Candle Photography and New Challenges Ahead
How did the New Cosy Collection Soy Candles Go?
We all know that winter is the perfect season to indulge in cosy vibes, and what better way to do so than with handmade candles? As I felt my classic collection could do with a bit of updating, last year I introduced a few new soy candle scents to my collection, perfect for creating that warm and inviting atmosphere.
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Alongside the new fragrances, I also set myself a personal challenge: improving my product photography to capture a lifestyle feel instead of the usual plain white background. Let me tell you, it’s been quite the journey!
When it came to developing the new handmade soy candles, choosing the scents was the easy part. After months of testing and perfecting them since April, I’ve gotten to know these fragrances inside and out. The real challenge? Translating those scent notes and the emotions they evoke into objects that not only represent them well but also photograph beautifully.
I found myself scouring shops like B&M and Home Bargains for little ornaments and nik-naks and picking up everything from mini pumpkins to toffee apples in the fruit and veg aisle. Some things were harder to source, like sugar plums, so I improvised with princess-themed pink and lilac chocolate coins for the Sugar Plum Soy Candle and the Fortune Teller Soy Candle. A deck of tarot cards even made its way into the Fortune Teller candle photos!
It took me a couple of days to photograph the first batch of new cosy soy candles, followed by some basic editing to adjust light and shadow. In the end, I was thrilled with how the photos for the new Cosy Collection of Soy Candles turned out. I was so excited, in fact, that I printed loads of leaflets and distributed them around the local area. It was hard work delivering hundreds of leaflets (those low-to-the-floor letterboxes are no joke!), but it was worth it to share these beautiful handmade candles with more people.
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The Cosy Collection candles have been a big hit! They’ve received so many compliments, especially when I’ve taken the candles to markets. It’s been amazing to see people’s reactions and hear their feedback in person.
One of the most talked-about candles has been the Gingerbread Cottage Candle. It’s definitely a love-it-or-hate-it scent—a bit like marmite! I even had to explain what that means to someone who’d never tried marmite before (I hope she got a jar for Christmas!).
As we near the end of peak “candle season,” there’s still time to grab some of our cosy handmade soy candles. The Hot Apple Strudel Soy Candle has been a standout, receiving glowing reviews for its warm and inviting scent. At the time of writing, I’m making room for new products in development, so you might even snag a discounted candle before they’re gone!
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Looking ahead, my next project has been to photograph all of the remaining soy candles which form a part of the classic candle scents collection which are available all year round. I've pretty much finished these now, I started these in October but just finished this week - apart from the Havana Nights candle, I'm not quite happy with the way this turned out. I'll try styling this container candle on top of some books I think, I'd love to have an antique style globe in the background, but there's always the possibility that the props will be more interesting that the candle. We cant have that!
As well as reshooting the Havana Nights candle, I also need to group some scents together for some more interesting shots. For catalogues and looking online a simple shot of the product is always best in my opinion so there's no confusion over what you're ordering, but for having visually interesting photos on Facebook or instagram, a lifestyle shot with a bit more going on is a little bit more captivating.
It's always really useful to have some photos of different sizes and ratios too. For example, Instagram uses a square ratio on its grid but then a Reel or Story is a 9:16 ratio. Having some extra wide photos for banners or special promotions is another thing to think about too with Etsy, this website, Faire wholesale and Facebook all using different sizes - it's a lot of editing so if you can at least get a decent photo of that size, you do save some work and effort further down the line.
Anyway - here's a couple of my favourite new square photos! The Fresh Linen candle and Pomegranate Onyx soy candle turned out great! You can shop all the Classic Candles here.
Thank you for supporting my handmade soy candle journey. Whether you’re lighting up a Sugar Plum Candle or enjoying the comforting scent of Hot Apple Strudel Soy Wax Candle, I hope these candles bring a little extra warmth and joy to your winter.
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