The Reflection Advantage

For this weeks last "retrospect" image I am going to take a look at one more way you can use reflection in your images. Anytime you have water, you have opportunity! This doesn't just apply to lakes, pools or other calm bodies of water although those are the most common. You can also take advantage of reflection off of water droplets, bubbles and wet sand, like I did below!

©Verte Photo Image available for purchase in my shop

This image was taken at sunset in CA on the beach. While most people think that is where the orange tones come from (the orange warm glow of the sunset light) that was not the whole of it! In truth there was a brick colored home much further back on the beach, but at the right angle, and with a smaller aperture I managed to blur the reflection of the house keeping the color but not the detail.


Happy Shooting!

Product reflection

It's a two-fer day!! Here are two examples of how to achieve a reflection in your product photography. 

©Verte Photo / Product supplied by Melli's Trinkets /Melli's YarnWorks

The grey is a reflective background, it is a super gloss finish and when combined with proper lighting it captures a reflection of the product on it. For the home photographer you can achieve this on a white background by picking up a poster board at your local craft store that is a reusable dry erase board. It will be white - but that tends to be better for the home photographer to use due to lighting anyways :)

©Verte Photo / Product provided by Streeter Ltd now Studio1241

This image shows you an alternate way to achieve a reflective surface on any color of background. By using a sheet of plexiglass. You don't see the line on the background where the paper underneath the plexiglass rolls up to create the seamless look because of the aperture setting (shallow depth of field) This was shot at a F3.5 keeping my product sharp, and creating blur everywhere else. Since it is a solid surface you don't see the actual blur so it is not distracting to the image. It simply hides the plexiglass (scratches on it, and the line behind the product from where it stops and the paper continues)

The Making of a Light Reflector

What is a light reflector?
Simply it is a tool used in photography to reflect light towards the subject. You can use them with all different light sources such as sunlight, flash or strobe lights, our continuous lights commonly used in home studio photography, or video.

The concept is simple, light hits the reflector and due to placement it reflects it back towards the subject.  One of the most common used reflectors would be a white wall or ceiling, remember the light will change color if you bounce it off something colored! You simply point your adjustable flash towards it and the light bounces off at an angle, or use the reflector to bounce your sunlight back towards your subject!

Today, I will be showing you how to make 3 different versions of a Light Reflectors, that would be helpful in a home-made studio, like one used for small product photography. You will be happy to know that I purchased only $3 in supplies and used only these few other items that everyone should have at home, or would be easy to find! You can use any of the techniques with any of the products and mix and match to make the type that works best for you!

• 2 1/4 boxes (recycled from shipments I have received)
• Tape 
• Scissors

First let me show you the Gold reflector. This is a great option to have on hand if you are shooting on a cold day, in shadows, or even when overcast. It adds a "warm" light to your image.

For this reflector I purchased 1 gold tissue pack from my local dollar store. Yep, that's it. Simply make sure that you select one that is solid gold and without any patterns to it.

I then folded my box flat and cut one edge of it, creating a long bendable piece.

Next, I set out my tissue paper (which is a thick metallic sheet, which I didn't know has silver on the other side... so in reality you could buy 1 pack and use 1/2 for one gold reflector and the other 1/2 for the silver!) 

 I used two sheets to cover the whole box, and I cut them so I could fold each section nice and smoothy.I just used clear tape I had on hand, you could do glue or whatever... just make sure its as smooth and flat as you can get it.

Then, as you can see it can be stood up and bent around in order to reflect light towards my product. (To see why I am shooting with this studio set up visit TSUA-List and read "My Dollar Store Studio")

Here is the finished product image using the Gold Reflector and shooting with the diffused light from the window....  you can see some of the gold picked up in the white background on the table and in the label.While for purposes of the other post this is done in program mode, with no editing... it shows you what you can expect... a warmer tone where the gold reflects on the product.

Next I made a silver reflector. This time I used a shallow box and wrapped it in my $1 aluminum foil purchase. I covered the whole box and flaps here it is while I was working on it.  

Again, try to keep it as smooth as possible, and I simply used tape to keep it from moving around.

Then as I set it up to be used...this one allows it to stand easily, and I can adjust flaps to angle the light if I need.

And the finished image - there is still a slight shadow from the product, but I shot this with the window to the right and the reflector to the left, with a backdrop against the wall behind.

As an alternative, you can use the aluminum foil as both the reflector and the bottom side of your background. Below, I did just that, shooting directly towards my window with the white background over it filtering some light. This is a really nice effect! Again, the product is showing a little dark because I am shooting program, with no post-editing and NO exposure compensation... all things that are easily done to create sharp and well exposed images as shown in the second image. 

Learn how to fix this back-lighting situation using camera settings here.

No edits.

Simple Photoshop Edit

And lastly, I made a simple white reflector buy cutting down a piece of foam core and attaching a part of an old cardboard box to it to create a stand. I just used packing tape to secure it, and bent it to create the stand.

I do have to keep something (like my bottle of paint) behind now to keep the right position.

It does a great job of reflecting light to reduce shadows and provide even soft light from the diffused light already coming in from the window. Below you see an unedited, and shot in Program mode, image with the window on the left, and white reflector on the right. 

All of these reflectors provide you with a means to manipulate your available light.  With small adjustments in a basic editing program, or by simple adjustments to the camera mode all of these would make nice product images. 

This how-to post is brought to you by Streeter & Co, in partnership with TSUA-List. I have been a member of the A-List since it rolled out, and I LOVE what it does for small businesses!

To learn more about creating a home studio for your products check out my "dollar store studio" guest post on the Indie A-List blog.

 I will be continuing to tackle home studio projects, and provide you with great DIY product photography tips! I hope you come back and learn more!

The Background, pt 3

What makes a good background?

What should you look for when making or purchasing one?

How do you select the right colors to highlight your product?

I think we can agree that the best backgrounds are or should be...

1. Not distracting 
2. Easy to find and work with - requiring little to no maintenance, such as ironing or steaming.
3. Fit both the smallest and largest product you have.
4. Store easily and conveniently until needed.

What makes something a good choice for your background?

I feel your background should to one of two things.. if not both.

1. Provide a solid and consistent look to your shop regardless of product style or colors. 
2. Reflect the style, look, and branding of your shop
3. Showcase your product!

Once you know what your vision is for your shop, and you know what products you will carry, what size they will be you can start selecting a background that will work for them. I suggest everyone start with one background, and if you want to increase later as your skills grow then do so! By starting with one, you can focus on recreating the same consistent look over and over again.. consistency!

What should you look for when making or purchasing one?

If you are purchasing a professional muslin or photography backdrop, like from my shop or other online retailers look for...
1. How does it hang or attach? Can you use clips, or a bar to hang drape it over your shooting area? This one shows tabs that would hang from a pole, such as a curtain rod, or dowel.

2. What size is it? You want a background to easily offer 6 or more inches to all sides of your product... so if your using it as a drape from a wall it should hang with 6 inches of clearance above your product. Not just your product height plus six inches... but enough to cover space behind, height and space in front along your shooting table.

3. What is it made out of? Will it reflect light, absorb light? Is it shiny or flat? I can not tell you what is the best for you, because ultimately it depends on what your shooting, and with what equipment. However, like I pointed out in part two, shooting on reflective surfaces is not for the beginner, it requires skill, attention to detail, and some additional equipment to make it all work out.

4. Are you purchasing cloth or paper? If cloth - what kind? Is it dual sided or backed in any way? Is it thick? Can you see through it? I would stay away from any kind of reflective cloth such as silks and satins as a good rule of thumb.

In addition, I would look for something that is easy to care for and can be folded or stored easily. If you are searching to make your own, and poster board doesn't fit your needs I would look into solid curtains like from your local resale shop. Many of them have thick enough fabrics, or a backing already on them. Sheets tend to be to thin, although cotton is a good choice. If you can utilize a more natural look try out a painting canvas or muslin from your local hardware store!

How do you select the right colors to highlight your product?

I try to think in opposites and compliments when I am faced with this question. If you are working with a lot of different patterns and colors in your products and want a consistent look then I suggest going with white, black, grey or a neutral tan. Let the product do the talking. When you shoot whites, use black... if your product is black use a white background, the oppisites... or think about doing a grey or natural brown/tan to compliment all of them.

Product Provided by: L.W. Hooks

If you want to create a custom look for your shop, then I suggest creating (or letting me create) a custom backdrop to incorporate your branding colors into a pleasing backdrop that can work with any of your products.These are two backgrounds that I made a few months ago, just to give you some examples. The second is still available at my shop.

Scarf from Old Navy, received during a scarf swap!

Product Provided by: Colletta's Kitchen Sink

If you want a different backdrop for every product and wish to highlight it specifically, then I suggest working off the color wheel / opposites concept.

If your items are yellows, oranges or reds... shoot on blues... the opposite. Or you can work the fashion 3, rule which is finding a background within 3 steps of your product color. If your item is Green you can go to light or medium blue... or lighter green or yellow ( really I would decipher yellow as more of a yellow toned tan then really "yellow"). Below you see two examples of opposites... orange and blue, and red and green.

Product Provided by: Craft Gal Creations

Overall the best advice I can give you if you are not wanting to stick with "safe" white, blacks or neutrals is to find balance. Balance between texture, pattern, size, scale and colors.