
The Client and Their Brief
As of summer 2021, we were delighted to shoot cosmetic product location photography with The Body Shop – a global brand of naturally inspired and ethically produced beauty products.
It really is a privilege to be involved with such a well-established skincare brand, with products in over 2,500 stores, in 61 countries, with a range of over 1,200 products. What better way to exhibit our specialist skills in cosmetic product photography?!
Over the last few years, we’ve done several shoots for The Body Shop, all of which have been really inspiring and enjoyable, allowing us to work collaboratively and creatively. Many of the briefs have been a mixture of shots taken in-studio of products and textures, colour swatches, product ranges, creative hero shots and models advertising the products. Alternatively, we’ve shot at some fabulous locations, including luxury houses both modern and minimalistic, but also more historical houses with great character.
Shooting both in-studio and on location is great fun and gives us the chance to show off our lighting skills in different ways. Working in-studio is often a little more straightforward when it comes to lighting, as we have full control over the environment and don’t have to worry about weather changes, which can all affect the intensity and consistency of the daylight. While you can find some interesting backgrounds on location, in the studio we have a number of background choices and a variety of colours to choose from, allowing more flexibility to turn a concept into a reality!
On the flip side, when shooting on-location, particularly in a dedicated shoot home, generally speaking, what you see is what you get. You can’t remove a wall or paint something if you don’t like the colour (apart from of course a little bit of magic in post-pro!) What you do get with a real location however, is more of an authentic look or feel, unless, of course, you have a huge budget for an in-studio set to build! As the saying goes, ‘Reality is hard to fake!’. As commercial photographers, at Double Exposure, we choose to be versatile in the way we work, in order to meet the needs of our clients and the expectations of briefs. We sometimes like to think of ourselves as a great sports team; working together and having great fun doing what we love; equally both “at home” and “on the road!”.
To make great work on location takes exceptional planning, art direction and a well motivated team. We also work with stylists, wardrobe, hair and make up and runners to ensure the shoot goes smoothly, and has all the key elements required for success.
What We Did
A brilliant example of a cosmetic product location photography shoot captured for The Body Shop, can be seen here in a project undertaken in October 2022, at a fabulous quaint Airbnb cottage in Wimborne, Dorset. This was an amazing old country-styled house, with an authentic style and unique interiors. The brief required several deliverables, including images shot in different environments such as bathrooms and bedrooms. The main focus was to find visually interesting backdrops that have a raw aesthetic and a little bit of character that generate beautiful location skincare product photography.
These behind the scenes images really demonstrates the practicalities and craft of the shoot. The shabby chic sideboards and fabulous walls all have a lovely rustic texture and the rich backdrops add great colour contrast. We allowed the daylight through the windows to win, to give a natural look, and added in some diffused top light to help lift the shadows. Where needed, we added some bounce to bring through in post production, just to help the products show up really well.
With many of The Body Shop shoots, props are always key to the success of a campaign, in order to create a look which is identifiable as the brand image. The Body Shop is dedicated to producing natural body products that support fair trade, animal rights, human rights, and eco-friendly processes for people who care about these issues. Therefore the aesthetic of our images has to reflect this, in order to help sell the products! Props such as flannels, small succulents, Aloe plants, vases, blocks and trays all elevate the products and add visual interest. The shots below are an excellent example of creative styling by Pippa Silvers, a talented stylist whom we often work with as she has an eye for detail as well as an extensive collection of authentic props. The organic tones produce a wonderful warm aesthetic and complement the product packaging. The delicate styling of botanical plants and cloth textures helps the image feel more playful and adds a soft elegant touch which suits the brand image.

How It Looks
The Results
This cosmetic product location photography produced images that are some of our favourites from the year. The compositions are framed nicely, with some negative space and plenty of interest in the backgrounds to draw you into the image. The soft window light creates a calm mood, and the products are creatively arranged using different size blocks to elevate the products at varied heights.
What The Client Said
Thank you so much for all your hard work last week on the shoot! I think we’ve got some great shots and videos, as always!