot and the settings used.

BONUS  TIP – if you use a filter, that’s totally okay. Be smart about using filters! You can do this by picking one filter you like and STICKING TO IT. That means every, single, time on every photo to keep the consistency you’re after!