Simple table top product photography

Decided to do some clean, simple product shots with a basic 4 light set up. Two key lights into silver reflective umbrellas, and two bare speed lights against a white background for ambient fill and to blow out the background. The light direction is cross lighting, to cancel each other out and eliminate most shadows. Key lights 45* each side and 45* up. About the same for the rear lights.

Key lights...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...psfm6zjnn5.jpg

Background lights

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ps8ad2lvda.jpg


Entire set up...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...psz3plu452.jpg


As for settings, I like to use a 2 or 3 stop ratio because my background lights are 2 to 3 times closer to the background So I put my key lights on 1/4 power and my background lights on 1/16. Aperture was started at f/8 since I had lots of light close up. Shutter was set at 1/125 to limit the amount of ambient spill coming from the bounced background lights. Remember, shutter affects only ambient light.

Equipment is two studio monolights for key, two LumoPro 43" umbrellas, two Nikon SB's for background lights. I used only one trigger for one of the background lights and let the optical triggers do the rest. Both background lights were zoomed to 35mm.

So, set your composition through the viewfinder and pop off some shots!

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7519/...82e3b9ad_k.jpgLeica R4 by f/stop & GO, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/...58f845ca_k.jpgLeica Summicron 50 by f/stop & GO, on Flickr

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8678/...996183e9_k.jpgHi-Matic 9 by f/stop & GO, on Flickr

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/...346c5202_k.jpgHi-Matic 9_3 by f/stop & GO, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5612/...a5c4778c_k.jpgHi-Matic 9_4 by f/stop & GO, on Flickr


Easy Peasy. So next time you have something to sell or just want to document, try this out.



-Alexander