Concept of Product Photography

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Concept of Product Photography

Product photography is a branch of commercial photography which is about accurately but attractively representing a product. The principal application of product photography is in product catalogues and brochures, with a proportion of product images also being used in advertising.



The challenges of product photography are generally:

1. To represent the product without distortion
2. To represent the product in good lighting, with soft shadows and no identifiable reflections
3. To photograph a range of products rapidly, one at a time, so that the shadows and light are consistent
4. Particularly difficult products to photograph include

Transparent products
Chrome and other highly-reflective products
Products which are white or black
For most types of product, the standard set up is a light tent big enough for the largest product in the range, an infinite cove, a micro lens, a tripod and studio strobe lights. Photo floods can be used instead of strobes, which makes visualising the shadows easier, although this is generally not a huge issue when using a light-tent.

For some types of product, such as jewellery, a textured cloth in a contrasting colour (green, for gold) is preferred. Some products also benefit from a dim reflection, which can be achieved by placing them on a black or white glossy tile, purchased from a building supplies or DIY store. In some cases, the commissioners of a catalogue will want a particular look which distinguishes them from competitors, such as using crumpled and then smoothed aluminium foil as the background.

Source: https://wiki.nikonians.org/Product_photography
             http://img03.deviantart.net/fa1a/i/2010/236/5/1/cherry_coke_by_michelleramey.jpg