Commercial Campaign Photography Ideas for Watch Brands

If you’re a watch brand, chances are you’ve dedicated a lot of time in a studio trying to get the perfect product shot to showcase the details of your timepiece. With all of the time that it takes to craft and manufacture watches, you’ll want to get as diverse of an image catalog as possible. That’s where lifestyle photography comes into play.

In this blog post, I’m featuring a gallery of lifestyle watch photos away from the studio and on-location featuring professional models. I’ll also walk through what pre-planning steps can help prepare for a smooth photoshoot.

Location: If you plan to do a photoshoot outdoors, you’ll want to get familiar with the location in advance to see what parts of the environment the model can interact with and what time of day will be best to shoot. In a beach photoshoot I produced with fashion model Austin Lee, we went on the beachfront near the Santa Monica Pier during sunset and blue hour. We got a lot of nice side-lit photos during sunset and even lighting during blue hour.

Get The Right Angles: Similar to product shots, it’s a good idea to get close-up shots of the model wearing the watch. But it’s also a good idea to get wider-angle shots showing the model’s face and have them interact within the location. Just make sure the watch is in frame and in focus.

Wardrobe: This really depends on your brand’s aesthetic. A business suit is a great choice if you’re looking for a more classy, high-end look. But simple clothes work well if you’re looking for something more relatable and natural. Regardless, the wardrobe should not be too distracting and draw attention away from the watch.

Poses: I aim for small, natural movements that draw attention to the wrist. Some go-to poses I like to start with is having the model fix a cuff if they’re wearing a suit, or have them rub the back of their neck with their hand. Once you get some of the main poses down, then you can start to direct the photoshoot just as a regular lifestyle session. Just as I mentioned, make sure that the watch is still in frame.

LOOKING TO HIRE A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER?

Are you a product brand looking for a photoshoot? You can see more examples of photography in my commercial lifestyle gallery. If you’d like to get a free quote, feel free to contact me below or email me!