6 Key Shots to Give Your Candle Photography a Glow Up

Lifestyle candle tin collection shot for The Tartan Wick

Candle photography is definitely one of my favourites. I love styling cosy scenes and capturing the comforting ritual of lighting a candle. As a product photographer, I thought I would share my must have shots for giving your candles a *glow* up.

There are so many ways you could shoot and style a candle, but these are six I’d recommend to get started with. Having your candle shown in a variety of set ups and from different angles will really help your customer see what they’re ordering and why it’s the candle they have to buy. The shots listed below also double up as easy social content, just be sure to snap a range of square, 16:9 and banner size to keep your options open.

6 Key Shots to Give Your Candle Photography a Glow Up

1. Simple Lifestyle Scene

Simple lifestyle shot for The Edinburgh Candlemaker Co

Does what it says on the tin (heh heh). Set in a simple homely lifestyle scene to suit your brand story, ideally with the lid off and lit for that cosy glow. The aesthetic should have your ideal customer in mind - use interior props which help communicate that your brand is luxury/eco/cutesy. Show your brand personality and use colours to complement your packaging.

2. Add a Human Element

Hand going to light candle for The Summergate Candle Company

In other words, figure out how to include your hands in the scene. This could be lighting it with a match, or holding the lit candle with cosy jumper sleeves in shot. You want to help your customer imagine having it in their own hands, and how it would make them feel to own such beautiful product. It also helps show the size of your candle more than a description (plus, we all know people don't read the descriptions).

3. Bring the Scent to Life

Figs and magnolias are used as props to show the scent of this candle for The Candle Bothy

Get styling with props to represent the scent. If your candle is a scent which can be visually described this is a must! Sadly, customers can’t smell those gorgeous essential oils through their screen so this is the next best thing. If your scent is something more conceptual like "summer rain" then you can have fun capturing an image which has that feel about it too. 

4. Group Shot! 

Wild Pumpkin scent group shot for Wildbells

​If this is part of a collection, comes in different sizes, or has a matching room spray, then shooting them together is a brilliant way to boost sales. If you offer them together as a gift set then take a photo of that too. Your customer has discovered their new favourite scented candle, they’ve come back to your online shop to buy another - then they spot they can buy a diffuser and wax melts too - all because you added a lovely new group shot to the product listing.  Makes upselling much easier!

5. Seasonal Scene

Autumn styling as part of a seasonal shoot for Scents of the Wild

Seasonal shots make seasonal marketing super easy. Have fun with textures; how about a chunky knit blanket, a cup of coffee and an open book for an autumn mood? You can make your candles work all year round with a bank of styled shots to keep customers interested. To get the most out of them:

• Schedule them on socials before your busiest times of year so you can feel smug when you’re busy packing up orders.
• Use them for market promo. Great images make your market organiser’s job much easier and you’ll be more likely to appear front and centre of their promotional materials: win win!
• Update your website headers and give your shop a seasonal update to get shoppers in the mood for gifting.
• Make some tempting gift guides and feature your small biz friends for some community cross promotion 

6. White Background

White cut out with packaging for Myariella Candles

​I’m ending on a boring but very useful shot. A well lit, sharp studio cut out image is a must if you’re looking for press features (be sure to join Press Loft or similar). They’re also great for wholesale catalogues alongside your gorgeous lifestyle images. Some e-commerce sites require white cut outs too.

Final Thoughts

Working on improving your candle photography offers endless opportunities to highlight the beauty of your products, scents, and story behind your brand. By incorporating lifestyle scenes, seasonal touches, and thoughtful product groupings to your shop listings, you can level up your candle images and attract more customers. 

If you’d prefer to focus on your business while leaving the photography to a professional, you can book me as your photographer. Together, we can create stunning images that make your candles glow.

I offer a post and shoot service, working with clients from across the UK. You can see my photography packages here and book here.

I hope you found these tips for levelling up your candle photography helpful for your next shoot! I’d love to see your efforts too, tag @jillyjillystudio on Instagram.

​If you'd like to see a key shot guide for a different product type, let me know in the comments below!