Cosmetics Photography & Social Video for Superdrug and ICI PARIS XL

Two recent shoots for Superdrug and ICI PARIS XL had quite a similar brief: create a varied selection of product stills and short social videos, with a colourful playful feel that suit ed a slight younger demographic.

Each shoot had one day allocated for photography and video, so preparation was important. We needed enough variety to give the clients a useful collection of content, while keeping everything visually consistent and allowing for different social media crops.

Superdrug: colourful product shots and a miniature bathroom set

For Superdrug, the focus was hair removal products. We created a mixture of simple product and packaging shots against coloured backgrounds, alongside more styled images using a miniature bathroom setup.

The bathroom shelves gave us a setting that made sense for the products, with colour helping to keep the images fresh and playful. It also gave us room to arrange the range in different ways without having to build an entirely new set for every photograph.

I particularly liked the bathroom shelf setup. It brought a bit of everyday context into the shoot while still giving us creative control over the styling, lighting and colours.

The simpler backgrounds were useful too, letting the packaging take the lead and adding variety to the final selection.

ICI PARIS XL: Butter Balm and Glow Pop lip gloss

For ICI PARIS XL, we photographed Butter Balm products and Glow Pop lip gloss from BE Creative Make Up.

The Butter Balm range gave us plenty to work with. Berry, candy, caramel, matcha and cream provided a starting point for the colours and props, with each setup taking its cue from the individual product.

For the candy image, we used a pink background, sweets and marshmallows arranged around a scoop. The berry version brought together a red background, berries and a glass dessert dish. Both were playful setups, with the packaging remaining central to the composition.

Working across the range, the aim was to give each product its own character while keeping the photographs recognisable as a set.

For Glow Pop, we took a simpler approach. Coloured backgrounds, product groupings and the gloss itself gave us enough to work with. The packaging already had a strong visual identity, so it suited a cleaner setup with no props.

Bringing styling and photography together

A stylist helped source props ahead of the shoots, following the brand colours and the creative direction.

That preparation made a real difference on the day. With both stills and video to capture, we needed to work methodically through the setups and keep an eye on the time.

There is always a balance between refining an individual image and making sure the whole brief is covered. Having suitable props ready and a clear direction meant we could spend more of the day arranging, lighting and photographing the products.

For me, the collaboration between styling and photography was one of the strongest parts of these shoots. The props, backgrounds, product placement and lighting all needed to work together across the full collection.

Creating video alongside the stills

The short videos followed the same visual direction as the photographs, using the colours and setups to keep everything connected.

Shooting both in one day needs some planning. It is easy to spend too long on the stills and leave too little time for moving image, so video had to be considered as part of each shoot from the outset.

I’m pleased with how the finished videos sit alongside the photographs. Their pace suits the social content the clients needed and the best examples with the correct social crop (9×16) can be found on my instagram however I have put wide version below. The videos bring another way of showing the products without losing the character of the stills.

You can see more of this work in my product video portfolio.

Making the images work across different crops

Both clients needed assets supplied in multiple formats for social media.

That affected how we composed the photographs. We had to consider how each setup would work when cropped differently, keeping the product prominent and retaining enough of the styling to make the image feel complete.

Thinking about those formats during the shoot helped us create content that could be used in several placements. It was an important part of the brief, alongside the look of the images themselves.

A coherent collection of content

What I’m happiest with is how the work comes together as a collection. There is variety in the setups, but the colours and styling give each shoot a consistent feel across the photographs and videos.

These projects are a good example of how creative cosmetics photography and short product videos can be planned together, making the most of the sets and styling within the time available.

If you’re planning content for a beauty or personal care range, you can explore my cosmetics portfolio or get in touch to discuss the brief.