Capturing Highly Reflective Products; Is It That Challenging?
Capturing product photographs for online retail is indeed a fairly easy task. However, things start getting a bit quirky when one starts shooting reflective products like glass, glittery metals, etc. The two main challenges here are the reflection on the product itself and the visibility of the outside objects like the camera in the shiny product. These types of product photographs project a very unprofessional brand image onto the customers’ minds and, for this reason, do not sell well. Therefore, if you wish to form an excellent impression of your brand on the psyche of your customers, always take product photography seriously and never go for a cheap product photography service. Instead, choose an adept product photographer – one with sound knowledge of reflective product photography. Here are some of the most important requisites for capturing good-quality photographs of highly reflective products.
The equipment
Here are some of the most important equipment one needs to get started with reflective product photography.
- Lens – Always use either a prime lens or telephoto lens, not just for reflective product photography but for any product photography in general. Avoid using the wide-angle lens as it adds distortion to product images.
- Continuous lighting kits – A continuous light setup helps you visualize exactly how the photo will look. Easy-to-use with a fairly simple learning curve, continuous lighting kits are available in the online market with everything you may need.
- Backdrops – A lightbox is an excellent choice for shooting smaller objects. Lightboxes can act as a base for the product to rest on and will give an even more consistent light throughout the product.
- Diffusers and reflectors – To have a soft glow by diffusing the lights emitted to the products, we use diffusers. For reflecting or bouncing lights in a different direction, we use reflectors.
Backlighting
As the name suggests, backlighting illuminates the object from behind, eliminating any unnecessary glow. Backlighting is the most effective technique for capturing highly-reflective objects like glasses with a crystal-clear appearance.
Camera settings
As per the style of lighting implemented in your setup, adjust the white balance of your camera using its internal shooting menu. However, if you happen to be in doubt, the auto white balance setting option of your camera is always open.
Post-processing
Even with all the necessary props and equipment in place, getting a perfect shot is a rare occurrence. There always remains ample scope for improvement post the clicking of the photographs. Use professional photo editing software for all the post-processing tasks. You can get of the visible spots or smudges if any. Thereafter, you may desaturate and clean the background of the photograph to pure white.
The final word
Getting professional photographs of your products clicked is elementary as well as essential to running an e-commerce business successfully. To find the most seasoned product photographers at reasonable prices, you may need to get in touch with a renowned and cheap product photography service provider. EtherArts Product Photography happens to be the most well-known e-commerce photography service provider in Atlanta. You may avail of their photography services and add a fine professional touch to your e-commerce store.
