Scanography: A Creative New Way to Photograph Beauty Products

I am always up for a trying new trending photo style, or just a trend in general, and specifically anything photography related. I really love creative photography and anything that is a little bit different, out of the box and something new to try.

A while ago, I saw someone on TikTok using their flatbed scanner to take photos of flowers, and I thought, hang on a minute… could that same process be used for beauty products?

The art of using a scanner for creating photographs is called Scanography.

Scanography is the art of creating photographs using a flatbed scanner instead of a camera, capturing the details, colours and textures of objects placed on the glass.

So I thought I would try it, and I tried a couple of different ways of doing it. Let me share how I went about this and my results.

you don’t need fancy photography equipment

I’ve just got a basic Canon printer (I have the Pixma MG3650S with a scanner, nothing fancy or super expensive. It’s not a dedicated flatbed scanner for taking photos or anything like that. You can create these photos on any scanner/printer that you have at home.

So, the process was a bit of trial and error.

I started to scan the products just straight onto the scanner bed with the top lid open, and I was finding that this was giving a sort of grey-ish tint. Obviously, a lot of light was getting in, but I actually still liked the vibes of. It did look kind of like a VHS vibes, which was cool, but I wanted to get a really dark black, clean backdrop to make the products really pop.

the shoebox trick

What I thought about doing was using an old shoebox. I popped the old shoebox over all the products on the scanner bed and then scanned it – and that is how they came out.

So perfect and clear, and the products look like they’ve literally been taken by a camera.

I just can’t believe how good the quality of the scanner is and how easy it is!

What else is great I have the Canon PRINT app, and I can just scan directly from my phone. It saves to my phone as a JPEG straight after scanning.

It’s such a quick process. It takes a few seconds and then it’s done and saved to your phone.

Obviously, I have to do some edits, like remove some dust and wipe the products before I take the images, as there are always little speckles of dust, but I absolutely love how this comes out.

why I love this photography style

I think it’s a really innovative and creative way of taking photos of products, and it’s also really accessible as well.

Most people have a scanner/printer in their home these days, which almost always has a scanner built in, it’s just a really fun way of trying something new. Brands seem to be really loving this kind of photography as well.

You can achieve a flat-lay photography style, you can add your hand, or you can even…. I’ve put their face on the flatbed scanner to get a creative makeup or lip shot – so fun!

That’s definitely something I’m planning on trying!

my scanner photography results

I’ve included some pictures throughout this post of my results, and I think they just look pretty amazing (not to be too biased!) it’s hard to believe these were created with just a scanner.

When I’ve got free time, it’s something that I’d love to really experiment with and see what else I can create using the scanner.

I love finding different ways to photograph beauty products, especially when you don’t necessarily need expensive equipment to get something that looks really different.

shop the scanner photography setup

• Flatbed scanner or printer with built-in scanner
• Shoebox
• Microfibre cloth
• Smartphone
• Beauty products to photograph
• Editing app
• Canon PRINT app (if using a compatible Canon printer)

have you tried scanner photography?

Let me know what you think of this style of photography in the comments below and if you’ve tried the scanner photography before.

Are you going to try this, and what results have you gotten from it. Love seeing your recreations.

---

* I am open to receiving any Marketing and PR enquiries, please Contact me for more information and feel free to forward any queries to me via email vicky@kabukirune.com and I will respond ASAP.

Here’s to living your best cruelty free life.

---

latest posts

• Scanography: A Creative New Way to Photograph Beauty Products
• Black Cherry Blush Season – Kash Beauty Soft Suede Blush
• The Ultimate Guide To Cruelty-Free, Vegan Nail Polish & Press Ons
• Real Skin: Learning to Love and Accept my Imperfections
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Sheer For It Blush Tint Cherry Cola Review

Thank you for reading! Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, X, Tiktok and Pinterest for the latest cruelty-free beauty updates!

P.S If You Like This Blog Post, You Might Like Other Makeup Skincare Haircare And Lifestyle Reviews. Please Contact Me To Let Me Know If There Are Any Products You Would Like To See Me Review.

**FRIENDLY REMINDER: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS THAT HELP OUT A LOT IF YOU CHOOSE TO PURCHASE FROM THEM (IT DOESN’T COST YOU ANYTHING EXTRA). I WILL ALWAYS TELL THE 100% TRUTH.