Category Archives: Reflective Product Photography

Gemstone Jewelry Photography

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Gemstone Necklaces on white Background
Jewelry photography requires a lot of time for trial and adjustment.  Gemstones are often translucent so the lighting is critical to capture the many shades and the way the human eye will perceive it when worn.  Manipulating the backlighting is key coupled with light modifiers to direct the light.

Gemstone Earrings
No flash was used. The difficulty in photographing jewelry is the highly reflective surfaces. With more stones and beveled cuts the number of reflections multiply.  We used one softbox for continuous lighting, scrims to create gradients and foam core for bounce.  Shooting an entire product line with few “like-products” requires a new setup for each piece.

Gemstone Necklace Pendant
Shot using a Canon f2.8 100mm Macro lens and a Canon 5D Mark 3 camera.

Health Food Bottles – Product on White

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Product on White Photography
Dark glass bottles shot on white background are a challenge. (The largest bottle above is plastic.) The goal is to manipulate a soft subtle reflection on the face of the glass.  Backlight was critical to bring out the depth of the bottle without blowing it out.  The backlight had to be focused and controlled. We shot 90 products in a range of sizes all light modifiers had to be adjusted for each size and shape.

We used no flash, multiple diffusers, continuous lighting, 100mm 2.8 Canon Macro lens and one softbox.

Product Photography on White with Multiple Angles

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Some products are just gorgeous due to their exterior surface. This diamond pattern is lovely! The reflective nature is the tough part about photographing this product. Our client is launching a new product line with two sizes of this unit. They also wanted to show the quality of craftsmanship, details and a product styled use image.

Product styling always sounds simple: Grab some items and stack them inside. The last thing you want for your product is distraction from the unit. In this case we discussed  colors of soda, lid options, choice of cans, what to put on the top rack, position of the labels and making sure everything was “balanced” to the eye–and keep these items from moving/rolling. Attention to detail pays off in a well laid out composition and the product “shines”.  In this case–it always shines!

Reflective products (glass, metal, jewelry, high gloss acrylic products) offer challenges. Once the lighting is in place-then you begin to block out reflections you don’t want – inclusive of the photographer in the product. Controlling the light to not blow out the high reflection, yet show off that very shiny surface we all love. The diamond metal pattern here controlled some of the typical hot spots. We were also able to make use of massive overhead natural lighting and several white reflectors to obtain an even product surface look.  Working all of the elements together takes a lot of time. We spend more time setting up a shot, than shooting, typically.  Shooting multiple angles meant repositioning everything (continuous lighting, white reflectors, c-stands, every clothes pin and re-taping) with each change of angle, and the second unit.

When you’re selling online any product photography should include an all-the-parts shot, manuals included.  Let prospective clients know what’s in the box.  We’ve also been asked to edit the photos adding the dimensions for clients.  Make it easy for people to buy your product!

Continuous Lighting
Natural Lighting
White Reflectors
Canon 24-70mm 2.8 Lens
Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro Lens