Photography Skills Required Please

In our day and age of the internet, with pictures and virtual storefronts it is critical that photos speak louder than words.  We have learned that first hand with photography of our soap.  Simply photographing the wrapped bar of soap saw no responses.  As we searched and viewed our cometition their photos told a story… whether a zen garden of serenity with a very well appointed backdrop, or an old fashioned piece of lace and the antique soap dish… the story was more than selling a bar of soap… the picture was there to sell the mystique of the soap, the handmade quality, the appeal to a simpler way of life, or a vacation from the stress of the now.

That said, I have learned to stage photos more carefully, looking for props, for the proper lighting  and the proper setting.  Now this is a work in progress, but for the moment i know that each photo has to tell the viewer something more than “this is soap”.  It has to say “this is amazing soap that looks wonderful, smells amazing and offers a fabulous opportunity to flee the cares of our busy world for the zen like quiet of the bath.”  AAAh, so now when i look at magazines and ads i think “Now what are they really selling?”  I know it is more than just the product itself.