Product photography: Black on black

Black product on black backgound is easily grayed some hairs for every photographer.

It’s been knonw that black object need special care and lighting carefully. You dont want over-lit product, you dont want product blended to background and lost it definition. If it’s a shiny, you can double your time to get good reflection, or get rid of it. Photograph those things takes too much time to the point you gonna pull your hairs and quit doing it if you dont really like it.

Yet we want to challenge ourself. We found two black product on market shelf and try for ourself. One shampoo bottle, and one cleanser. One is half shiny, one is matte black.

Now come the set. We set up a black paper background, then add some simple cube and cylinder. All in black.

Next step, put product into the set. Easy part ends here.

Now we have to set the light. Black stuff eats a lot of light, always. We have to bring out big boys, three 800ws strobe lights and blasts light into the set. Some would say it not necessary, but we doubt it. We have to light the product selectively with honeycomb and snoot, which eat up a lot of light. Though it take a lot works, it creates beautiful shadow and highlight, and separation between product and background.

Shooting black products means you have to understand lighting to the max. It’s about control the specular highlight and lighting angle with a precise method. And one important thing, is to know what you want to photograph before you hit the shutter. You dont need a precise image, but you need a general one, so when the lighting involves, you dont kill your shoot by overlight it. Try to bring in one light at a time, and build your light from there. Dont be tempted by adding more light, try to add some fill first. You’ll be suprise with a little fill from a white cardboard.

If you get it right on set, it will be easy in post. We just need some retouchs to finish the photos.

Nowaday CGI products is more popular than ever, since it’s easier to create and control lighting, make it look perfect. Still, photograped products have it own advantage, which is its realness. It’s really depends on client vision and taste.

And it’s alway fun to finnick stuffs on set than in computer.