Product Photography / Headlights

patryk_beben

patryk_beben

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Patryk
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Hi Guy's,

I'm new to the forums. I've joined as i'm looking for advice in terms of product photography as I'm recently started in the creative department at a company that sells after market headlights for cars.

The biggest problem we face at the moment is lightning the products well and also fighting with reflections. At the moment we had a simple backdrop with lights on both sides and a fill from the bottom. Although we are in the process of having a room built to enclose the area to remove the environmental reflections e.g. windows etc.. But the biggest struggle i'm having is lightning the products so it looks natural but good at the same time? I hope it makes sense.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how i should go about lighting the products?
 
patryk_beben said:
Does anyone have any suggestions on how i should go about lighting the products?
Click to expand...


Can you post some pictures so we all could appreciate
where you are at this point and where problems may be?
 
I shoot lots of products and lots of lighting, glass, chrome, reflective items and usually shoot lights both lit and unlit.

The simple answer is that there is no one answer, except that the best answer is to get a professional photographer.

Almost certainly every time you get a different shaped light you are going to have to move and adjust lighting.
 
The best advice I can give you is, when photographing shiny objects think of it as creating the environment that will be reflected rather than lighting the item itself. I.e. if you use a softbox you are creating a large white rectangular reflection with a hard/defined edge.
 
The problem is not the lighting, though that may well be a problem too. Shiny things are notoriously difficult.

The problem is the unsightly reflections, and they'll still be there no matter what you use for lighting. You need reflections though, that's what makes shiny things look shiny - take them away and the nice chrome will look like brushed aluminium, but you need to control reflections so they're attractive. Basically you have to completely surround the object/headlight with something that looks good when seen in the reflection. Easily said, rather harder to do.

Welcome to TP :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Shiny things are notoriously difficult.
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This is much trickier than that, because its not just shiny, you'll have a compound shiny surface behind glass, that means you need to get the right details and reflections in both. Plus many headlights have ribs and other details in the glass, and all that detail needs to be retained.

That means very careful applied lighting to put shadows where you want them, reflections where you want them and light where its needed, which means a complex multi light setup.
 
The other thing is, what's it for exactly?

There's a world of difference between a multi-mi££ion advertising campaign where you're primary selling a brand represented by the product, and flogging a few bits and pieces on ebay. A lot of product photography sits somewhere inbetween where you need nice clean, clear images, but nothing too fancy. Are you selling the sausage or the sizzle? Sausages are easier.
 
riddell said:
That means very careful applied lighting to put shadows where you want them, reflections where you want them and light where its needed, which means a complex multi light setup.
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And/or compositing...
I often overlook the easy answer, and sometimes it's also the best/only answer.
 
sk66 said:
And/or compositing...
I often overlook the easy answer, and sometimes it's also the best/only answer.
Click to expand...

Composting is an option, but it should only be used as a last no other choice option.

Its generally much slower and trickier. It can often double or triple the amount of time it would take it shoot it correctly in the first place.
 
riddell said:
Composting is an option, but it should only be used as a last no other choice option.

Its generally much slower and trickier. It can often double or triple the amount of time it would take it shoot it correctly in the first place.
Click to expand...

You mean, leave them in the garden? :D

But seriously, I don't think you can generalise like that these days.
 
sk66 said:
And/or compositing...
I often overlook the easy answer, and sometimes it's also the best/only answer.
Click to expand...
riddell said:
Its generally much slower and trickier. It can often double or triple the amount of time it would take it shoot it correctly in the first place.
Click to expand...

But it's used all the time in product photography, especially for shiny objects. It doesn't have to take significant time.
I used to have to shoot panels, so would expose for the lights and wording, then again using lighting for the panels. Sometimes it was easier to light paint the panels.
 
Byker28i said:
But it's used all the time in product photography, especially for shiny objects.
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Not my experience.

I shoot huge amounts of shiny, reflective, mirrored, glass and so forth products. I often shoot large ranges, and I shoot along side many other photographers in teams. We rarely shoot for comp. We only do that in real, desperate scenarios As mentioned it takes much longer. It costs more.

If you know what you are doing you can light the product nicely and the same time put all the wanted reflections, accents, shadows and everything else in there. What do you think we did before photoshop?
 
Well, you can reflect lights to soften them, but it takes an hour or so to get it right
123911840.jpg
 
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I have found in the past that sometimes using a polariser helps. You can get it in sheet form from the likes of Lee Filters or Rosco or you could use a standard screw on circular polariser. I also find compositing, as mentioned already, is the best way to go, taking multiple shots with the lights in various positions until all areas of the product are lit how you want it.
 
riddell said:
Composting is an option, but it should only be used as a last no other choice option.

Its generally much slower and trickier. It can often double or triple the amount of time it would take it shoot it correctly in the first place.
Click to expand...
I think that depends... I would say it can take longer than it would to shoot something *acceptably.*
 
PhilH04 said:
Polished metal does not reflect polarised light.... the only way is to control what is reflected.
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It does if the light hitting it is polarized... this is a case for double polarization (light and lens). Double polarization is also useful in a multi light setup as the lens filter can only be optimally adjusted for one light source/direction.

But getting rid of all reflections isn't really the goal... controlling them is.
 
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sk66 said:
It does if the light hitting it is polarized... this is a case for double polarization (light and lens).
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How is x-pola going to help when lighting a complex subject? Surely you still need to control what is reflected.
 
PhilH04 said:
How is x-pola going to help when lighting a complex subject? Surely you still need to control what is reflected.
Click to expand...
It's part of controlling what is reflected, and additionally to what extent it is reflected ( it can be used to reduce a reflection as well as eliminate them). The problem with complex subjects/setups is that a light that is beneficial in one area may be detrimental in another. Cross polarization won't necessarily have a uniform affect on all of the light from a source if it is being reflected at different angles from different faces/locations. Sure, you can also flag/grid/snoot/etc; cross polarization is just another tool in the kit.
 
sk66 said:
It's part of controlling what is reflected, and additionally to what extent it is reflected ( it can be used to reduce a reflection as well as eliminate them). The problem with complex subjects/setups is that a light that is beneficial in one area may be detrimental in another. Cross polarization won't necessarily have a uniform affect on all of the light from a source if it is being reflected at different angles from different faces/locations. Sure, you can also flag/grid/snoot/etc; cross polarization is just another tool in the kit.
Click to expand...
Have used x-pola extensively and IMO it will have a very limited effect when trying to control reflections from a complex subject, a simple subject maybe.

I am surprised no one has mentioned the favourite of dulling spray and then add in reflections etc in post...
 
patryk_beben said:
Hi Guy's,

I'm new to the forums. I've joined as i'm looking for advice in terms of product photography as I'm recently started in the creative department at a company that sells after market headlights for cars.

The biggest problem we face at the moment is lightning the products well and also fighting with reflections. At the moment we had a simple backdrop with lights on both sides and a fill from the bottom. Although we are in the process of having a room built to enclose the area to remove the environmental reflections e.g. windows etc.. But the biggest struggle i'm having is lightning the products so it looks natural but good at the same time? I hope it makes sense.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how i should go about lighting the products?
Click to expand...

I am somewhat surprised that they have set up with out thinking about hiring some one with the studio skills to take this work on.
It is not difficult at all, but just needs some more speciallist skills that come with training and experience.

I was set a similar skills test when applying for a senior studio photographer position in Madrid in 1957. I got the job.
It is not the sort of thing you will learn how to do on a thread like this.
 
Byker28i said:
Well, you can reflect lights to soften them, but it takes an hour or so to get it right
123911840.jpg
Click to expand...


That is a nice little studio, and an object lesson in lighting the the surrounding surfaces not the object directly. Not a single light is pointing directly at the car.

This goes equally for shooting a gold ring on a table set up, as it does for a car.
 
patryk_beben said:
Hi Guy's,

I'm new to the forums. I've joined as i'm looking for advice in terms of product photography as I'm recently started in the creative department at a company that sells after market headlights for cars.

The biggest problem we face at the moment is lightning the products well and also fighting with reflections. At the moment we had a simple backdrop with lights on both sides and a fill from the bottom. Although we are in the process of having a room built to enclose the area to remove the environmental reflections e.g. windows etc.. But the biggest struggle i'm having is lightning the products so it looks natural but good at the same time? I hope it makes sense.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how i should go about lighting the products?
Click to expand...
Some more info needed...
1. Is this just one product, or many? The answer will be helpful, because if there are a lot of different products then investing time into learning, and possibly some more money into equipment, will be justified.
2. Is this just Ebay or similar, i.e. where you're just trying to show what the thing actually looks like, or are you trying to sell the concept, e.g. "You can't live without one of these"
 
I think it would be great to have a Product/commercial photography section in the Photo Genres - Sharing and Critique section of the forums.
 
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