Lighting for Product Photography: The Digital Photographer's Step-By-Step Guide to Sculpting with Light

From magazine ads to web applications, this instructive handbook details the ever-expanding area of product photography and discusses the unique skills required to be successful. Beginning with the basics for creating professional-looking shots, the qualities of light and the rendering of color and texture are covered while the tools to be used for controlling those qualities is explained through a step-by-step lighting setup. The latter half of this guide compiles images created on actual assignments, depicting a variety of products photographe. Front Cover 1 Dedication 2 Copyright 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgments 9 About the Author 11 Introduction 12 What to Expect 13 Images Are Critical in Buying Decisions 14 The Role of the Photographer 14 Image Capture and Terminology 16 1. People vs. Products 19 People 19 Products 19 People with Products 20 2. Art vs. Commercial 22 3. Light and Lighting 25 Light 25 Lighting 25 Qualities of Light 25 feature: Exposure vs. Lighting 26 Color Temperature 27 feature: White Balance vs. Gray Balance 28 Hard or Soft 30 Intensity 33 Metering the Light 33 Reflected-Light Metering 33 Incident-Light Metering 35 4. Lighting Tools 39 Studio Strobes 38 Modeling Lights 38 Types of Studio Lights 39 Continuous Lights 42 Light Modifiers 44 Soft Light 44 Hard Light 45 Bouncing the Light 45 Blocking the Light 46 Cutting the Light 48 Grip and Support Equipment 50 5. Principles of Lighting Products 54 Basic Light Functions 54 Main Light 54 Fill Light 54 Background Light 54 Accent Light 54 feature: The Size of the Light 54 Types of Light Sources 54 Soft Sources 55 Hard Sources 56 Reflected Sources 57 The Angle of the Light 58 0 Degrees 58 45 Degrees 58 90 Degrees 58 Backlight 58 feature: Determine the Composition, Add the Light 58 Top Light 59 Determining the Correct Angle 59 The Subject Is the Active Player 62 Reflecting on the Surface Qualities of Your Subject 65 Diffused Reflection 65 Direct (or Specular) Reflection 66 Polarized Reflection 67 No Reflection 67 Separating the Subject 67 feature: Watch for Tangents 69 The Basic Setup 70 Capture and Exposure 71 6. Techniques for Single Products 72 Case Study 1: Paper Products 72 How It Was Done 74 Case Study 2: Embossed Foil Paper 76 How It Was Done 77 Case Study 3: Exposing for a Digital Screen 79 How It Was Done 80 Case Study 4: Martini Glass (Black-Line Effect) 82 How It Was Done 83 Case Study 5: Martini Glass (Black-Line Effect with Prop) 85 How It Was Done 85 Case Study 6: Martini Glass (White-Line Effect) 87 How It Was Done 88 Case Study 7: Lit Candle with Embossed Metal Lid 89 How It Was Done 90 Case Study 8: Engraving on Shiny Metal 92 How It Was Done 92 Case Study 9: Black on Black 96 How It Was Done 97 Case Study 10: White on White 100 How It Was Done 101 Case Study 11: Shoes on a White Background 104 How It Was Done 104 Case Study 12: Decorative Mirror 107 How It Was Done 108 Case Study 13: Shooting with a Light Tent 111 Case Study 14: Vodka Bottle with Hot Shoe Flash 114 Case Study 15: Lipstick with Hot Shoe Flash 116 7. Putting It All Together 117 Case Study 16: Lighting Multiple Products 118 The Problem 118 The Solution 119 Case Study 17: Multiple Products on Black 121 The Problem 122 The Solution 122 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 123 Case Study 18: Simulated Sunlight with One Light 124 The Problem 124 The Solution 124 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 125 Case Study 19: Gold Leaf Wine Bottle Label 128 The Problem 128 The Solution 129 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 130 Case Study 20: Computer Station 132 The Problem 132 The Solution 133 Case Study 21: Engraved Labels 134 The Problem 135 The Solution 135 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 135 Case Study 22: Mixed Textures 138 The Problem 138 The Solution 139 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 140 Case Study 23: Rolleiflex TLR 142 The Problem 142 The Solution 143 feature: A Time for Postproduction 144 Case Study 24: A Final Challenge 146 The Problem 146 The Solution 147 feature: Sculpting with Light® Sequence 148 Conclusion 151 Resources 153 Index 154 Back Cover 160

From magazine ads to web applications, this instructive handbook details the ever-expanding area of product photography and discusses the unique skills required to be successful. Beginning with the basics for creating professional-looking shots, the qualities of light and the rendering of color and texture are covered while the tools to be used for controlling those qualities is explained through a step-by-step lighting setup. The latter half of this guide compiles images created on actual assignments, depicting a variety of products photographed in a range of settings. Each image is accompanied by a discussion of the client’s intent and the realization of those objectives. Offering procedural images, diagrams, and set-up shots to illustrate the addition and modification of light sources, problems can be identified and corrected on-set making this an invaluable tool for amateur and professional photographers alike.

It is a walk through the process of photographing products for commercial applications, demonstrating how to light even the trickiest of shapes and surfaces for accurate, appealing images. (Editor)