Product on white background is the standard today. Minimal stack focusing is needed for this black leather belt leaving the edges slightly out of focus for an attractive image with depth. We used a transparent surface using three studio flashes – one overhead with a silk scrim, two soft boxes on either side with flags to block the light. A white background is lit by one flash meticulously placed, together yielding the pure white background we’re after.
The beauty of clear shiny glass. Lighting glass requires a toolbox of gadgets to achieve the final product image on white. A specialized surface gives the reflection in the foreground at the base of the glass diffuser. In order to keep any shadow from interfering with the transparency looking front to back means flooding the background with light and strategically placed strobe flashes. While striving for glass on white be careful not to lose the definition of the bottle. We used a number of light modifiers and redirected light as need to create this final image of lightness and clarity.
Amazon has strict requirements for its product photography. All products need to be shot on a white background. Sounds simple until you realize “white” is a precise hex color # 255, 255, 255. While there are multiple ways to achieve this result for this product we used a specialized surface to give a beautiful transparent, “floating” feel. The studio strobes have to be precisely placed to pull this off. Flooding the white background with light bathes the dog whistle in pure white. Just what Amazon desires. Also helpful to our client was a captioned photo of parts. See more product photography photos.
Chrome retail product displays have a striking beauty, even before hanging your product on one! The lovely reflective surface bounces light making it fun to photograph. As with all reflective surfaces the challenge is controlling the light to capture the shiny surface. View more of our catalog photography on our website.
A typical set up includes:
2- Soft Silver Paul C. Buff’s PLMs with diffusion
Paul C Buff’s Einsteins
White background
Equipment used:
Paul Buff 86 inch PLM
PLM 7 feet back from subject with photographer in front of it
Einstein 640 Studio Flash
white sweep
Canon 6D, 35mm 1.4
Information on posing men for portraits is far less easy to find than posing women. The male portrait is about capturing completely different traits. Rather than cute or glamorous the male portrait is about strength, fitness, coolness, ease or likability.
Typically men need a purpose for their hands. If not using their hands, they can get fidgety and feel uncomfortable.
This model was awkward smiling directly into the camera and as with most male clients: didn’t know what to do with his hands. The photographer had him put one hand in a pocket, the other holding a pair of glasses. The assistant was off to the side making the model laugh. The photographer said, “When you start laughing look into the camera” and we got the shot.
This setting was chosen by the photographer to capture the subject, who is an artist, in a pensive mood while she creates. This brings the focus to the face while keeping the body language central in the composition.
Using a white background for this portrait is all about bathing the subject in translucent white, having her melt into the surrounding white. To achieve this stunning effect requires a wash of light. The photographer used two Paul Buff 86 inch PLM soft silver with diffusion, lighting the sides and background; and a 64 inch PLM in front of the subject. The light is critical to obtaining this elegant softness of light. This shot required no Photoshop.
A simple white background portrait can be turned into something dramatic and fun with a little editing. It’s all in the eye to showcase your product.
A simple one light portrait using a Paul Buff 86″ PLM, in front of the model about 7′ back, with the photographer standing in front of the PLM, using an Einstein Studio Flash.
Canon 7D 35mm lens
The explosion of Amazon as a marketplace has sent many sellers scrambling to meet the “on white background” standard set for Amazon sellers. It can be frustrating because Amazon defines on-white as in RGB color 255, 255, 255. The slightest off shade results in non-compliance.
There are two ways to achieve this pure white. The best quality is to shoot the product on white and truly have it ON white, properly lit. Like this:
But what if your product is white? If you try to shoot white on white (pure white) without professional setup equipment you’ll end up with little definition to your product. There are techniques used by photographers one of which is using acrylic to give a suspended look to the product and flooding it with light resulting is a rich depth of white – on white. Notice the sheen, the fibers of the nylon straps and the full out line of each product. Like this:
The other method of achieving a pure white background is using Photoshop to extract the product. If you begin with a properly well-lit product and know you will finish the work in Photoshop this can result in getting more shots taken in your session time. It’s a discussion to have with your client. Extraction works for products with defined lines – fuzzy slippers will be more time consuming to extract. As a photographer you need to budget your time, or you will spend more time in Photoshop than if you had properly lit the product to begin with. Bottom line: get a the best image with your camera and you can save time OR do the most in Photoshop.
