Omni Photography

Foundation

Universal Photography Principles

Rule	Standard	Why
Light quality	Soft & directional for people/product; hard & punchy for action	Light is the photo. Everything else is arrangement.
Focal hierarchy	One subject in sharp focus, everything else supports	Viewer's eye needs one home.
Composition	Rule of thirds, leading lines, or dead-center for symmetry	Random framing reads amateur even when technically clean.
Color truth	White balance to scene; skin tones protected in edit	Off-color photos feel wrong even if viewer can't say why.
Resolution	Shoot RAW; export at final delivery size	RAW gives edit headroom; JPEG-only bakes in mistakes.

Shot Type 01

Product Photography

E-commerce, catalog, ads, print. Purpose: make the product feel worth buying. Two modes: clinical (white sweep) and lifestyle (in use).

Anatomy

Clinical vs Lifestyle

Clinical for PDP hero + Amazon. Lifestyle for social, ads, and emotion.

Gear

Lens — 50mm or 100mm macro for detail; avoid wide (distortion).
Tripod — mandatory for clinical, optional for lifestyle.
Backdrop — seamless white paper for clinical; textured / contextual for lifestyle.
Lighting — 2× softboxes at 45° + white bounce fill; or window + reflector.
Tether — shoot tethered to laptop for real-time review.

Settings

Aperture — f/8–f/11 (product fully sharp).
Shutter — 1/125 tripod, 1/250 handheld.
ISO — 100 (clean).
White balance — custom to light source (use gray card).
Format — RAW + 300dpi export at final size.

Angles Required

Hero / ¾ front.
Straight-on front.
Side profile.
Top-down (flat lay).
Detail / texture macro.
Scale reference (with hand or context).

Edit Recipe — Clinical

Background pure white (255,255,255) — pen-tool clean.
Contrast +10, clarity +5, saturation neutral.
Shadow drop under product (natural, not harsh).
Remove dust, scratches, stray hairs.
LUT: none — accuracy beats style here.

Edit Recipe — Lifestyle

Warm bias (+150 to +300K).
Contrast +12, clarity +8, vibrance +10.
Slight fade / matte in shadows (film feel).
LUT: brand-preset for consistency across catalog.

Engagement Best Practices

Show product in use — lifts CTR by 40%+ vs static.
Include a human element (hand, silhouette) for scale + relatability.
Rotating catalog: 60% clinical for trust, 40% lifestyle for desire.

Common Mistakes

Wide lens on product

Bulges edges. Use 50mm+ minimum.

Mixed light sources

Window + tungsten = color mess. Kill one.

Aperture too wide

Part of the product is blurry. Stop down to f/8+.

Over-edited whites

Blown highlights lose texture. Keep detail in the sweep.

Shot Type 02

Portrait / People

Headshots, team, founders, customers. Purpose: trust, connection, humanity.

Anatomy

Lens · Light · Look

Flattering focal length + soft directional light + protected skin tones = professional.

Gear

Lens — 85mm (headshot), 50mm (environmental), 35mm (context wide).
Light — soft key (softbox or window), fill card, hair/rim optional.
Backdrop — 6+ feet behind subject for blur; textured wall for character.

Settings

Aperture — f/2.0–f/2.8 (blurred background); f/5.6 for groups.
Shutter — 1/200+ handheld.
ISO — 100–400.
Focus — nearest eye. Always.

Lighting Patterns

Rembrandt — key 45° up + side. Triangle of light on shadow cheek. Classic.
Loop — key slightly above eye, 30–45° side. Small nose shadow loops toward cheek. Everyday flattering.
Butterfly / Paramount — key straight on, high. Shadow under nose. Beauty / glam.
Split — key at 90° side. Dramatic, half in shadow. Editorial.

Edit / LUT Recipe

Skin protection first — HSL orange luminance +5, saturation −3.
Contrast +5 to +8. Don't crush shadows (kills skin depth).
Warm bias +100–200K for warmth.
Frequency-separation retouch for blemishes; NEVER over-smooth (plastic).
LUT: subtle portrait preset (Portra 400 emulation is a safe default).

Common Mistakes

Wide-angle headshot

Big nose, small ears. Use 85mm.

Focus on eyebrows, not eyes

Photo feels off even at small size.

Overhead ceiling light

Raccoon eye shadows. Move to window or add light.

Over-smoothed skin

Wax mannequin territory. Preserve texture.

Shot Type 03

Action Shots

Team at work, athletes, service in motion. Purpose: energy, capability, proof of work.

Anatomy

Freeze or blur — pick with intent

Frozen action = clarity. Motion blur = energy. Never accidental.

Gear

Lens — 24–70mm zoom for versatility; 70–200mm for distance.
Body — fast burst (10+ fps), reliable autofocus tracking.
Storage — fast SD/CFexpress card for burst.

Settings

Shutter (freeze) — 1/1000+ for sports, 1/500 for general action.
Shutter (motion blur) — 1/30–1/125 with pan.
Aperture — f/2.8–f/4 for subject isolation; f/5.6 in bright light.
ISO — Auto ISO capped at 3200; prioritize shutter.
Focus — continuous AF (AF-C / AI-Servo), tracking on subject's face.
Drive — burst mode, hold through the action.

Composition

Leave "room to move" — subject looks/moves into empty space in frame.
Low angle for power; high angle for scale.
Include environment for context (roof, gym, site).

Edit Recipe

Contrast +15, clarity +12 (punch).
Saturation +8; vibrance +12.
Dehaze +5 for gritty realism.
Sharpen +50 (masked to subject).
LUT: high-contrast sports/action preset.

Common Mistakes

Shutter too slow

Blurry hands, blurry ball. 1/1000+ minimum for fast action.

Single-shot AF

You'll miss the peak moment. Use continuous.

Single frame taken

Best moment is usually frame 3 of 10. Burst.

Shot Type 04

Lifestyle / Environmental

People in context, brand-in-the-wild, editorial. Purpose: aspiration and relatability.

Anatomy

Golden hour + candid framing + warm grade

Gear & Settings

Lens — 35mm or 50mm for natural feel; 24mm wide for scene.
Aperture — f/2.8–f/4.
Shutter — 1/250+ handheld.
ISO — Auto (up to 1600).
Time of day — golden hour (first/last hour of sun) is default.

Framing Rules

Subject not centered; use thirds.
Include context — but don't clutter.
Foreground element for depth (out-of-focus).
Candid > posed. Give the subject something to do.

Edit / LUT Recipe

Warm shift (+200K), tint +5 magenta for skin.
Contrast +8; lift shadows +10 (matte, film-like).
Vibrance +10; saturation neutral.
LUT: film emulation (Portra, Kodak Gold, or brand preset).
Light grain for texture.

Best Practices

Shoot in series — first frame is rarely the best.
Ask subject to talk / move; capture between beats.
Match wardrobe to environment palette.

Shot Type 05

Real Estate / Interior

Listings, showrooms, workspace features. Purpose: space feels bigger, brighter, cleaner without misrepresenting.

Anatomy

Wide + level + bright

Gear

Lens — 16–24mm wide (full-frame) or 10–18mm (crop).
Tripod — mandatory (bracketing + verticals).
Level — bubble or in-body horizon.

Settings

Aperture — f/8–f/11 (deep focus).
ISO — 100 (clean shadows).
HDR bracketing — 3–5 exposures (−2, −1, 0, +1, +2 EV) for windows + interior.
White balance — one WB across all rooms; correct in post.
Verticals — camera dead level; correct any tilt in Lightroom.

Composition

Shoot from corners — shows two walls, opens the space.
Camera height 4–5 ft (chest height).
Wide-then-tight coverage: full room + detail + amenity.
Stage: turn on all lights, open blinds, remove clutter.

Edit Recipe

Merge HDR → natural blend (not surreal).
White balance neutral; window blues corrected.
Contrast +5; shadows +20; highlights −20.
Straighten verticals + lens correction on.
LUT: clean real-estate preset — bright, neutral.

Common Mistakes

Ultra-wide fisheye look

Distorted, dishonest. Correct or shoot 20mm+.

Windows blown out

Bracket and blend.

Tilted verticals

Walls lean = unprofessional. Fix in post.

Clutter visible

Trash cans, cords, personal items. Stage first.

Shot Type 06

Food Photography

Menus, delivery, social. Purpose: make it look appetizing at thumbnail size.

Anatomy

Top-down flat lay vs 45° hero

Flat lay for spreads, salads, coffee art. 45° for burgers, layered dishes, drinks with height.

Gear & Settings

Lens — 50mm or 100mm macro.
Aperture — f/4–f/5.6 (hero sharp, background soft).
Light — window sidelight + reflector fill; never overhead flash.
Tripod — for flat lay overhead rig.

Styling Rules

Freshest side of the dish faces camera.
Height, layers, garnish = visual interest.
Props (napkin, utensil, ingredient) frame the hero.
Steam / drip / crumb suggests real, hot, fresh.

Edit Recipe

Warm/cool balance to dish tone — warm for baked/fried, cool for seafood/greens.
Contrast +10, clarity +8.
Vibrance +15 (color pop); saturation neutral.
Selective saturation: boost the food's dominant hue.
LUT: food-preset with warm shadows.

Engagement Best Practices

Contrast the dish against the surface — dark plate on light wood, or vice versa.
Human hand / drink pour = motion signals fresh.
Test at thumbnail size in feed — does it read?

Universal Recipe

LUT / Preset Cheat Sheet by Shot Type

Shot Type	Contrast	Saturation	Clarity	Temp Bias	LUT Style
Product (clinical)	+10	0	+5	Neutral	None — accuracy
Product (lifestyle)	+12	+8 vibrance	+8	Warm +200K	Brand-consistent film
Portrait	+5 to +8	Skin protected via HSL	+3	Warm +100–200K	Portra 400 emulation
Action	+15	+8, +12 vibrance	+12	Neutral / cool	High-contrast sport
Lifestyle	+8, lifted shadows	+10 vibrance	+5	Warm +200K	Film emulation, grain
Real estate	+5	Neutral	+3	Neutral corrected	Clean bright preset
Food	+10	+15 vibrance, selective boost	+8	Dish-dependent	Warm-shadow food preset

Pre-Delivery