How One Soap Brand Inspired Two Different Creative Directions.

Not every photography project starts with a client inquiry. Some start with a product that stops you in your tracks.

I discovered this particular soap brand while browsing CR Goodfinds, a boutique gift store in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with a sharp eye for indie lifestyle brands worth paying attention to. I picked up two products from the same brand and brought them back to my product photography studio in Novi, Michigan: not for a client, but to expand my creativity.  This creative project allowed me the chance to build portfolio work around products I genuinely loved and let the photography speak for itself.

What I didn't fully anticipate was how different the two products would ask to be treated. Here is the project brief, (or they why, the plan, and the how) to create on-brand product images.

Same Brand, Two Completely Different Stories

That's the thing about a brand with range is that the photography has to have range too.

The first product was earthy and understated. Wrapped in a natural canvas pouch, it had the quiet confidence of something that doesn't need to shout. Clean, organic, the kind of product that belongs on a wooden surface next to a bar of something handmade and a sprig of dried herb. The whole feel was intentional simplicity.

The second product was its opposite. Bright packaging, bold color, the kind of product that earns its own shelf space by sheer personality. Where the first asked for restraint, the second asked for celebration.

Same brand. Two completely different creative briefs.

Styling the Earthy One: Let It Breathe

For the canvas pouch soap, the approach was all about texture and calm. Natural surfaces, warm neutral backdrops, simple props that felt honest rather than decorated. The goal was to make the product feel like it belonged somewhere peaceful like a slow morning bathroom counter or a thoughtful gift sitting on linen.

Negative space was a friend here. Letting the product exist without a lot of noise around it communicated the same thing the packaging already was: this is clean, considered, and worth your attention.

Styling the Colorful One: Match the Energy

The bright packaging soap wanted something completely different. Here I leaned into color, choosing backdrops that complemented rather than competed with the packaging. A setup that felt as fun and vibrant as the product itself.

One of the most important creative decisions in product photography is knowing when to quiet everything down and when to turn it up. Both approaches serve the product. Neither is right for the wrong product.

Why Creative Projects Matter

Shooting on spec is purchasing products you believe in and photographing them without a contract or brief.This is one of the best ways to develop as a product photographer and build a portfolio that reflects the kind of work you actually want to do.

This project pushed me creatively in exactly the right way. It proved that great product photography isn't one-size-fits-all, even within a single brand. It's responsive. It listens to what the product is already saying and builds a visual world around that.

A Note to the Brand

If this work has found its way to you then, hello. These images were made with genuine admiration for what you've built. If you're ever looking for a creative partner to bring your full product line to life, I'd love that conversation.

Working on a Product Line With Range?

Whether your products are earthy and minimal or bold and colorful, or somehow both, I’d love to help tell the full story. I work with indie lifestyle and wellness brands to create images that are warm, elevated, and created to sell.

Are you ready? So easy to start. Complete our contact form HERE or text/call 248-824-9584.

Carla Jacobson is a product photographer for Coola Creative based in Michigan, specializing in elevated brand photography for indie wellness, lifestyle, and artisan brands. She works with brands who want imagery that not only looks good but draws customers in and creates a loyal following willing to buy again and again.