Cupji — A Year of Product Photography — Commercial Photography (2024)

Four shoots across 2024 for Cupji, an instant-tea brand with a wide flavour range — kashmiri kahwa, chatkara, kokam, paan, rose cardamom, jasmine, lemon ginger, tulsi, jamun and more. Shot on a Sony A7 IV, graded in Lightroom.

The problem with a range this wide is that every flavour has to be recognisable before anyone reads a label. The answer was a system: each flavour gets its own ground colour and is styled with the raw thing it is made of — saffron and cinnamon for the kahwa, raw mango and chilli for the chatkara, folded betel parcels for the paan, hibiscus and dried rind for the kokam. Same light, same distance, same discipline, run across the whole catalogue so it reads as one brand rather than a set of one-off shots.

Around that sit the lifestyle sets — a picnic blanket, a game night, a badminton court, a desk at work — the summer sub-campaign, the gift-box range, and the clean e-commerce pack shots the listings run on.

Credits

Photography & Art Direction
Deepak Sharma

Eight Cupji flavour cups staged at different heights on blocks, surrounded by their spices and flowers, against a split yellow and blue background.

A hand lowering a Chatkara cup onto a tray already holding five filled cups, against a blue tiled wall with a palm leaf.

Three hands entering frame from different sides holding Lemon Ginger, Jasmine and Tulsi cups against a white background.

Yellow kettles pouring hot water into Lemon Ginger cups, one cup held mid-air by a hand, against a blue background.

Two Chatkara cups on a picnic blanket on grass with pistachios and a bread basket, a hand reaching for one.

Two Chatkara cups on a green badminton court beside a racket and shuttlecocks.

Kashmiri Kahwa cups on a teal table, one tipped on its side, with an alarm clock, a pack and marshmallow snowmen.

Rose Cardamom cup on a pink desk with scrabble tiles, loose rose petals, a macaron and a stack of empty cups.

A hand lifting a Jasmine cup off a wooden coaster on a working desk with a laptop, glasses and a small cactus.

Kokam cup on a cream desk with almonds, reading glasses, a notebook and stacked Jenga blocks.

Two Lemon Ginger cups on a pink table scattered with Uno cards, peanuts and a phone, a hand reaching in.

Travel flatlay with a passport, film camera, sunglasses and a Kashmiri Kahwa cup.

Lemon Ginger cup beside a laptop on a desk in natural window light.

Kashmiri Kahwa cup styled with saffron threads, cinnamon bark, green cardamom and black peppercorns on a warm ground.

Lemon Ginger cup with halved lemons and fresh ginger root arranged on a yellow surface.

Chatkara cup with raw mango wedges, red chilli and pink rock salt on a lavender surface.

Kokam cup with hibiscus flowers and dried kokam rind on a pink surface.

Rose Cardamom cup with whole roses, loose petals and green cardamom pods on a pink surface.

Paan cup with folded betel leaf parcels, cardamom pods and a rose petal on a mint green surface.

Jasmine cup surrounded by fresh white jasmine flowers on a pale blue surface.

Brewed Earl Grey cup on a teal surface with lavender sprigs and a striped cloth.

Brewed Saffron Black Tea cup on a lavender surface with loose saffron threads and wood chips.

Brewed Lemongrass Ginger cup with lemongrass blades and halved limes.

Kashmiri Kahwa jar and cup on a warm orange ground with saffron, cinnamon and peppercorns.

Saffron Black Tea jar and cup on a mauve ground with loose saffron threads.

Masala Black Tea jar and cup on a deep red ground with cinnamon bark and ginger.

Rose Cardamom jar and cup on a pink ground with a red rose and scattered petals.

Lemongrass Ginger jar and cup on a lime green ground with lemongrass stalks and limes.

Earl Grey jar and cup on a sky blue ground with lavender sprigs.

Summer campaign shot: Fennel jar and cup staged as a beach scene with a miniature deck chair, watermelon, shells and sand.

Summer campaign shot: Mint Green Tea cup on a picnic blanket with grapes, citrus and cashews.

Overhead flatlay of a brewed Fennel cup on a green mat with fennel seeds, star anise and the jar.

The Chai-ye gift box shown open and closed together at a three-quarter angle on white.

The Desis gift box shot from a low angle against open sky on a gingham cloth.

The Sunnies gift box against party bunting, confetti and hanging disco balls.

The Staples gift box on a coffee table with a sofa falling out of focus behind it.

Overhead flatlay of the open Chai-ye gift box with its four flavour packs, cups and citrus laid around it.

Jamun tea being poured into a cup on a wet pink surface, whole jamun fruit and leaves in close focus.

Jamun tube pack and a single cup on a pink ground with fresh jamun fruit and a purple block prop.

Five Cupji five-cup boxes arranged on graduated cream risers against a green background, loose cups in the foreground.