Product Photography

Ceramics by Amy Smith

MORE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY IMAGES COMING SOON…

I normally shoot single items or small quantities of products for clients. A short brief and reference images helps to give the shoot direction.

Many clients request images on a white background unless it’s totally unsuitable for the product. Many e-commerce websites display images on a white background. It also makes it easier for graphic designers to cut out the images.

In some cases products need a digital retoucher to detailed corrections. For example, certain products attract a lot of static dust. This is virtually impossible to remove during photography, therefore a retoucher needs to remove the dust to provide a clean finish. Some products arrive looking a bit deshevelled, especially if they are prototypes, and they require additional post-production work.

All shoots are priced individually or based on a day rate. A commission estimate form is completed so both client and I are aware of the costings. My studio space is based in Brighton.

TECHNICAL
The product photography is shot on a digital camera which is tethered to a laptop. This makes it easier to look at the images in detail. Although much of the correction is done in camera, the final adjustments are done during post-production. Images are shot as RAW files. The RAW files are adjusted in Capture One software and then converted into jpegs or tiffs. The JPEG or TIFF is then fine tuned in Photoshop.

Basic post-production requirements centre around cropping,  colour correction, perspective, contrast and sharpness.

If images are shot purely for use at a small size, eg on a website, then there is often less post-production work involved.

Bowens studio lights and accessories are used to light the products. Different types of products require different lighting set-ups. Similar items can be shot under single set-ups though can still require adjustments. A black glossy finish requires a different approach to a glossy white finish, and then there’s shiny or dull metallic finished, plastics, translucent objects, transparent and a combination of finishes and materials within a single shot!

Product photography above photographed for Amy Smith cermacist, First Hand Design, What Digital Camera? magazine, Made Up Media Ltd.