Shooting clean product images may not be as hard as you think. With the help of what-you-see-is-what-you-get LED light panels, the process is made that much simpler for getting started.
The internet and social media are littered with photographs of guitars. Some awe-inspiring, others not so much. So how does one breath life into a stringed instrument without strumming or picking the strings?
Until recently, you might expect the iPhone to be the phone of choice for product shots. However I’ve done some digging, and found that Apple’s latest and greatest is being put aside.
Product photography might be one of the subcategories of this business that has seen a growth in available work, thanks to all of the e-commerce opportunities. By using specific techniques, you can showcase any product in a non-conventional way to have it stand out from the rest. While most of product photography consists of an all white background, you can experiment with items available around the house to show the same item in a different light.
Creating long exposure is fun, but having the right tools to paint magic shapes with light makes it even better. The Magilight by Fotorgear is meant to help you bring to life the most insane long exposure you’ve ever dreamed of. Here is its review.
Creating an overhead shot in studio can seem like a basic task at first, but the space can quickly become cluttered as the set becomes more complex and more assistants are on location. This video shows how to build an inexpensive, sturdy camera rig that won’t come crashing down in the middle of a shoot.
To celebrate our most recent tutorial release with Brian Rodgers Jr., this weeks episode of Critique the Community features product photography images. We chose 20 of the images and rated them using the Fstoppers rating system. We also gave a free tutorial away to
When you think of product photography and lighting, you likely think of intricate, multi-light setups that precisely sculpt every last highlight and shadow. Nonetheless, there's a lot you can accomplish with simpler setups, and this great video will show you how to get a professional shot of a perfume bottle using very minimal gear.
Jahla Seppanen of The Manual, which touts itself as “The Essential Guide for Men,” recently published an interview with Elliot Clarke aka the “Apartment Bartender” with tips and tricks for taking great cocktail photos for one’s Instagram feed. Although the interview is aimed at casual photographers, there are a few useful nuggets of info for anyone wanting to improve their product or cocktail photography.
To celebrate the release of our newest product photography tutorial, the next episode of Critique the Community will be focused on product images. After having spent weeks with Brian Rodgers Jr. and watching him work, Lee and Patrick are ready to see how your images stand up against the highest rated product photographers on Fstoppers. From the submissions, we will choose one lucky person to win a free Fstoppers tutorial. We will be accepting submissions between now and Friday, February 2nd, at midnight and will select a total of 20 images for the video. Make sure you follow the submission guidelines below to be eligible to participate.
Brian Rodgers Jr. has become the most popular and highly rated product photographer on Fstoppers, and today we are releasing his full-length product photography tutorial, “The Hero Shot.”
When it comes to studio product photography, we use a lot of tools in the studio. Sure, there’s the obvious: cameras, lenses, and lights. But today I want to talk about one of those little indispensable tools that can really make all the difference on set. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years of working in a studio environment, it’s that you can never have enough clamps! There’s always something that you need to hold in place, or simply rig.
Product photography is all about the details, where every ray of light, every angle, and every placement can make or break a shot. This great video will walk you through setting up and shooting a watch image while working to minimize the amount of time spent in post-processing.
As a commercial photographer and digital artist, I spend a lot of time in Adobe Photoshop. One thing that I love to do is find creative solutions to solve visual problems using Photoshop. I know we all get stuck in our ways from time to time, but If you do any retouching or compositing work for living, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to experiment and find new ways of doing things. Photoshop is always evolving and it’s important that we use these new digital imaging technologies to our advantage. In this article, I go over a technique I discovered to add steam from scratch in Photoshop.
Stock photography companies are tallying their data from the last few years to predict what imagery trends will flourish in 2018, what they've predicted is fantastic news for us all. A mixture of creativity and authenticity are expected to dominate the new year's biggest image trends. It is so important for artists to stay on top of these trends as to not slip through the cracks, it's especially important this year because these trends are very different.
If you’re just getting into product photography, it may seem a bit intimidating. There are many techniques and a seemingly endless list of equipment that many photographers feel is required to get professional looking product photography. The list changes depending on who you speak with. In reality, product photography can be done quite easily, and with minimal equipment, if you have the know-how.
Product photography can be one of the most technically challenging genres to undertake, but that doesn't mean you need every piece of gear you can think of to pull it off. In this video I demonstrate how to light a product shot with one light and a few inexpensive modifiers.
If there's any genre that requires the photographer to constantly be creatively resourceful, it's probably product photography. This helpful tutorial will show you how to create an interesting shot of a watch using common items you probably have around your house and some creative editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.
In product photography, you always want to capture the product in the best and appealing way. Sometimes you want to take that product and give it a sense of motion or life. If you happen to be shooting with liquids for your products like a martini glass or maybe even for the drink itself, one powerful way to add motion and life to the image is with a splash.
There might be no better way to learn and practice building up light in an image than through product photography, and as this great walkthrough tutorial shows, you don't necessarily need expensive gear to create a great result.
This incredibly well thought out and carefully executed shot is an awesome lesson in not only designing an intriguing product photography shot that tells the right story, but also in bringing it to fruition. Check out this step-by-step video that walks you through the entire process.
I recently teamed up with the crew at Fstoppers to create a video tutorial that focuses on the foundations of creating a standalone product hero shot for advertising. What’s a standalone product hero shot you ask? It’s a standalone image of a product that’s generally well lit, super crisp, super clean, and essentially aids in selling a company's product.
Shooting products against a pure white (255,255,255) background, can be achieved using the pen tool in Photoshop, but what if you want to find an alternative way to create the same stunning images, but without the hassle of spending so much time in post-production? Dustin Dolby from Workphlo, has created an insightful online tutorial which shows just how simple it can be to create this effect, with minimal gear and maximum time saved. With the help of a couple of speed lights, strategically placed white and black card and a kit lens, Dustin is able to demonstrate just how easy is can be to control and shape lighting, to achieve the desired effect.
If you’ve ever spent time shooting product photography or still life, you probably recognize and appreciate random surfaces and textures that would make flattering surfaces to photograph things on. Here’s an easy and inexpensive way to create leather texture the next time you find yourself in need of a classy surface.
Shooting glass is its own beast, but when you can pull off this high key look, the results are elegant and well worth the effort. Here's how to shoot glassware on white using only a single light.
Back in 2010, I was commissioned to do a photo of some spices for a family friend. I had never done anything like that, so I wanted to do a good job, and invested in my first off-camera flash setup. It was daunting at first, but I’ll never regret dipping my toes in the water and starting to learn about one of the most important things about being a freelance photographer: learning to control light.
In this video, Commercial Photographer Joshua Geiger walks you through how to easily composite and retouch a product shoot using mid to low-range watches, yet brings them to life in a high end way. His technique is fairly simply but the experience he shows in layering his shot and adding texture via smoke and atmosphere is brilliant.
Shooting suspended objects in your images can be done a few different ways, from the use of Photoshop to the simple and effective use of wire or fishing line. My first instinct would be to grab clear fishing line. Not having done any work with fishing line in suspending objects, I would not even have thought about getting brown or even a greenish tint line to use in the set, as Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens packs in his fishing line kit box for various projects and scenes. In this video, he shares all his tips on this approach, including how he decides to use a certain color based on the background.
Have you thought about trying your hand at product photography? Most of us see it in some form or fashion everyday. Some people might not give it much thought when they look at the products in the photo. A great photo will help tell the story of the product, so where would you start if you wanted to try it yourself?
There's something that isn't really talked about among the freelance photographers that I know, or at least not something that I hear about often. It's a small truth that nags at us all the time until we really, really get to where we want to be in our career, and sometimes even after that. And sometimes it involves bread.
There are many instances where I’m working on site and I need to adjust camera position while on a tripod. From interiors and architecture, food and product photography, often a tripod alone can’t provide the convenience or flexibility I need to get a job done quickly. In other situations where space is limited, my gear needs to occupy as small of a footprint as possible while shooting tethered. That’s where the Tether Tools T Setup and Tether Table Aero Traveler comes in.
If you’ve ever wanted to see how the pros light amazing studio shots, look no further. My wife and I recently moved into a new place that offers quite a bit of new space for studio style photography. Being a tad rusty I was excited about the plethora of shooting opportunities a controlled lighting space would offer, but found myself lacking motivation. Until I discovered Broncolor’s “How To” section on their website.
Karl Taylor is a name you’ve probably heard of if you look for photography videos on YouTube. He’s been working with big brands such as Hasselblad and Broncolor to create comprehensive content helping beginners as well as advanced photographers. In his latest video, he shows us how he created a beautiful lighting setup yielding photoshopped-like results.
It's happened to me and it has most likely happened to you: you order a shirt and can't wait for it to arrive. Then it does and it's a completely different hue than what was pictured in the online store or catalog. Odds are the photographer may not have used a color chart during his or her shoot. There are many photographers that never learn to use a color chart at all, and others who won't do a shoot without one. Here are a few major points on how a color chart can help make your product photography color spot on.
On a recent visit to my hometown, a friend of a friend asked if I would be able to photograph some inventory for her online art business. Most of her products were small to medium sized and she had a considerable backlog that needed to go up as quickly as possible. Being away from most of the gear in my studio, I had to improvise a bit if I was going to earn the business.
If you find yourself shooting B-roll or detail shots and want to spice it up, but don't have all your gear, here are eight tricks using everyday items you can find on location.
In this episode of The Slanted Lens, Jay P. Morgan is running around downtown Los Angeles capturing some product photography. He demonstrates how he is able to create interesting compositions and work with natural light to get the most usable shots possible with just a camera and a reflector.
Creating an image that appears “sharp” is something I struggled with for a LONG time. I read countless articles on the topic and invested heavily in gear thinking that was the cure. While gear can certainly help, I believe there are a few key areas to focus on in order to create images that are tack sharp.
Tabletop product images, especially those shot top down, are very popular in recent years. They can give a clean and minimal design esthetic while still clearly showcasing all components of a product. It's no wonder these types of images flood many company social media pages. This video from Cinematography Database offers a good look at how to achieve a pleasing light setup for such work that mixes both hard and soft light.
Many people have interesting stories of how they started photography; I do not. One of my chief motivators for starting was being a part of a car community in which a few members used to take macro photographs of insects. I was fascinated by the detail and intricacies of things I'd previously ignored, and so, I bought a cheap second-hand DSLR with a kit lens and a macro filter. After establishing that photography was the expensive mistress I'd always dreamed of, I decided to buy a proper macro lens and sought out advice on the right purchase for me. Then I bought the wrong one.
When shooting catalog images of product it is very important to have consistency throughout the project. Oftentimes a single product might have several versions and each has to be shot separately. Since we want to ensure a consistent look for our clients we have to make sure the product lines up perfectly from shot to shot across all versions. Here is how I personally tackle that for tabletop images.
Thomas C. Corley, author of Rich Habits, wrote that the the most successful business owners create multiple sources of income. Seasoned photographers have experienced the ebb and flow of the portrait business over the years and know that the best way to stay afloat is to be consistently adaptable. Maintaining multiple baskets for income to be generated is key to surviving a slow season.
If you've recently wrapped watching the 80s throwback "Stranger Things" on Netflix, you are probably filled with plenty of nostalgia by this point. Why not dive a bit farther back to a galaxy far, far away in some behind the scenes toy photography action? Freelance Photographer Steven Price is reliving his childhood love in these surrealistic scenes using toys usually meant for kids. Then again, we are all kids at heart.
When I got into wedding photography twelve years ago, I didn't know a single photographer who was shooting macro shots of their clients' rings. Today, these shots have become expected, and hopefully, if you're a wedding photographer, you've got a macro lens in your bag so that you can capture professional-looking shots of the rings.
If you were looking for a tool for tracking your online as well as offline purchases for your business, look no further, because I have personally found the best tool that will end all tools for you: OneReceipt.
Canon and Nikon have been dominating the professional DSLR market for a while now. Photo accessories such as strobes triggers show that well. However, with the increasing popularity of Sony’s mirrorless cameras, flash manufacturers couldn’t stay with only “Canikon” options. Elinchrom apparently understood that with their Skyport HS and is releasing it’s Sony version today.
Kodak made big waves at this year's Cannes Festival announcing 12 features shot on Kodak film. Including Olivier Assayas’s film "Personal Shopper" staring actress Kristen Stewart, where he took home the award for Best Director and was given lengthy five minute standing ovation. This was a huge milestone for Kodak since the rise of digital technology combined with the ability to shoot 4K footage film looked to be a medium of the past. Kodak defied the odds and not only secured film as a viable creative choice, but has rebranded themselves into a thriving film market once again.
You have to be really into iPhonography if you're going to share your pocket with awkwardly bulgy lenses. Finally, we can thank BLIPS for their micro and macro lenses that are so thin, you can still slide your phone into your pocket after you literally just stick on the lenses.
Underwater housings are infamous for being just about as expensive as the body they’re meant to house. They do an important job — that is, they keep your camera from complete ruin in the water, and they do it reliably (what other way is there when it comes to oceanic saltwater?). Nevertheless, those wanting an option that stings the wallet a bit less will be happy to hear about the Aquatech Base Underwater Sport housing. What better place to test this new, low-cost alternative than in Hawaii?
It's been two years since the Leica T was revealed. Touting an undeniably sexy unibody design and a brand new lens mount, the T showed that Leica was serious about staying relevant in a technology-focused climate. While the camera was universally praised in most regards, particularly for the body and interface design, there were certainly some unpleasantries in the way of performance. But that was two years ago, and a lot's changed. Leica has stayed committed to their aluminum wonder, and it has slowly evolved into a serious little machine worth a second glance.
