My experience shooting the new Samsung range
Ever wanted to know what goes on behind a photoshoot? My name is Iantha Yu, and I’m the founder of PicStudio. Recently, I was tasked to create some creative imagery for the new Samsung Z Flip3, Z Fold3, Watch4 and Buds2 products, and it was an absolute blast, with all assets playing up a different characteristic of each device. Here, I’ll share my planning and shooting process, and any initial thoughts I had on each product.
Styling the Z Flip3
With the Z Flip3, I wanted to tell the story of a fashionable woman who owns the most covetable accessories (hello, Jacquemus handbag!), which included a new Z Flip3. I really loved the array of Z Flip3 colours I got to play with - cream and green were my favourites, which went perfectly against a soft linen backdrop.
One thing I prioritised in this shoot was scale; I wanted to make sure the props were similar in size with the phone so everything could be seen easily. In this case, choosing a small handbag and lots of fashion jewellery was the way to go. At the end of the day, you want your product to shine and be the center of attention; your props are simply there to help you tell the story, not be the lead character.
Out of all the products I had to shoot on the day, the Z Flip3 was by far the easiest thanks to its design. I bent the phone in the middle to less than 90 degrees instead of photographing it flat. In fact, for this shoot, I treated the phone just like a makeup or mirror compact.
Arguably one of the most important things when it comes to shooting tech products is making sure that you photograph the screens. Luckily for me, the Z Flip3’s screen was easy to include in the photo as it was so vibrant! We did very little in editing to bring the screens out; the Z Flip3 really did all the talking.
When it comes to styling tech products, it’s so important to make them look as clean as possible. On the day, I was constantly picking up things with a microfiber glove (similar to what you’d use when you handle jewellery), and wiping all surfaces down with a clean cloth to get rid of fingerprints and dust.
Styling the Z Fold3
Whenever I’m styling a product for a shoot, I always want to start with creating a story within the image. I always ask myself “what story are you trying to tell?”. With the Z Fold3, I imagined the phone to be like a butterfly, and what better way to showcase this product than to have it perched elegantly on a set of flowers.
Working with the new Z Fold3 was pretty easy as the folding screen allowed the phone to stand up in the set with no problems. The large size of this device also allowed me to create a bigger set with lots of flowers. I don’t think the set would have worked for a smaller device as it could have looked overwhelming.
Styling with flowers is also extremely tricky. Not only do you have to rely on what’s in season, they’re also really delicate in nature so you have to try and move them around without crushing them or ripping the petals. It’s also important to consider the shapes of the flowers when you’re styling them. By choosing flowers with different shapes and petal sizes, you’re creating a more dynamic image - one that looks more interesting, rather than a repeat of the same thing over and over again.
Styling the Watch4
With the Watch4, I really wanted to emphasise that it’s the perfect fitness accessory to own, which is why I wanted to style these images with props such as a tennis racquet, dumbbells, a skipping rope… just to name a few.
However, my favourite element of the Watch4 was the interchangeable straps which allowed me to create a different look - sporty, fashionable, or classic - for different shots that had either had more of a masculine or feminine edge. Changing your watch strap is just like picking a hat or a beanie to wear for the day; they’re really easy to change. All I suggest is having good eyesight as the button is almost undetectable on the watch!
We also wanted to play with a few “poses” for the watch - we had some images where the watch was lying flat (which was really easy to work with!), but in other images, the watch was done up, like what it would look like around a wrist. This actually made the task of photographing the product really difficult. So, we relied on a lot of Blue-tack to stand the watch up, and I Photoshopped it out in post-production if we needed to.
Styling the Buds2
When I first saw images of the Buds2, the first thing that came to me was lollies! Candy is one of my favourite props to shoot with because there’s something nostalgic about them. Also, who doesn’t love a hit of sugar from time to time?!
I would say that my signature style is pared back and not overly styled. I always want the product to be the centre of attention; I never want the audience to need to figure out who the main character is in the set. Sometimes less is more, which is why I chose to photograph the Buds2 against a plain white background, with just a scatter of lollies around the product.
Similar to the Z Flip3, I loved the fun colour palette I got to play with. In particular, I picked the purple buds to shoot with a Stacy Brewer cake. I’d been dying to shoot this cake for weeks after seeing it emerge on Instagram, and the colour scheme worked perfectly with all the devices in the photo. It was meant to be! Shooting a cake definitely has its challenges. Your set can be quite hot (thanks to all the lighting) so you’ve got to work quickly before the icing starts to warp.
Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
Galaxy Buds2
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