Photography ideas, camera & image editing

Product Photography is the depiction of product design in an appealing manner. It is often used in Product Advertisements. It is also known as Commercial Photography. Most products are shot within an indoor studio setup. Often, the background is purposefully rendered as a monotone color. This is done so as not to distract from the main focus which is the product itself. To achieve this effect, a dark-coloured or white drape is often used as a backdrop. This backdrop lies flat but arches upwards towards the background.

To bring out the details of the product, often the setup will involve at least 2 light sources. One will usually be the main light, while the other serve as a fill light to prevent dark shadows. The main light may be in the form of overhead or frontal light.

However, if a shadowless white background is desired, backlighting has to be used. This is often in the form of a background table or lightbox.
Artificial lighting conditions produces color casting effect over the photos. For instance, Florescent lamps will produce a green cast over the image. Because the product is often shot under these artificial lighting conditions, the White Balance factor must be considered and be compensated accordingly.

If a digital camera is being used, the simplest way to address this issue is to set White Balance setting to auto.

To prevent shake that may result in blurry images, a tripod is often used. The diagram below shows a typical Product Photography setup.

 

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