How to Take Stunning Product Photos on a Budget

Photography Tips  •  Product Photography

As with any kind of photography, product photography is all about the light. Getting great lighting for product shots can be somewhat tricky if you have only one light, but in the video tutorial below, Andrey Mikhaylov, walks us through his process, which gets the job done quite nicely using just one light source and a piece of foil:

Supplies for Product Photography

What’s great about this setup is that it doesn’t require extensive lighting setups and other gear. Mikhaylov pulled the shot off using just these items:

• DSLR & Lens. More specifically, he used a Canon 7D outfitted with a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. Large apertures work best for this type of shot because they produce more bokeh.
• Flash. Any flash will do. A speedlight, monolight, etc.
• Triggers. You’ll need these to fire the flash. Mikhaylov uses Cactus triggers, which, he says, work well and are affordable.
• Tripod. Using a tripod will keep your camera steady during shooting to help you get tack sharp images.
• Shiny Surface. Mikhaylov recommends a glossy black surface for a sleek, polished looking shot.
• Aluminum Foil & Tape. You’ll be using the foil for the background, the tape comes in handy to stick the foil to the wall.

 Getting the Shot

1. Lightly rumple up a sheet of aluminum foil and tape it the wall. This will be your backdrop.
2. Place your flash so it is facing the foil backdrop.
3. Position your subject matter–in this example, a glass of iced tea—on a black surface a few feet in front of the background.
4. Set up your tripod and camera to get your composition just right.
5. Start shooting!