Product Photography tips

Gear

Depending on what we’re going to shoot, you’ll need the right gear. To start with a good camera, use a good lens, possibly a mid zoom, as these tend to be more flexible, allowing you to set up in one spot and zoom in, rather than moving all the time. Also a tripod can be handy and stable.

White Background

Most products are shot against a white background as this takes any distractions away, so the only thing to look at is the product! Light tents can be another alternative. Shooting against a white background also means the product is easier to ‘cut out’ in Photoshop if needed.

Lights

Lighting is very important in shooting products. The product you are photographing will need to be evenly lit to avoid harsh or unwanted shadows. For a crisper image, using more light will enable you to speed up exposure time while reducing the risk of camera or product movement. Shinny objects, especially metal, tend to cause reflections in photos. Make sure you don’t appear in your photographs by bouncing more light off the object or “hiding” in the reflections dark areas. A light tent is infinitely useful in product photography. It almost completely surrounds your product and filters external light sources to produces an even appearance for your product. You will be able to photograph your product through a small opening in the front.

Camera Setting

Shooting products, we set camera in manual mode to get a great result. We choose medium to small aperture(f/8 to f/18), it depends on what type of products we are shooting. Products with more details might need a smaller aperture. Shutter speeds of around 1/200-250, but adjusting according to the aperture values. We use low ISO (100 or 200) to decrease the amount of grain in the images.

Post Process

Processing the images afterwards can be almost as important as taking the images themselves, which is why we may probably spend as much time processing as we do taking the pictures. Post processing helps fine tune images to their best by adjusting settings such as tweaking the white balance, boosting colours, or cropping. Finishing touches and quality control checks are made in this process. It is important to note that although so much can be done in post processing with todays technology, it is always best at first to get good shot. A good photograph can be made better, but a great photograph will become exceptional.