Product photography?
lets say a highly reflective object, what type of lighting do you prefer? defussed, bounced, key, backlight, fill light, flash on / off camera? watts and distance if you want, more want to know just angles etc. example can be a cell phone lcd screen. all contributions really apprieciated. some awesome answers guys!- I find that diffused lights 2 at 45 degree angles for flat lighting in a light tent works well for me. Depending on the backdrops and color of the subject, I may need to add or subtract a little exposure compensation. Lighting can be changed for different dramatic effect, but the important thing is that it be diffused. so you do not get a harsh glare
- This is my area of expertise jewelry! Generally speaking, highly diffused light is better for reflective materials there are exceptions. However, managing reflections often winds up mattering more than the quality of the light. Thus jewelry is typically shot in some sort of tent to make a uniform usually white reflection on the metallic surface. It is vital to carefully control the angle at which light is hitting the reflective surface. For your cell - phone LCD, if the light is hitting at a direct angle, the light source may be reflected on the surface of the screen, obscuring the display. An oblique angle will help alleviate this issue, even if you are using hard light. So you could shoot your cell phone with highly diffused light, but in this case high - tech electronics I'd probably look at a hard - light creating sharply delineated shadows, but with the source hitting the screen on a very acute angle and thus not reflecting back into your lens much
- Hi Antoni. You have asked a very broad question. Highly reflective can cover the range from jewelry and polished metal objects to plastics and how you want to interpret the subject. For very highly reflective subjects which are mirror like, like polished metal, you are actually photographing the reflections and light boxes or tents are commonly used which provides a complete diffused environment which works very well. Jewelry, watches, etc. are usually shot this way. A very good book on studio lighting is 'Learning to Light' by Hicks and Schultz, Amphoto Books, 1998. I highly recommend it but there are others. In general, you want to use diffused lighting and this is a matter of apparent light source size to subject size. The sun is an example of this phenomenon; direct sun, a huge light source that is apparently small in relation to subjects, acts as a point source and gives very defined shadows. Open shade and overcast days give you huge light sources and very soft to no shadows. I am pretty sure you already know this, but with product photography it's good to keep it specifically in mind. Lighting sources can be hot lights or flash. What really matters is how the light is modified, though flash, even with modelling lights, can be harder to work with since the modelling is not always accurate because the modelling lights are offset from the flash tube and because they are not always accurate when set to a ratio. Modelling lights are indicators, but the shots will tell. Adjustment is really easy in digital, especially if you shoot tethered to a computer. Without a specific subject and desired representation, all I can think of is to point you to potential sources, like the book I mention, and online material you can find by Googling 'product photography lighting'. I know the Olympus camera site has tutorials and I think the PhotoFlex site does, too. However, almost all of these tutorials are geared towards small object shots like you would use in a catalog or e - bay. For anything else, you are going to have to turn to the material for studio still lifes. For shooting a cell phone, you will want the reflections to accent the subject, give it some pop, but not obscure details. This will probably put the main light source skimming the subject surface to put highlights on the edges of the case and keys with a fill just off the camera lens axis. You will need to play with the lighting / subject / camera angles to get the reflections and subject modelling you want. Lighting ratio is up to you, but near a 1:1 is a pretty good starting point. A nice touch is to turn the screen on. You can meter the screen using a reflected reading and adjust the rest of the lighting as required to get a nice rendering. I wish I could be of more help. Vance
Knowledge Base
photography. cameras? ?
what type of camera should i get if i want to be a seserious photogarpher spelling, sorry i can not spell at all ? i have a budget of 500 dollars and i want a cheap camera but i dont' know what type. seriously, if you want to get serious (school photography)
Are online photography schools a legitimate way to learn photography?
i live in a very small town that is very limited on cl es offered at our technical college. someone suggested that i check out online cl es. more than anything, i need some recommendations on legitimate schools. i understand the greatest part of photography is having the gift of (online photography)
What is the best digital camera for serious high school photography students?
what is the best brand or model of digital camera for serious photography students, that would be within a decent price range? any reccomendations?. a digital slr from either nikon or canon is usually the best for the serious digital photographer. both companies make digital slr's in all kinds of (product photography)
Knowledge Base: Photography
photography cameras?
whats a good brand and typ of digital camera that is good to start out practicing photography im really already good with cameras and photography but tired of working with crappy lil cameras. i was thinking of a nixon d5000 have any of you used this and did you like (photography gallery)
Photography cameras ?
i would like to get a camera for photography i use my wee digital camera, but i do not feel its as good as the big cameras were can i get one. i live in the uk i do not have a job cause im 16, going to collage and (photography)
photography cameras?
i really want to be a photographer and i want to start off with lil pictures and putting them on f are bla blah blah. but i really want to know what you guys think is the best digital photography camera and it would probably help if you show a (product photography)
photography. cameras? ?
what type of camera should i get if i want to be a seserious photogarpher spelling, sorry i can not spell at all ? i have a budget of 500 dollars and i want a cheap camera but i dont' know what type. seriously, if you want to get serious (online photography)
What are some really good photography cameras?
i want to get a photography camera and i do not know any good ones. anyone know some?. i have a nikon d60. its really good to start off with, its nice size for a slr and you can get different lens' etc when you want to advance a bit (photography)
Knowledge Base: Product Photography
what is the best product for photography?
im in highschool and i want to get a job in photography what is the best product from camera to software please give detail. h elblad 500 c / m canon eos - 1 mark iii ds nikon d3 photoshop cs3. you will not need software until you have finished (product photography)
Product photography?
lets say a highly reflective object, what type of lighting do you prefer? defussed, bounced, key, backlight, fill light, flash on / off camera? watts and distance if you want, more want to know just angles etc. example can be a cell phone lcd screen. all contributions really apprieciated. some (product photography)
what to use as background for product photography?
hey, i got a nikon d70 and need to photograph some products made out of leather, like leash, etc to put on a website. nothing professional, but at least acceptable. so, what could i buy to use as background? it should be like 60 x 60''. i need something cheap, (product photography)
What is the best camera for product photography on a small budget - under £200?
i am looking for compact camera with a macro option to take product photographs to go on our website. i had a canon powershot a640 for a couple of years which was ideal. is there anything similar but a little cheaper!. try to get a panasonic lumix that range has (product photography)
I want to do product photography. What type of equipment do I need?
i am basically looking for a shopping list of exactly what i will need so that i can beggin selling photos for advertising. i want to be able to sell my photography and i figured that product photography would be the best place for me to start. what type of (product photography)
