hi all,

i've always wanted to get into product photography. i'd like to know from the experts what sort of additional equipment i'll need? what sort of lights or setup (where to photography the products) are good for a newbie product photographer. is it the sort of field that i can try on for size easily?


thanks!

what products do you plan to shoot?

well im not much into product... but a great photographer once told me that he only uses one setup for product... the lights positioned on both sides left and right and pointing on the product to maximize and emboss the brand or label of the product. i tried it once on a standing cellphone and it turned out ok ;)

Shooting products depends on what you need to show. Sometimes you only need one light source and you can add on reflectors for fill-in. For a start don't make your light complicated as you go along then you can do more experiments. With one light and a lot of white boards even black boards will do. Add some mirrors or alluminum foils for additional fill too.

Hi G-Nie,

I am interested as well. Why don't you come up with a workshop?


Best regards,
Din2

tools.... wow, depends really on what you will shoot. it can be as simple as one light and then as complicated as having several lights, mirrors, reflectors etc. what's fun is that as you go along you end up improvising making up all sorts of light modifiers and tools to better control your light. Seriously, sometimes when I shoot products clients are amused as I am sometimes wearing a huge diffusion screen like a hat, using a large round collapsible diffusion screen as a shield worn around my lens, etc.
Its a lot of fun and very challenging. I know a lot of people think its boring but its actually not. With models, you have expressions and poses that can make the shot. With products, its really all up to you.

my most used lights:
softboxes
striplights (very narrow softboxes)
snooted lights or highly directional and controlled lights
even penlights for special accents

other tools:
product table - infinity curve wherein you can light even from below - allows you to drop out the product.... make it appear that it is floating
light tent - can be extremely useful for reflective objects and for very soft shadowless lighting
all sorts of reflectors - white cards, mirrors, foil type reflectors,
black cards, black strips, gray cards, to control light and shadow areas
adhesives - blue tac, clay, etc
dulling spray - comes in very handy when controlling surfaces that causes glare
of course, lots of different types of colored and textured surfaces and backgrounds
all sorts of little objects that can serve as risers or stands for various products

there are some sites that give some informative samples of lighting for products... will have to look for them again and get back to you on that

@Francis - since i'm only dabbling in it initially. i plan to shoot toys first. then i'll take it one subject at a time.

@g-nie - thanks for the tip! so, i can use a DIY setup (maybe except for the light) while i learn?

@louie - thanks also! maybe for starters one light and a product table? i guess once i start shooting i'll get an idea of what else i need?

btw, any good books that you can recommend? thanks again!

Hi dindin, workshops - i am not good on that - my mentor is - but not me. I can help in a way maybe we can have coffee with a big group and just ask me questions and i am willing to answer and help you. I'm not into public speaking... sorry.

and Nolan, if i can share with you - i remember way back then i started with my lampshade in my room as my source of light shooting my toys ( i used to make model ships ) and that was the film era so i used a blue filter to correct the color. As a beginner you need to use whatever is available at the moment but if you have the money to splurge the better.

Hi dindin, workshops - i am not good on that - my mentor is - but not me. I can help in a way maybe we can have coffee with a big group and just ask me questions and i am willing to answer and help you. I'm not into public speaking... sorry.

and Nolan, if i can share with you - i remember way back then i started with my lampshade in my room as my source of light shooting my toys ( i used to make model ships ) and that was the film era so i used a blue filter to correct the color. As a beginner you need to use whatever is available at the moment but if you have the money to splurge the better.

best book for lighting i have come across is Light and Science Magic : An Introduction to Photographic lighting. It isn't as sleek and visually impressive as most other lighting books but it gives the most useful information you need to light anything.

for product photography there are some books that show you lots of samples and the lighting set-ups and tricks used to photograph it such as

Secrets of Studio Still Life Photography
Pro Lighting : Product Shots
Pro Lighting : New Product Shots
Pro Lighting: Still Life
Lighting for Still Life

and Nolan, if i can share with you - i remember way back then i started with my lampshade in my room as my source of light shooting my toys ( i used to make model ships ) and that was the film era so i used a blue filter to correct the color. As a beginner you need to use whatever is available at the moment but if you have the money to splurge the better.

hi G-Nie, thanks for that. i figured i'd take a more DIY route initially at least until i figure out if my comfort level with product photography. i can actually spend a little bit (not a lot by any means) but i feel that any amount is too much if i end up leaving the gear in one corner. maybe a DIY light box/light tent and some desk lamps are my first target before i decide on anything substantial.

best book for lighting i have come across is Light and Science Magic : An Introduction to Photographic lighting. It isn't as sleek and visually impressive as most other lighting books but it gives the most useful information you need to light anything.

for product photography there are some books that show you lots of samples and the lighting set-ups and tricks used to photograph it such as

Secrets of Studio Still Life Photography
Pro Lighting : Product Shots
Pro Lighting : New Product Shots
Pro Lighting: Still Life
Lighting for Still Life

thanks Louie! by any chance are any of these books available locally? at any rate, i'll look up the books you mentioned.

hello, ms. g-nie!

i think g-nie's more comfortable with a casual kind of talk about anything and everything about photography. Will look forward to that g-nie. Naalala mo ba yung napakalaking project natin? We shot insects! Ang hirap pangitiin ng mga peste!Hahaha!

I'm no expert and have done little product shots, but I know from colleagues and limited experience that proficiency with selective focus and being able to properly change the plane of focus will come in handy when shooting products.

:D ... Which may translate to getting TS lenses...

nicey thread,,, now i'm convince to make a DIY light tent

Hi guys,
Noone

Hi guys,
No one has mentioned a lightbrush. I just took mine out of mothballs recently and was ecstatic with the results. But as was mentioned earlier, a lot of the tools you will need will be dictated by the subject you will be shooting. The possibilities are endless, i've shot with available light all the way to 6 strobes. So analyze your subject, then make your decisions. If you need more help, just post a more specific question and i'll see if I can give you a more categorical answer.

Jojo

If Im going to buy only one lens to be used in product shots (food or tabletop photography), what is the specs? Thanks

here is a good tutorial on product photography
_________________________________________

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php?lesson=8&MORGUEFILE=i59l2rhha8kshskg2k7ov3s7o1

Hello everyone. This is my first post and question :). I would also like to ask what lens should I use for product photography? I have a 24-70 mm lens and I think it has a macro mode. Will it be enough?

hi everyone.just want to ask what kind of lighting setup will do for an ice cream shoot?thanks for the quick reply.cheers!

trixie, i'm not an expert but from what i've heard.. ice cream shots are not really ice cream cuz they will melt quickly, instead they use some sort of mixture the ressembles ice cream texture.

Hi guys, just want to ask if product photography that rewarding here in the Philippines?:)

trixie, i'm not an expert but from what i've heard.. ice cream shots are not really ice cream cuz they will melt quickly, instead they use some sort of mixture the ressembles ice cream texture.

my prof told me its mashed potatoes with food coloring

hi everyone.just want to ask what kind of lighting setup will do for an ice cream shoot?thanks for the quick reply.cheers!

Ice cream are usually recreated using Crisco.

But if you must use real ice cream, do not make the mistake of using continuous lights.

Hi everyone!

I hope someone could help me with this.

I've been trying to shoot a brush, but not all the bristles are sharp since the cam autofocuses on one area lang. How could I make it all clear? I'm using Aperture Priority mode in Nikon d40x, should I have a low F number or a high F number for that? TIA! :)

I'm not an expert, but since the depth of field increases when the aperture is smaller, you should have a higher F number to get more of the areas in focus. At least that's what I remember from my old-school film photography days... :KO:

Hi everyone!

I hope someone could help me with this.

I've been trying to shoot a brush, but not all the bristles are sharp since the cam autofocuses on one area lang. How could I make it all clear? I'm using Aperture Priority mode in Nikon d40x, should I have a low F number or a high F number for that? TIA! :)


hi there hope this can help you also. :)

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/950/depth-of-field.html