I've heard it is completely different than other forms. What are the key elements when shooting products? TIA

The biggest difference is that you have to give the client exactly what they want, and there's very little room for creative freedom.

Most clients will give you (if more than just a few words; some think photographers can read minds) specifications for color, negative space (for text), lighting, background, focus, etc. Others will have you work with their art director. That's a good situation, because they're usually in the studio helping you get the image just right. (Or on the phone making your life a living hell.)

But, you can shoot other versions (on your own time), to show the client, and hope they like them over the images shot to their specifications. Don't count on them accepting your versions, though.


Lee

Thanks for the reply, but I need to take some for my own products, so wanted some pointers

We have a little product shot studio set up in the cube next to mine. It consist of 3 lights to eliminate shadows and a white background. I'm not the photographer though I'm one of the people who would make your life hard if you weren't taking pics for your self.

If what you want is flat lighting to just show your product, then a light tent is your best bet. Set it up according to the instructions and then set the white balance on your camera to match the light source (strobe, tungsten, flourescent, etc). They cost one or two hundred dollars. Cheap, but effective.

If you want some shadowing to show texture or depth, you'll want a system that'll allow differing intensities of light (image 8.) Same is true if you want a light base but a darker background (image 6.) You'd use a background that's different from the base for the same, or for intensifying, the effect (images 10 and 11.)

Mood is important: Light and airy (image 7), dark and mysterious (image 1) or somewhere in between (image 4.) Or - and this is done only with great care - reversing the mood (image 9.)

But the best way to learn about photographing your products is to leaf through magazines and look for ads or articles of products similar to yours and study the pictures.

Read a book or magazine article (or two) on photographic lighting. I recommend The Studio Photographer's Lighting Bible by Calvey Taylor-Haw. (Amazon, camera store.) He covers lighting for everything from food to small products to refrigerators to pets. Lots of photos and lighting diagrams.

I'm including a few practice shots I've taken in my tiny studio, with a quick description of the lighting I used for each:

1.

Barn doors at left of image, soft box above.

2.

Single soft box behind bottle, umbrella upper right.
2a. Set-up:


3.

Single light with reflector, low left.

4.

Umbrella at right set one stop higher than umbrella at left.

5.

One tunsten bulb, bare, mounted on my wall.

6.

Single soft box above subject, flags blocking light from seamless background. White reflectors at left and right.

7.

Soft box to right, white card reflector to left.

8.

Single umbrella at upper left, white card reflector on right.

9.

Soft box at left, barn doors at right aimed at background.
9a. Set-up:

No. The cat didn't help me one damn bit.

10.

Soft box at left, umbrella at right.

11.

Soft box above subject (behind background), umbrella at right, reflector at left.

If you have any technical questions or questions regarding any of my pictures, feel free to ask.

I hope this helps. If it does, you're welcome.


Lee