Make Natural Lighting Your Ally When Shooting Product Photographs

The goal of shooting product photographs is to end up with photos that draw in a client. When you post them on your website, they will be the focal point especially in the landing page. If you use a photo that is grainy, not well done or which just looks odd, this gives one the impression that the product itself is lacking. This can then to reduced sales due to reduced confidence in the product. There are many variables that will affect the outcome of making such shots, the type of lighting being one of the most important.

The Problems of Artificial Lighting

When shooting product photographs, you will have noticed that many top-notch firms end up using artificial lighting to get the job done. They could do this by setting up a couple of high intensity bulbs, and then manipulating the light reaching the product using filters. This requires a lot of equipment and will be expensive whether you opt to buy or rent the equipment.

Choosing to make the shots under natural light instead makes more sense, since you end up getting just the right amount of light needed without having to fiddle with many technical aspects of cameras, light sources and filters.

The Best Natural Light Source

To get the best product photographs using natural light, you don’t need any fancy equipment. Just a simple camera (or even your phone’s camera, if you have a high-end phone) will do the trick. Stand by your window on a sunny day and place the product in the light streaming in from the outside. This is usually more than enough to get that perfect shot. Typically, these kinds of photos need little editing afterwards, particularly if your camera is a good one.

If There Is Not Enough Natural Light

Sometimes, the natural light simply is not enough. This will lead to the shots being dull and unappealing. There is a simple way to still get the perfect shot without having to wait for a sunnier day: using a reflector. Something as simple as a white foam board can be used to illuminate the product even more. Once you identify the source of the natural light, you can then place the reflector in such a manner that the light bounces off it and onto the product you are shooting. This will eliminate shadows and make the end product more vibrant. You can move closer to or further away from the object to get the right amount of light saturation.

Use White Backdrops

Place a white foam board or even a large piece of paper behind the product to act as its backdrop. This will reflect some of the natural light onto the product, eliminating shadows and making it stand out. It also makes it easier to work with the image afterward, such as if you want to add a custom background before putting it on your website.

These are just some of the tips you can use to take excellent product photos using nothing but natural light. It needs very little manipulation, and it’s easy to come up with professional-grade photos afterwards.