A city at the center of European culture and history, Berlin has morphed through the ages to become one of the most cosmopolitan destinations in the world. Known for everything from its food and arts to its music and nightlife, tourists and residents swarm the metropolis to indulge in a thousand shades of interests and experiences. Excitement is everywhere, as expression and innovation flow through the city’s many streets to be unveiled in its artistic and commercial endeavors. It’s even witnessed in the items available for purchase and consumption, a melding of the traditional and contemporary seen through product photography in Berlin. If you need someone to create the most scintillating displays of manufactured wares, we suggest turning to the seven individuals we’ve listed below.
At Wonderful Machine, product photography applies to any inanimate object not covered by our other specialties, often products. Therefore, our list of seven will cover as many bases as possible through the items they photograph and the aesthetic approaches they lean on.
Jordana Schramm is a photographer specializing in interiors, architecture, portraiture, and product. As she’d describe it, her portfolio carries “a calm and clear daylight look” across all these specialties, making this her signature aesthetic. Consequently, clients in both the commercial and editorial landscapes know exactly what to expect from her, whether she’s photographing home and garden products, beauty and cosmetic items, or jewelry.
It’s a stylistic approach that has worked in her favor, with her photos published in books, design magazines, and websites. Additionally, Jordana has worked with the likes of IBB Ventures, A.Lange & Söhne, bfs Design, Herrendorf Inneneinrichter, Dopo Domani, Minotti, Interior by Lindholz, Fabian Freytag Interior, BMW, AHM Architects, ANH Immobilien, B&P Consulting, MYCS, Luca Lancini Architect, Auf die Hand Food, AD, Top Hair, IWF e.V., and many more.
While she’s focused on food and lifestyle photography, Annie Martin is one of many product photographers in Berlin operating within the overlap of certain specialties. She has the eye to capture food and drink items before they’re consumed, making their packaging seem as succulent and mouthwatering as the actual meal or beverage. Annie shoots objects from straight on or directly above, utilizing clean, colorful, and bright presentations to highlight products. On the odd occasion, she does focus on items that don’t end up on the dining table, including cosmetics, computer accessories, and many more.
Annie’s client list includes Martha Stewart Living, National Geographic Magazine, Zeit Magazine, Healthyish, 7×7 Magazine, Jello, Postmates, Good Eggs, Avocados From Mexico, Munchery, Habit, Ora, Brandless, Udemy, First Chop, and Bryr Clogs.
Nils Wilbert has dedicated himself to the art of product photography in Berlin, but if he had gone ahead with his original passion, he’d have become a chef. Instead, his change in direction began with an internship at a German photo studio, where he realized that photography was just as capable of engaging the senses as a well-cooked meal. After completing a three-year apprenticeship, Nils moved to London and worked on numerous independent projects, accumulating a wealth of experience before settling in Berlin.
His product portfolio focuses on bright, vibrant, and conceptual compositions, utilizing color, texture, and shape to accentuate an item’s features. It’s an effort to integrate the subject into a larger ecosystem consisting of background and foreground elements, something he does effectively in the studio and via environmental portraits of products.
Consisting of art director Melanie Vorbeck and photographer Stefan Vorbeck, Stills & Strokes exhibit a penchant for the dreamy and surreal. They’re product photographers in Berlin with a propensity for playful experimentation, turning their subjects into works of art. As the duo would explain, “things can be more than they seem.” By tinkering with perspective, materials, arrangements, and lighting, they inject personality, character, and story into a product that goes beyond the description on the packaging.
While their portfolio covers a range of products, their bread and butter would have to be beauty, cosmetics, and fashion accessories. Some clients include Harper’s Bazaar, ICON Magazine, Babor Cosmetics, FOCUS Sport, Wandler, ASICS, Gucci, Sephora, and many others.
If your focus is on home, garden, and interior items, Christoph Sagel has that facet of product photography in Berlin nailed down. With a keen interest in architecture and design, he harnesses space and distance magnificently to showcase items, from chairs and sofas to bathtubs and countertops. As a bonus, Christoph loves working on holistic imagery projects where a range of content deliverables are required. He’s not limited to photography, fully on board to produce video and 3D solutions.
His client roster consists of design and furniture companies such as Thonet, USM Haller, and Vitra Design Museum. In addition, agencies such as BBDO, DDB, Jung von Matt, Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, and TWBA frequently reach out to him for assignments.
For photography that makes bold colors and otherworldly ideas come to life, you better turn to Tabea Mathern. Her images don’t limit themselves to presenting a product. They go beyond that to convey themes and emotions, even providing clues about the final consumer of a given item. For example, a toaster surrounded by sweet treats and beverages could hint at someone who loves hosting tea parties, or a bottle of multivitamins spilling out of a handbag could be owned by a busy woman with hardly the time to rest. If you’re looking for a visual storyteller, Tabea is a great fit.
Tabea’s client list includes Adobe, Aquagear, Art Toronto, Biko Jewellery, Clinique, Casio Watches, Cosmia Magazine, Etsy, eBay, Foodspring, Fossil, Glucks Beer, Klarna, Kühne, Lovely Day, Nido, Ö Magazin, Refinery 29, Der Spiegel, Spiegel Wissen, Schrot & Korn, Sister Mag, Toronto Life, Verishop, Zalando, and more.
There’s good news if you’d like to recreate Tabea’s style. She has a photography course on Domestika that you can access right now.
Splitting her time between London and Berlin, Zoë Noble is a photographer specializing in beauty and product. She fell in love with photography while working at Condé Nast as a web designer. Before letting too much time pass, Zoe switched directions and has become quite the force in the business. She strongly emphasizes lighting in both studio and functional presentations of products, harnessing it effectively to illuminate colors and textures beautifully.
Like a few others on our list, Zoë has become a mentor herself in the industry. She works as an educator for Capture One and Adobe while producing video lessons through a YouTube channel. There’s no shortage of learning opportunities through these individuals, should you choose it.
Some of Zoë’s commercial clients include L’Oréal Paris, Ogilvy, No 7, Benefit Cosmetics, Sony, Capture One, Adobe, Ciaté London, Ableton, and Etsy. Her images have also been featured in The New York Times, Vogue Arabia, Vogue Japan, ELLE Serbia, Marie Claire Turkey, and others.
These seven individuals cover specific areas of interest and shooting styles, representing different flavors of product photography in Berlin. So whether you’re looking for imagery that’s clean and simple or bold and exciting, the talent that will make it possible is right here.
Further Reading
Discover more product photographers in Berlin through our Find Photographers page.
Learn more about product photography as a specialty at Wonderful Machine.
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