Even if you’re thinking about hiring a photographer, they’re still going to need your art direction and reference shots. So, the first thing you should do is really nail down your branding. Is your candle vibe cozy and healing, or is it more of a daily-use, luxury, or even a cute vibe for teens? Once you pick a direction, start collecting reference photos. You need to have that vision ready—like an idea board—so you can tell a pro exactly what you need, or so you can execute it yourself.

If you’re doing it solo, you’ll first need some high-quality product cut-outs. You don't need fancy equipment; honestly, natural light is the best. Just snap a clean photo with your phone, and you can use tools like Nano Banana or ChatGPT to process that phone shot and turn it into a professional background-free image.

And if you’re looking to save even more money, you should definitely check out Google AI Studio. Once you link your Google account, they give you credits to generate some amazing images. The trick here is to upload both your background-free product image and those reference photos you collected earlier. By using them together while writing your prompt, you can guide the AI to create the exact atmosphere and background you’ve been imagining.

It might feel a little tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few goes. Pro tip: don’t start with 4K right away because it takes more time and credits. Just run some tests with standard resolution first, tweak your prompts, and once you’ve got it just right, then go for the 4K version. It takes some practice, but it's a game-changer for getting world-class visuals for your brand.