When a brand has a lot of products, a commercial photography session can quickly turn into a huge list of things that need to be photographed.
Hair accessories. Bags. Journals. New prints. Different colors. Different collections.
The good news? You don’t need a completely different photoshoot for every product.
I’ve been working with Desert Sol extensively over the past couple of months to photograph their hair products, journals, and bags, and one of my favorite parts has been figuring out how to bring multiple products together in creative ways.
Start With the Whole Product Collection
Before planning individual photos, look at the collection as a whole.
What products naturally work together?
What colors and patterns complement each other?
Could a bag hold one of the journals? Could hair accessories be incorporated into a lifestyle image? Could several products be styled together in a flat lay?
Thinking about the collection as a whole gives you more opportunities than photographing every item separately.
For Desert Sol, their cute prints and variety of bag options gave us so many combinations to work with.
Give Every Product Its Own Hero Moment
Even when you’re photographing multiple products together, each product still needs its own clear images.
These are your hero photos.
A hero image might show one bag clearly from the front or highlight a specific hair accessory without anything distracting from it.
These photos are especially important for product pages and online shops because customers need to see exactly what they’re purchasing.
Once you have those must-have images, you can get much more creative.
Use Lifestyle Photos to Tell the Story
Lifestyle photography gives you a chance to show how products fit into someone’s actual life.
Instead of simply photographing a hair accessory by itself, you might show someone wearing it.
Instead of photographing a bag sitting on a table, you might show someone carrying it while they’re out and about.
Instead of photographing a journal by itself, you can build a scene around it.
Lifestyle photos help customers understand the experience of the product.
Combine Products Without Making the Photo Confusing
There is a fine line between a creative product photo and a photo with too much going on.
When combining several products, give the image a clear focal point.
You can make one product the hero while using the others as supporting details.
For example, a bag might be the main subject while a journal and hair accessories are styled nearby.
The goal is for the viewer to notice the whole scene but still understand what the brand is selling.
Use the Location to Create a Bigger Brand Story
For Desert Sol’s outdoor commercial session, we photographed near Golden Spike at Chinese Arch.
An outdoor location can completely change the feel of a product collection.
Instead of every image looking like a traditional product photo, the landscape becomes part of the brand story.
This can be especially effective for lifestyle products because it gives customers a feeling to connect with.
You aren’t just showing them a bag.
You’re showing them a moment where they might use that bag.
Don’t Forget Flat Lays
Flat lays are one of my favorite ways to photograph multiple products together.
They give you a controlled environment where you can play with color, shape, pattern, and composition.
You can create a simple arrangement with several products or build a more detailed scene around one hero item.
They’re also incredibly useful for marketing because they can work beautifully for website graphics, social media, Pinterest, email campaigns, and product launches.
And because the products are arranged intentionally, you can make sure the colors and patterns work together before taking the photo.
Think Beyond One Photoshoot
One of the biggest advantages of building a relationship with a commercial photographer is that you don’t have to cram every possible idea into one session.
We’ve been working with Desert Sol over several months to highlight different parts of their product line.
That gives us time to experiment.
We can try a new location, test a different lifestyle concept, photograph a new product, or find a creative way to combine products we already photographed.
Commercial photography doesn’t have to be one giant session where you photograph everything once and never revisit it.
It can become an ongoing visual library for your brand.
Get Creative With Your Product Photography
One of my favorite things about working with a brand like Desert Sol is that there are so many ways to approach the products.
Their prints, hair accessories, journals, and bags give us plenty of room to experiment with lifestyle photography and flat lays.
If your business has a growing product collection, don’t feel like every item needs its own completely separate concept.
With thoughtful planning, you can create hero images, lifestyle photos, flat lays, and creative combinations that give you a much bigger library of content.
If you’re ready to create fresh commercial photography for your product collection, reach out to me and let’s figure out how we can turn all those products into images your brand can actually use.
McKayla is a Brigham City photographer, wife, and mom who has loved photography since receiving her first camera at 14. After five years as a history teacher, she followed her passion and now photographs full-time, bringing her natural storytelling skills and love of people to every session.
She specializes in weddings, family and extended family sessions, and commercial photography throughout Brigham City, Cache Valley, Logan Canyon, the Wellsvilles, Mendon, and Bear Lake.
November 6, 2026
McKayla Vincent
