Your product photography will be of the highest caliber if you have great studio lighting! The better the images you’ll produce while shooting ANY object your customer has asked for, the more you’ll learn about using studio lights and which match your setup the best!
What kinds of lighting is necessary for product photography?
You can learn all there is to know about lighting for product photography in this free tutorial. Using strobe lights or continuous lights (constantly on) is the ideal remedy (flashes on and off). LED panels, fluorescent tubes, and tungsten light bulbs are a few types of continuous lighting. Some of them may be altered, allowing you to regulate the brightness of your merchandise.
To begin producing expert product photography that sells, you must first understand how to assemble all the necessary photo studio tools (studio lights, tripods, cameras, items, etc.).
Make sure you know what lighting your product photography studio area needs before reaching deep into your wallet. You don’t want to purchase an excessive number of lights and be unable to utilize them.
Which lighting is ideal for photographing products?
When decorating your items for still images and moving pictures, the optimal lighting for product photography combines one or two high-quality continuous lights. High-power LED bulbs, low-pressure mercury vapour gas discharge fluorescent lights, or tungsten light bulbs are all acceptable options for these lights.
If you’re just getting started and on a tight budget, all you need is ONE continuous light and a piece of white foam board to assist direct the light back toward your product.
There are so many choices and prices to choose from. The following lighting gear works well for product photography:
How Does Continuous Lighting Work?
A light that is continuously on does not turn off unless you do. Strobe lighting is synchronized with your camera and will only come on when you push the camera’s shutter button to snap a picture.
By moving continuous lights around your product, you can direct the light’s path and see how it interacts with the environment.
3 continuous lights that work best for product photography
1. You may get the Godox SL60W, a powerful continuous 60W LEDlight, on the market for a very affordable price. Additionally, wireless remote control is quite simple to operate and change the brightness. Both static photos and moving pictures may use it.
2. Another excellent light for product photography is the Godox FV150. Both a strobe and a constant light may be used simultaneously! The FV150 costs a little more than the SL60W, but it’s well worth the extra money. It has unusual effects, is completely configurable, and offers fantastic daylight colours.
3. A continuous professional light with 200W of great brightness is the Godox VL200. Professional product photography experts regard the colour temperature 5600k–200K, 16 channels, and adjustable brightness as a superb option because of its ideal compact form.
Strobe and continuous light differences
Continuous lighting benefits over strobe lighting in that you can utilize it for images, videos, and product styling. You may regulate the shadows and the amount of light you want to reflect onto your merchandise as the light enters your scenario.
Strobe lighting, on the other hand, is only available for use while taking pictures, and you do not influence what happens in your scene either before or after you click the shutter.
3 Strobe Lights for Product Photography That Work Best
1. The Godox AD600BM Bowens Mount has a consistent colour temperature of 5600+-200K and is a 600Watt. It fully supports High-Speed Sync (HSS) for spectacular interior or outdoor photography and offers 9 stages of power adjustment (1/1 and 1/256). Additionally, it sports a large LCD screen for easier control.
2. The 400Watt TTL, 1/8000 HSS, battery-powered mono light, 30W modelling lamp, and 0.01–1 second recycle time Godox AD400 Pro strobe light! Users favour all studio lights, and the Godox PRO series is the finest.
3. The Godox AD600 Pro is a 600 Watt strobe light with built-in 2.4G wireless, TTL, and HSS 1/8000. One of the greatest studio lights available, it can film indoors and outside with reliable recycling.
How do I choose a lighting softbox for product photography?
Always go with a large softbox. The light will spread further and cast fewer shadows the larger the softbox is. However, if you use two lights, one with a softbox and the other plain, you may experiment with the shadows (add/reduce them).
A good softbox option for product photography is the Godox Octagon Softbox 47″. The light may be dispersed far enough using the light diffusion surface. Furthermore, it is composed of high-density nylon and is simple to fold.
What Are Ring Lights Used For?
While softboxes are positioned to the side (keeping in mind that your object will be in the centre), employing a ring light may make capturing pictures a bit more difficult. The camera is a bit difficult to position as you want.
Ring lights, on the other hand, are appropriate for quick product shots, interviews, and YouTube or TikTok videos. Using a softbox is preferable for huge items.
The Godox LR120 12-inch Ring Light is one of the most well-known models. This ring light serves various purposes, including lighting for product photographs, live video recording, cosmetics, selfies, online instruction, and vlogging in low light.
Foam boards and reflectors
If you know which one to buy and how to utilize it, a fantastic reflector may provide you with lovely soft light. Additionally, a reflector is necessary if you just use one light source but want to balance the shadows and highlights, even if you don’t need to spend lots of money on one.
Reflectors: The Neewer 5-in-1 portable spherical photographic lighting reflector is a nice option. This portable multi-purpose reflector is a fantastic lighting device. If you photograph things in a client’s area, it has 5 different reflectors (silver, gold, white, black, and transparent fabric) and is highly portable.
Additionally, you may use this in conjnction with a single light photography stand for reflectors. You may put the reflector nearer to your merchandise this way with ease. What a fantastic 6 feet/190-centimetre Neewer Photo Studio Photography Light Stand!
V-Flat Foam Boards: Depth is added via shadows. You must either use a foam board to bounce the light back onto your scene or another light to fill in the shadows to eliminate or direct them. Another excellent option is a foam reflector, such as the V-FLAT WORLD Tabletop Reflector (Black/White).
Foam reflectors may also be employed in a variety of situations. As shown in the picture below, you can virtually do anything to direct the light. A black background, two led lights on each side, two white foam reflectors, and a strobe light are used in this illustration.
In the picture below, we have another illustration. Consider the changes when utilizing a foam reflector that is white or black. You are entirely responsible for developing the look you choose. I think the whiteboard shows more detail and gives my merchandise a softer light.
Boxes for product photography lighting
For product photography, are light boxes a fantastic light source? It depends on your interests. You don’t need to purchase a large quantity of strobe or continuous lights since lighting boxes exist in various sizes. However, you only have so much room.
You can take fantastic product photos with our Neewer Photo Studio Light Box. The brightness may be adjusted thanks to the LED illumination. Additionally, the reflectors and backdrop evenly distributed the light for a pleasing appearance.
How many light sources or reflectors should I use while photographing products?
To begin capturing product photographs, a novice may set up a decent photo studio with only one continuous light and a reflector.
If one light and a reflector allow you to direct light in the desired manner, you may wish to attempt a second or even third light.
Your objective is to change the brightness, manage the shadows, and provide softer lighting to your objects in both scenarios. Remember that the softer the light, the larger the diffuser (Softbox or reflector).
Scene: Bright vs Dark
What aesthetic are you trying to convey in your product photography? You may choose a dark and brooding design or a white and brilliant appearance.
Choose between a white and brilliant or a dark style while photographing health, beauty, household, and other items. This look may be achieved with only one light, a white or black foam board, and vivid background colour.
Summary
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