Product photography is as demanding as the kiln-fired arts. Nevertheless, I have seen exquisite photos by potters, enamelists, and jewelers. You can get good results, too, if you have the patience to experiment.
Keep detailed notes of each photo setup so you can reproduce the lighting from your best shots. Long after you have forgotten how you shot the picture, you will still have your notes. Include a sketch of the lighting setup. Show the types of lights, distances, and angles.
- Lighting reflects off surfaces the same way a ball bounces on a pool table. Move the lights to change where the reflection appears in the glaze, glass, or enameling.
- On-camera flash (the type that is mounted to the camera) is too limiting. Get a flash adapter so you can take the flash off the camera and place it to the side and so that you can use multiple flash units. Or you could even buy a flash pack, which is a power source that flash units plug into. I've used a Novatron for over 20 years and love it. My wife and I used to shoot weddings with the Novatron.
- I've had interesting results by placing glass on top of a sheet of white plexiglass. Place a light behind the plexiglass. That’s how I photographed the glass-fused street scene shown to the right (Glass fused city scene by Roal Enix. Flash behind the plexiglass and diffused flash in front).
- Study beautiful photos of pottery or glass to figure out how they were lit. Sometimes small reflections in photos show the types of lights used and how they were positioned. I learned that in a fashion photography class. The instructor showed us close-up magazine photos of fashion models. Reflected in the eyes of the models were the light sources, usually an umbrella light or box light.
- One way to learn lighting is to study glossy brochures of expensive jewelry and silverware. It is very difficult to hide all the reflections in silverware, and sometimes those reflections actually enhance the subject.
- Collect great still life photos from brochures and advertisements. File them in a 3-ring notebook with page protectors. Even if they are not your exact area of specialty such as pottery, you can still learn from them.
- Try to find a copy of “Still Life: A Guide to Professional Lighting Techniques,” by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz. It is filled with stunning photos, each with instructions and a lighting diagram.
- Take still-life photography classes. The best ones are taught by advertising photographers. One class can open a new world to you.
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