{"id":59,"date":"2026-03-16T18:52:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.7virides.com\/cs\/podnikani\/fotografie-mydla\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:19:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T10:19:47","slug":"fotografie-mydla","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/podnikani\/fotografie-mydla\/","title":{"rendered":"Soap photography: how to take photos of products for e-shop and social networks"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p><strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> Light is everything - prefer natural light (north window, cloudy day). Basic composition: overhead (flat lay), 45\u00b0 angle (most natural), macro (details). Smartphone photos are sufficient with good lighting and editing in Lightroom Mobile. Label: square format 1500\u00d71500 px, product on 70-80% of the surface, consistent background.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Photography is probably the most important marketing tool for artisan soap. The online customer can't smell or touch the soap - they only make a visual decision. A mediocre or poor photo can devalue even an exceptional product.<\/p>\n<p>This page covers specific techniques for photographing a soap without a professional studio - with natural light, a smartphone, and affordable props.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"zakladni-principy-fotografovani\">Basic principles of photography<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"proc-je-svetlo-nejdulezitejsi\">Why light is most important<\/h3>\n<p>Light is the most important variable. Even the best camera can't save bad light. Natural light from a northern window (direct sunset is not suitable - too much contrasting shadows) is ideal for soap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Golden hour:<\/strong> An hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset, they give a soft, warm light ideal for a premium look.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rainy day:<\/strong> Diffuse cloud light is the perfect studio - no harsh shadows, even lighting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Avoid:<\/strong> Flashes, indoor bulbs, direct midday sun. They all create harsh shadows or color variations.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"jake-pozadi-si-vybrat\">What background to choose?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>White background:<\/strong> A clean, minimalist look. Suitable for e-shop product pages. Classic white sweep (cardboard or sheet).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Natural textures:<\/strong> Wood, stone, canvas, jute fabric - suitable for a premium\/artisan look on Instagram or Etsy. Background colour must not overpower the product.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contrasting colours:<\/strong> Dark soap on a light background and vice versa. Avoid colours that blend in with the soap.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"jak-nastavit-fotoaparat-v-telefonu\">How do I set up the camera on my phone?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"minimalni-tech-nastaveni\">Minimum tech settings<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>ISO:<\/strong> Lowest available (100 or auto) - in sufficient light.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Exposure:<\/strong> Don't be afraid to slightly underexpose and increase brightness in editing - overexposed whites can't be saved.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Grid:<\/strong> Turn on the grid for compositing (rule of thirds).<\/li>\n<li><strong>HDR:<\/strong> Turn off - HDR processing tends to be unreliable for products.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tap to focus:<\/strong> Tap the soap, not the background - sharp product, blurred background (bokeh).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"pro-vyssi-kvalitu\">For higher quality<\/h3>\n<p>If you have access to a DSLR or mirrorless camera:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aperture f\/5.6-f\/8 for product photography (sufficient depth of field)<\/li>\n<li>Tripod eliminates blur<\/li>\n<li>RAW format for better editing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"jake-jsou-zakladni-kompozice\">What are the basic compositions?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"tri-typy-fotografii-pro-mydlo\">Three types of photos for soap<\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. Overhead (top view, flat lay)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The soap or soaps are placed on the surface, scanned vertically from above. Suitable for displaying the entire collection, a cross section of soap or flat lay styling with props.<\/p>\n<p>Tips: symmetry or deliberate non-symmetrical &#8222;curated mess&#8220;. Props (lavender, stones, fern) match the scent of the soap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. 45\u00b0 angle (three-quarter view)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most natural view - the customer sees the product as in a shop. It shows both the cross section\/shape and the surface texture. Ideal for hero shot on product page.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Macro (detail)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Close-up of texture, cross-section pattern, sprinkling. Used to demonstrate craftsmanship. Good as a supplementary photo on the e-shop.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"jak-spravne-stylovat-mydlo\">How to style soap correctly?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"prurez-vs-cely-kus\">Cross-section vs. whole piece<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Cross-section:<\/strong> Most popular in the soapmaking community. Reveals the interior - swirly, color layers, natural texture. Cut the soap with a clean sharp knife (slicing knife or lathe).<\/p>\n<p><strong>The whole piece:<\/strong> Suitable for customers who see the product in the store. Less &#8222;wow&#8220; factor online, but essential for product pages.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"jake-rekvizity-pouzit\">What props to use?<\/h3>\n<p>Props are used to create context and aesthetics. Rule: less is more. Maximum 2-3 props.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For natural\/herbal soap:<\/strong> Fresh or dried herbs (lavender, chamomile, rosemary), natural stones, wooden bowl, linen cloth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For luxury\/donation:<\/strong> White linen, mother-of-pearl or gold details, dried citrus slices, dried flowers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For minimalist\/Scandinavian style:<\/strong> White or neutral background, no props or maximum one (stone, twig).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Avoid:<\/strong> Plastic props, synthetic flowers, crowded compositions. Props must not overpower the product.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"jak-vybrat-barvovou-paletu\">How to choose a colour palette?<\/h3>\n<p>Determine a \"brand palette&#8220; - 2-3 colors that are repeated in all your photos. A consistent visual identity is recognizable on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>Example: premium natural brand - cream, grey, olive, terracotta. Backgrounds, props and text on labels stick to these colours.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"jak-editovat-fotografie\">How to edit photos?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"volne-dostupne-nastroje\">Freely available tools<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Lightroom Mobile (free):<\/strong> The best mobile editor for product photography. Allows you to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows<\/li>\n<li>White balance (colour temperature) - for a correct white background<\/li>\n<li>Clearance \/ Dehaze for sharpness<\/li>\n<li>Export in high resolution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Snapseed (free, Google):<\/strong> Alternative, easier interface.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canva:<\/strong> For editing banners, collection pages, social media - not for concise product photography.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"co-upravit-a-co-ne\">What to edit and what not to edit?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Edit:<\/strong> Exposure, white balance, contrast, cropping, horizon adjustment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don't edit:<\/strong> The color of the soap so that it doesn't match reality. A customer who receives lavender soap darker or lighter than the photo will be disappointed. Photos must accurately depict the product.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"specifika-pro-jednotlive-platformy\">Platform specifics<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"e-shop-shopify-woocommerce-etsy\">E-shop (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hero image:<\/strong> square or 4:3, white or light neutral background, product on 70-80% of the surface<\/li>\n<li><strong>Additional photos (gallery):<\/strong> cross section, texture detail, styling with context (bathroom, gift), label<\/li>\n<li><strong>Resolution:<\/strong> minimum 1500 \u00d7 1500 px, ideally 2000 \u00d7 2000 px<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"instagram\">Instagram<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Feed:<\/strong> Consistent palette, alternating details and overall shots, flat lay. Ratio 1:1 or 4:5.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stories and Reels:<\/strong> Behind the scenes of production (manufacturing, weighing, moulding) - very popular content in the soapmaking community.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reels:<\/strong> Time-lapse video of soap cross-section slicing (ASMR) - a viral format for soap content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"farmarsky-trh-point-of-sale\">Farmers market \/ point of sale<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Print a large banner or A4 product overview with photos<\/li>\n<li>Present a cross-section of soaps - the customer sees what he buys<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"jake-jsou-nejcastejsi-chyby\">What are the most common mistakes?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"co-se-pokazuje\">What is being shown<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Yellow or orange light:<\/strong> Caused by light bulbs. Solve by moving to the window or calibrating white balance in the edit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Blurry photos:<\/strong> Lack of light or shivering. Add light (white paper reflector) or use a tripod\/phone prop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Soap occupies less than 50% of the surface:<\/strong> The customer must see the product. Zoom in or crop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overexposed white:<\/strong> White areas without detail are \"burnt&#8220;. Reduce exposure by -0.5 EV.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Inconsistent style across products:<\/strong> Customer perception of a cohesive brand. Photograph all products under the same lighting conditions, same background, same styling.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"caste-otazky\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Do I need a professional camera?<\/strong> No. A good smartphone is enough with good light. The difference is not in the camera, but in the lighting and finish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best light for photographing soap?<\/strong> Natural indirect light from the north window or a cloudy day. The golden hour (sunset) is beautiful, but less suitable for details.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many photos should I have on my e-shop?<\/strong> Minimum 5-7: hero image, cross section, detail, styling with props, label\/packaging. More photos increases conversion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can I take pictures of the soap indoors without a window?<\/strong> Yes, but you have to add artificial light. Ideally LED lights without temperature (neutral color). Avoid incandescent bulbs - they cause a yellow tint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do I photograph colour swirls and patterns?<\/strong> The 45\u00b0 angle is ideal. Or flat lay from above, where the swirl can be seen in detail.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See also:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/selling-handmade-soap\/where-to-sell-handmade-soap\/\">Where to sell soap<\/a> - e-shop, markets, social networks<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/selling-handmade-soap\/soap-pricing\/\">Soap pricing<\/a> - how presentation affects the price<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/soap\/soap-making-techniques\/soap-swirl-techniques\/\">Swirl techniques<\/a> - visually attractive cross-sections for photographs<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR: Sv\u011btlo je v\u0161echno \u2014 preferujte p\u0159irozen\u00e9 sv\u011btlo (severn\u00ed okno, obla\u010dn\u00fd den). Z\u00e1kladn\u00ed kompozice: overhead (flat lay), 45\u00b0 \u00fahel (nejp\u0159irozen\u011bj\u0161\u00ed), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-59","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206,"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions\/206"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.7virides.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}