Hey guys !
I’m new here and I’m heading to Le Mans.
I’d like to make some good photos like great ones we can see here, would you help me to calibrate my iPhone please ?
I just want to make good photos and have some souvenirs
I will iron the fabric!! Just wanted to test what a shot would look like w my lighting
Neewer lights nl660, space is pitch black and first pic is how it turned out with yellow and white
How can I get rid of the shadows? Do I need a diffuser?
Any other tips please shoot em at me!
Told a local business I would do some product photography for them… how can I improve on this?What is the trick for good lighting here?
I photograph small, often highly reflective rectangular objects (6" x 3" x 1/4") and want to improve my results without abandoning my iPhone 16 Pro, which is important to my Instagram/website workflow.
Current setup:
iPhone 16 Pro with a cheap adjustable stand.
16" x 16" x 16" lightbox (480 diffused LEDs at 5500K and 95CRI).
Cheap foam background for overhead shots (I remove the BG in post).
15" x 15" contact paper background for held shot content.
What I shoot:
Flat lay at a slight angle above the object.
Angled shot (often hand held).
15 - 90 second video showing the object from multiple angles while held.
My specific challenges:
Controlling reflections on highly reflective surfaces.
Making overhead shots more consistent and polished.
More consistent overall lighting
What I'm looking for:
Lighting upgrades, diffusion solutions, backgrounds, rigs, iPhone stands... Anything that would meaningfully level up the quality. Total budget is around $1,000 max, and I would like to keep the iPhone in the workflow.
What would you prioritize or change first?
Edit*
Here's what I picked up:
Light cone (small size made for phones).
GVM-SD80D (2-pack) with stands, softboxes, barndoors, and hyper reflectors.
Moment iPhone camera case
Moment anti-glare CPL quicklock filter.
Moment iPhone cheeseplate mount.
Impact C-stand overhead shot kit.
Impact 15lb saddlebag.
V-Flat Duo Boards (three of these).
Total cost was just over $750 after taxes and shipping.
I’m trying to capture this perfume bottle in Product photography Box. But you can see the reflective cap is showing everything even camera, this is causing pain, How to get rid of this?
Not in edits, Any suggestions for shot are appreciated
If yes, I need to ask you few questions :
Is it still worth it (with 3D PhotoBench rotating light box) or AI product photography, animation and relight does it better ?
What other functions of Ortery Capture still matter in 2026 ?
Thanks so much !
I appreciate the kind words on my progress post. Thought I'd share a few more! CC is very much welcomed. Thank you so much.
Hello everybody, how are folks deciding what kind of backdrops and “platform” to have around your products? Are you deciding by what colors are in the product?
I am trying to create a product photo with this beer but, I think I might take an alternative route from my usual black “cinematic” backdrops since the can is a warm earthly palette.
The photo will include the flaked corn and barely corn that goes into the brewing process. Thanks in advance
Of course I have a lot to learn but I'm reasonably happy with the progress I've made. Lighting cans is difficult! 🙂
Seeking advice on how I can make this DIY photography light box better- these were just shot on my iPhone- I do have a DSLR I’ll be experimenting with soon. Any tips on how to improve the setup? I’m very poor or DIY or use what i got. Thanks guys!
Testing out some high-speed, hyper-realistic fluid dynamics and macro textures for this VOLT Energy concept. From the raw citrus splash to the glacial freeze, it's all about triggering that sensory response.
Which scene hits harder: The Splash or The Ice? Drop a 💦 or 🧊 in the comments!
I am trying to take detailed photos of vintage razor heads using my Pixel 9 (non-pro) but I’m running into a problem with the Pixel smoothing the image.
The phone seems to be over-processing the image. It "softens" the polished surfaces, making them look too smooth (first picture) and hiding the actual texture (second picture).
I want to capture the honest condition of the metal, including micro-scratches, patina, and imperfections, similar to the second photo.
The first picture was done in my diy lighbox, second picture was outside the lightbox.
Does anyone have tips for the Pixel 9 specifically to stop this effect on hardware?
Are there settings in the native app to change, or a third-party app that would work better?
Are there lighting tweaks (diffusion vs. direct) that might help the show the imperfections better?
Any advice from people shooting products on mobile would be greatly appreciated!
I used to do graphic design for a living and still like to work in that capacity. I decided to put some of the bottle and glass shots into some framework of how they’d look in ads.
The first set I started looking up etiquette rules around drinking. I came across how you’re supposed to hold your glass in the left hand.
For the Jack Daniel’s and Johnnie Walker ones, I downloaded a logo from brandsoftheworld.com
They’re just comps so no need to put all the extra stuff you’ll usually have to put in on a paying job.
Edit: I’m based in London
I've been shooting for a few years and there are some photographers whose work I really enjoy. I want to create work at that level and I genuinely believe the fastest way to get there is to be in the room with people who are already doing it.
Right now I work in a large ecomm studio (not the most creative environment but it's taught me a lot about working efficiently with equipment and getting the light right consistently)
I recently found out I have a connection to one of the photographers through their ex-assistant (who is also a fantastic photographer but in a different genre).
A few things I'm genuinely unsure about - would love any advice:
• Is cold outreach (email vs DM) ever worth it?
• What should a first message actually say and what should it definitely not say?
• How polished does your portfolio need to be before you even reach out? (mine's in my profile if anyone wants to take a look)
• Is offering to assist for free (an extra pair of hands) normal or does that come across as undercutting?
(I can share websites of photographers I’m interested in, if that helps!)
Edit: thank you all for the helpful suggestions!
Thats mostly what I personally use, but would be happy to hear about different kind of euqipment that should be in a product photographers studio!
Assuming I have zero knowledge of product photography, how and where should I start learning about it?
I understand that I need to learn and internalise the theory before I can even remotely hope to achieve any semblance of good results in practice. Is there a tutorial or course I can follow to get started?
Samples of my current questions:
How do I determine the correct aperture for keeping the entire subject in focus? And how do I determine when simply stopping down is not enough and I need to implement focus stacking?
Since different products will require distinctly different approaches to photographing them correctly, would it be better to first decide on a niche and focus on learning how to photograph only that specific category of products?
Are techniques such as compositing, light painting, frequency separation, etc absolutely indispensable for professional-grade product photography? Or can I implement alternative techniques to circumvent the complexities of these techniques?
Equipment: I have a camera, a few lenses, two strobes with two soft boxes and a remote trigger, but no macro lens. Would it be better to get a macro lens before I even get started? Or is it not a necessity?
Experience: I’ve never shot products other than for Instagram stories on my phone, and I’ve never shot artificial or controlled lighting other than occasionally bouncing a speedlight off the ceiling (admittedly with extremely poor results). I’ve only ever used Lightroom for processing and thus have zero knowledge of the advanced techniques pertinent to Photoshop.
By now, my lack of knowledge in this particular genre of photography should be abundantly evident. Please provide your advice and recommendations accordingly.
Thank you very much.
Eight months into shooting small products for a side shop and I kept blaming my setup in the wrong direction.
I shoot mostly packaged goods, foil labels, glossy bits, small metal accents. All on a white sweep in a tight corner. Tried a bare LED panel early on, looked fine until anything reflective showed up. Foil threw hotspots at the lens and I'd burn an hour in post. Kept upgrading the panel thinking more output would help. It prolly wasn't gonna.
Someone on a product thread said fix shadow edges before you chase brightness. That sent me on the softbox lighting kit path. The Neewer NK103 kept coming up for small-table work, two softboxes, complete enough out of the box. Five months in, shadow transitions on reflective stuff got better day one. Setup's repeatable, which matters more than I expected.
The diffusion fabric on the NK103 isn't as heavy as pricier kits. I double-layered with cheap ripstop, helped a lot, not a dealbreaker but definately noticeable if you're used to thicker stuff.
Also ran the Neewer 384 bi-color kit when I mixed in video. Color temp flexibility was handy. The dial has kinda a mushy feel tho. Went back to the NK103 for straight product because the simpler setup won.
Softbox lighting kit if shadow quality is the goal. Panel if you need speed moving lights around. Wish I'd had that frame before two weeks of spec sheets. Anyone else land there or go a totally different direction?
This time I borrowed an empty Sir Davis bottle. Shot on pink seamless paper.
Sony A7iii
Sony 50 1.4
ISO100 f8 5 stop ND filter
3 Broncolor Pulso heads with P70 reflectors and a snoot
Broncolor StripLite
Hello fellow product photographers! I work in ecommerce and one of my clients wants to have their belt bag they had printed styled exactly like the vendor image(first photo). I stuffed it, but the sides and top are so puffed out. Do I need to stuff with something more solid like a foam brick? I would love to know how these guys are getting such a perfect shaped look. Thanks in advanced!