Recent Product Photography Articles

Is This the Answer to All Your Color Issues? We Review Datacolor’s Spyder Checkr Photo

Color. Vivid green forests, melty brown chocolate, voluptuous red lips: color is the reason that compels so many of us to reach for our cameras. When I was approached about reviewing Datacolor's Spyder Checkr Photo, I was skeptical. Color is one of the most-often stated reasons clients approach me. Was this little device just another gimmick marketed to chroma junkies, or was it a tool that would fine tune my color-centric work? I gave it a try, and I’m here to share my findings with my fellow artists who love color as much as I do.

Why You Should Perform Focus Stacking in Your Next Product Photoshoot

In my previous article, we talked about the technique and tips for performing focus stacking for e-commerce shoots. In this article, we will further expand into discussing the advantages of using focus stacking techniques, apart from the obvious reasons of getting the entire product to be in focus. There are a few more logical reasons and advantages behind focus stacking.

How to Light and Photograph a Wine Bottle

Wine bottles can be a real challenge to light and photograph, particularly with their curves and reflective glass. Nonetheless, you can learn quite a lot from the process. If you would like a fun weekend project, check out this great video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know to create a professional wine bottle product image.

Easy Focus Stacking Technique for Sharper Ecommerce Photos

Ecommerce images represent a product on the web to provide potential customers with an accurate representation of the products. Therefore an efficient workflow that enables you to get an image of a product that is fully in focus is extremely crucial. Check out this article to find out how easy focus stacking might be the answer for you if you find yourself struggling with focusing issues.

Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Too Scared to Ask: Product Photography

In our biggest FAQ about product photography yet, we discuss some of the most common questions a photographer at any skill level might have, from simple ones about settings to complex ones about the type of reflection a leather surface produces under hard light. This article was created to help you create better product images.

Our First Look at the New Sony FE 20-70mm F/4 G

There's definitely more than meets the eye with this new standard zoom lens option. Aside from a wider range and a smaller size, let’s see what else this has to offer.

Why I Hired a Photographer Instead of Taking the Pictures Myself

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but, I think it's a good idea to hire a professional photographer that specializes in what you need. It's for this reason that I hired a professional photographer, despite the fact that I too work as a professional photographer. In this article, I'm going to discuss why.

Does Midjourney AI Have a Place in Your Photography?

The role of AI is being discussed more than ever in creative fields, even where we previously thought it had no application. Among the various thoughts and emotions that arise when discussing AI in the creative arena, there is one that sees it as a tool — one of many that an artist may call on. Today, we're looking at a video that approaches a graphical AI tool, Midjourney, with that mindset.

How to Nail the Composition for Different Aspect Ratios

When you are shooting, do you think about what aspect ratio you need your finished shots to be in? Where will the photos go? Will they need to fit multiple aspect ratios for social, web, and other places? Here's a way you can make sure your images are perfect for each final ratio you need.

Duo Boards Might Be the Perfect Photography Surface for Food and Product Shoots

If you are like me, you probably have a closet full of random tiles, boards, and construction scraps just in the event you need an interesting surface to shoot on. These new photography surfaces by Duo Boards set out to change my messy studio, and this photography tutorial shows you how useful these backdrops can be!

Making White Light with RGB Gels

Based in Zurich, Maya and Daniele used three separate lights to create white light. It’s not an easy thing to do, and this is a great example.

A Simple Way to Shoot Highly Reflective Products

Shooting products in a studio environment is not the easiest form of photography. It takes patience, knowledge of light sculpting, and clever post-processing. People also incorrectly assume that you must have a great deal invested in equipment.

How to Create Hard Shadows and Soft Shadows in Your Photography

Did you know studies have shown that viewers form an opinion of people within 1/10th of a second of seeing them? In a similar way, viewers judge brands with a cursory glance. Brands rely on design elements such as color, shape, line, and font to communicate their identity and values.

Learn How to Light, Shoot, and Edit This Eye-Catching Cosmetic Product Photo

There is a lot more room to be creative in product photography than you might initially think, and part of creating compelling imagery is knowing how to add your own stylistic touches in a way that complements the product's purpose. This excellent video tutorial will show you one such example of that by guiding through lighting, shooting, and editing a bold cosmetics product image.

A Simple and Straightforward Product Photography Walkthrough

Product photography is a tough genre that will really challenge your lighting skills and attention to detail. The great part about it, though, is that you can practice it at home, even if you do not have much space, and the techniques you pick up are applicable to a wide range of other genres. To help you get started, this great video tutorial will show you a simple and straightforward product shoot walkthrough.

Fstoppers Reviews Venus Optic’s 85mm f/5.6 2x Macro Lens: Amazing Magnification From a Tiny Lens

If you’re into macro photography, you might be wondering why so many macro lenses emphasize a wide aperture; f/2.8 is nice to have, but when focused down to 1:1, it’ll leave you with no depth of field. From my point of view, Venus Optics seems to have had the same thought. They built a macro lens with a spec sheet that’s focused on delivering macro results. Is this the new best option for macro photographers?

How to Photograph a Translucent Product on a White Background

A product shot on a clean, white background with no distractions is a look that will always be in demand, though it presents some challenges to the photographer creating the image. Those challenges increase when the product is translucent and lets light through it, but this excellent video tutorial will show you how to deal with such a situation to produce a professional final image.

How to Create Great Product Photographs With Natural Light

Product photography is a deceptively deep genre of the craft and to get the most out of it requires experience and often a lot of lighting equipment. But that isn't to say lots of lighting equipment is always necessary. Here is how one photographer uses only natural light and still gets some beautiful results.

How to Shoot Clean Glassware on a Black Background With Only Speedlights

Photographing glassware is especially challenging, as controlling the reflections can be particularly difficult. Even if it is not something you normally do, it is fantastic lighting practice, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to photograph clean glassware on a black background with only speedlights.

How to Turn a Basic Product Image Into an Expensive-Looking Advert

What can be achieved in post-production alone is incredibly impressive of late, with simple in-camera work undergoing transformative changes once it's loaded onto a computer. In this video, watch one videographer turn the most basic of product images into an expensive-looking advert.

Clean and Crisp Product Photography Made Simple With Some Affordable Equipment

If you're interested in becoming a commercial product photographer but you don't have access to a large studio, powerful strobes, or innumerable backgrounds; don't be dismayed. There are plenty of lighting and compositing tricks you can learn in order to build that killer portfolio that will land you better-paying gigs.

How to Photograph Beer Using Basic Equipment

There is no better reminder that strong technique and knowledge of how to shape light are what create good images than seeing a professional make compelling photos use basic equipment. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to create a professional-level product image of beer using entry-level equipment and also walk you through the retouching process in Photoshop.

How To Paint Vinyl Backgrounds for Food and Product Photography

Food and product photography backgrounds can be incredibly difficult to come by in certain parts of the world. There are lots of tutorials out there about how to create your own textured backgrounds and wood backgrounds. But vinyl backgrounds are the bomb when it comes to portability and saving space. Creating them isn’t too difficult either.

Learn How to Light and Shoot This Dramatic Product Shot

Even if it is not your specialty, product photography is a great genre to practice because it will seriously challenge your lighting and editing skills, both of which will likely carry over to other genres in which you work. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to light, shoot, and edit a dramatic multiple-product shot using just three speedlights.

Easy Tips for Taking Better Photographs of Products for Etsy

Handmade selling is on the rise and with it comes an increasing number of new product photographers. Quality product photography is essential for marketing your goods, but it doesn't need to be expensive or overly technical. In fact, there are some easy things that you can adjust that will help elevate your product photographs to the next level!

One-Light Product Photography

Given the global pandemic of COVID-19 (and the year that shall not be named), I very quickly found out that I am indeed, contrary to previously held opinions, an extrovert (and not an introvert). But given the situation, I wasn’t photographing people. What could I make that would work well with the images I already create? I do quite a bit of fashion and beauty work, so why not products that go with those?

Why Are Brands Ditching Product Photography and Moving to CGI?

Shooting products has been a staple of many photographers, but with the advantages brought by CGI, more and more companies are starting to make changes to how they create images of their products. Why are they moving, and do photographers need to adapt?

How to Make Fake Ice for Food Photos

There are so many trade secrets in photography, but when I moved into food and drink, I found it almost impossible to get any real info on how to do anything of use.

How To Create Realistic Long Exposures in Photoshop

Long exposure photography is a staple of the craft and a right of passage for beginners, but if you have some photos or a time-lapse that wasn't a long exposure and you think it might have looked good as one, look no further.

How to Make Your Own Wood Backdrops for Food and Product Photography

There are lots of great options from pre-made to digitally printed backdrops available, but a lot of them are not cheap, and if you want to have a wide variety, it adds up quickly. That is why I supplement my collection with my own homemade DIY backdrops.

How To Color Grade Video in Adobe Photoshop

Color grading can make or break footage, no matter how impressive the clip is. But did you know you can color grade in Photoshop? If you're not familiar with Premiere Pro or other video software, this could be very useful indeed.

How to Shoot a Classy Looking Whisky Image With a Simple Setup

Beverage photography is its own genre within the commercial world and some photographers specialize even further by photographing liquor bottles. This is a great tutorial for someone who wants to try their hand at photographing an attractive whisky bottle and beverage, with an affordable setup.

4 Tips for More Creative Still Life Photography

Still life photography is both enjoyable and accessible for many photographers, but it's easy for your work to become stagnant. Here are 4 tips for more creative still life photography.

Is It Time We Dropped Master/Slave Terminology?

In recent weeks, racial inequality has been brought to the forefront of awareness for many around the world. In light of the cultural shift that has the world talking about the Black Lives Matter movement, is it time for the photography community to change some terminology?

How to Photograph Ink and Paint in Water

One photography technique I've always been interested in learning is how to photograph ink in water. The resulting images are beautiful on their own, but having a library of ink clouds and paint explosions for use in composite work is also super valuable. In this video tutorial, I'll show you some of the best tips and tricks I've learned capturing ink in my own studio.

How to Create a 360-Degree Product Shot Using a Turntable

With many online selling platforms now presenting rotating images of products, knowing how to create a 360-degree shot might be an important addition to your business. This excellent tutorial shows you a very simple and affordable setup.

Try out This Fantastic Product Lighting Project at Home

Product photography is a fantastic genre in which to practice precise and careful lighting and post-processing, and even if it is not what you specialize in, the skills you learn can carry over to whatever you do shoot. This great video will show you how you can use a single light to composite a great glassware product image.

DIY Your Way Into Product Photography

While most of us are sitting at home as non-essential personnel, many have come up with ways to keep the creativity flowing. Some are learning how to photograph wildlife, some leaning on their new love for macro, and some even testing out product photography for the first time. One photographer decided to test out some DIY options for products saving herself some money while she had the time on her hands.

How to Create Effective Overhead Product Lighting

Even if it is not your specialty, product photography is a fantastic way to practice creating precisely crafted lighting. This great video will show you how to create a versatile overhead product lighting setup that you can use on a variety of items and vary to your personal taste.