Product Photography
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£495
- Start Date(s): 2 December 2026, 9 June 2027
- Duration: Wednesday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, three days
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Produce captivating product images that grab attention, drive engagement, and inspire action.
Whether you are a freelancer, entrepreneur, marketing professional, or photography enthusiast, this course will take your product photography to the next level.
This practical course will equip you with the skills to capture impressive product shots using your DSLR camera.
It’s designed to equip you with the creative, technical and commercial skills needed to shoot professional product photography for brands, e-commerce, social feeds & advertising.
You’ll create professional-looking product photography that sells, captivates, and builds your brand image.
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You’ll be part of the photography community and our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your designs at home or work. -
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices. -
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance.
Here’s what our previous attendees said:
‘I took this course to improve my skills and to gain knowledge of the best equipment to buy. I am developing my own website and this course was really useful to get visual content.’
‘This course helped me to learn about the camera settings, I really enjoyed the practical elements. It was helpful to learn new skills and meet people who run other local businesses’
‘I was interested in this course as I wanted to take better photos. I now know lots about lighting and product placement. It was informative without being too intense’
‘This course was useful as I’m setting up a small business. I enjoyed using the equipment provided and now I know what to invest in for myself.’
What you’ll study
Professional-looking product photography is essential; it enhances the appeal and desirability of your products, strengthens your brand image and reputation, and provides captivating content for social media.
By investing time in learning how to harness the power of your manual camera settings you’ll save money and time by avoiding the need for a professional product photographer.
You’ll learn professional studio practice and lighting techniques to elevate your product photography to a commercial level, alongside gaining an understanding of visual storytelling, set-design and shoot concepts, regardless of kit you own.
With a practical hands-on approach, you’ll learn how to develop your own lighting style, push your sense of visual storytelling and gain an understanding of product styling and set-design.
Through theory, demonstrations and group work, you’ll explore genres such as drinks, cosmetics and accessories photography and how to combine shoot elements in post-production to achieve a polished commercial final image.
During this course, you will:
- Learn & experiment with lighting setups to begin developing your own style.
- Learn fully manual camera settings & how to shoot tethered for full control.
- Develop a sense of visual story-telling & how to plan for a shoot.
- Discover how to add props & how to style a product.
- Experiment with composition and perspective.
- Add immersive extras to your images; drips, splashes etc.
- Gain confidence in post-production for a professional look.
- Leave with a curated selection of high-quality product images.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a portfolio of unique product images, the knowledge and experience of how to plan a shoot in a studio setting and ideas about how to continue your photography in the future.
Lighting: Understanding how to work with available light and how to use flash lighting. Discover how you can manipulate light to dramatic effect and how to work creatively with it to maximise the impact of your product photography.
Composition and Perspective: Through on-set experimentation you’ll look at how to drastically improve your product photography by applying interesting camera angles in order to maintain a viewer’s interest. You’ll also look at aspect ratios considering how to make your images work for social feeds as well as websites.
Creative Concepts: Planning a shoot is vital. Through research, basic set-building & the use of props and backdrops you’ll discover how to develop creative shoot concepts to form a visual narrative best suited to highlight a products’ unique features, and translate that into high-impact visuals.
Post-production: Gain confidence in basic post-production for a polished and premium commercial look. You’ll explore how to layer a photograph and the creative freedom it facilitates.
How you’re taught
This practical course will help you take your product photography to the next level, control the light to capture the best shot, and gain confidence as a photographer.
This is not a purely technical workshop that endlessly discusses gear - instead, it’s a pragmatic, hands-on course in the art and science of product photography.
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
98% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 15 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.
Certificate of attendance and digital badge
Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a digital certificate of attendance and a digital badge powered by Accredible.
Your digital credential is more than just a certificate. It’s secure, verifiable, and protected against fraud through encryption and blockchain technology.
They also come with detailed metadata, including an overview of the skills you have achieved on the course, evidence of completion, and assessment criteria if appropriate.
Share your achievements seamlessly with friends, customers, and potential employers online, and proudly add your badge or certificate to social media platforms such as LinkedIn, so all the right people can see it.
Campus and facilities
You will be based in the School of Art and Design on the City Campus.
You’ll find full-size photography studios, equipped with backgrounds and Profoto lighting.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Entry requirements
Level: Beginner
Entry requirement: The course will suit photographers at all levels of skill and experience.
You’ll find it helpful to have some knowledge of using your equipment in manual mode.
You must be over the age of 18 in order to attend this course.
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £495.
Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
You will also need to bring with you:
- a pen and paper
- a digital SLR camera (DSLR)*
- an 8GB memory stick
- your own small-scale products to photograph, or you can work with items available.
*An entry-level DSLR or Compact System Camera with a basic 'kit' lens is the recommended starting point for equipment on this course.
There are a large number of options on the market and, whilst we don't favour any particular brand specifically, Nikon, Canon and Sony are all well regarded.
Owners of mid-range or professional DSLRs/Compact System Cameras are of course also welcome on the course, and during the course we address the pros, cons and differences between more expensive cameras.
We wouldn't recommend upgrading specifically to a more expensive mid-range camera ahead of the course, as these discussions will give valuable insight into your buying decision.
If you currently own an ageing entry-level DSLR there is certainly something to be gain from upgrading to a newer model, however it isn't essential to upgrade ahead of the course.
You can always start the course with your existing equipment and consider upgrading during or after the course, armed with all your new knowledge.
You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.
How to apply
You can book your place via the NTU online store:
2 - 4 December 2026, Wednesday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, three days
9 - 11 June 2027, Wednesday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, three days
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
- Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813
