What Is The Best Lighting For Product Photography
Like most of our customers, you want attention-grabbing product photos that stand out from the rest. Whether you&#;re shooting on a DSLR or your , a lighting setup is a key ingredient for the best images.
There are an array of studio lights and modifiers out there. This guide takes you through what kind of gear you&#;ll need and how to use it. We&#;ll look at things like affordability, power, and versatility.
From a small sunlit corner to a purpose-built studio setup, read on to find out what will work best for you.
Natural Lighting for Product Photography at Home
If you&#;re just starting out in eCommerce, wanting to showcase your small business for the first time, or learning about still-life photography, you can find the right lighting for product photography at home.
Find your best shooting time
To find the time of day when your light is best, set up a simple scene and take a photo every hour during the times you're available to shoot. Compare the photos and choose the time when your whites look the whitest (in other words, when the white areas aren't skewing blue or yellow) and you like the look of the shadows.
Diffuse the light
To soften and reduce shadows, you can "diffuse" the light. There are many ways to diffuse sunlight, but a simple white sheet over the light source may be all that you need. You can also hang translucent white curtains or use the shear "scrim" that comes in a 5-in-1 reflector set (pictured here).
Add a reflector
To further reduce shadows and brighten your photo, use a "reflector". A reflector is anything white you place opposite your light source to reflect light onto the far side of your scene. You can use white foam core, a trifold poster board, or even a white-based Surface like I'm using in this photo. And it doesn't have to be pure white to work. If you own a white-based Surface like White Marble or Subway Tile and aren't using it in your scene, it makes a great reflector too!
Use a mobile studio
Of course, natural light is NATURAL, so your photoshoot light will depend on the time of day, season, and the weather.
This is made much easier if you have a mobile photo studio. That way you can use your choice of backdrop and roll the Studio anywhere you need to to find the best light in your space. This is our Replica Studio, and it's also height adjustable for taking both eye level and flat lay photos (and for sparing your back)!
Here are some tips for using natural lighting:
Avoid direct sunlight, unless you WANT dramatic shadows. It will cast hard shadows and the lit side of your subject will be overexposed. For soft shadows, choose a time of day when the sun is overhead rather than shining directly through the window.
Take advantage of overcast or cloudy days. These conditions create more diffuse lighting.
If you&#;re in direct sunlight, a solution is to use a thin white sheet over the window. The sheet will act as a diffuser, softening the light.
Use a reflector. Sunlight hitting your subject on one side is going to create shadows on the opposite side. Use a reflector on the opposite side to even out the light for a more fully lit product.
Be creative with the angle of your reflector. Shadows can be crafted to suit your style. A reflector can be as simple as a sheet of white poster board.
Basics of Studio Lighting for Product Photography
We love natural sunlight for photography, but sometimes want greater control when shooting products. If you're need to lighting products with artificial lighting, a single continuous soft box light and a reflector are great places to start. If you're fortunate to have a dedicated photo studio (a spare room counts), a three-point lighting setup is likely your best setup.
A three-point lighting setup
Your scene is going to be lit by a primary &#;key&#; light. This is the main light source pointing directly at your product from the front. Alone, this is going to create a very contrasted and unnatural image.
A second &#;fill&#; light removes this contrast. The fill light is placed somewhere on the opposite side of the product to fill in the shadows.
A third &#;back&#; light is placed somewhere behind the subject. Backlighting separates the subject from the background. It has the potential to create the halo effect often seen in portraits.
You&#;ll fall short of this well-rounded approach if you don&#;t have multiple light sources. But their absence can be made up for with the use of reflectors.
Studio Lights for Product Photography
There are two main types of artificial lights used in photography. These are continuous lights and external flashes. It is going to depend on a few things whether you want to invest in one or the other.
Are you a beginner or advanced photographer? What is your budget? Are you shooting still-life or motion shots?
Continuous lights, sometimes known as &#;hot&#; lights, are either on or off. Once it&#;s on, it stays on, unlike the flash on your camera or .
The greatest benefit is that you can see how the shadows are falling on your scene while you adjust it. That way you won&#;t need to take multiple reference shots before the perfect setup is dialed in.
Additionally, you can use continuous light for either photos or video. This gives the choice an element of versatility.
On the market, you can find fluorescent, incandescent tungsten, and LED bulbs. The best LED lights for product photography are more expensive but have features that make it worth the extra expense.
For example, LED lights don&#;t generate as much heat as incandescent bulbs and a good one will have a dimmer. This allows you to adjust the light intensity without having to move it farther away.
Continuous lights are pretty much the go-to option for a beginner, and truly are a great place to start. They're also the best option for cameras since phones cannot yet connect to external flashes - the technology just isn't there yet (at least at the time of posting this in )!
A frequently asked question is whether ring lights are good for product photography. The short answer is...maybe. Ring lights have been a boon for YouTubers and creators because they're fabulous at lighting faces. However, they aren't as good for product photography because they aren't well-diffused and the round shape can cause bizarre glare spots that are hard to edit out. The same problems occur when you use a ring light for food photography.
If you already have a ring light and want to use it for product photography, we recommend shining it through a diffuser like a shear sheet or the scrim of a 5-in-1 reflector set.
External flashes look similar to continuous lights but instead of being plugged in, they are wirelessly connected to your DSLR to only flash when you click the shutter. The "external" part means that they are positioned off-camera and not attached to your camera. External flashes are more common in three or four-point lighting for product photography.
The main benefit of a flash is power. A high-voltage capacitor releases a large charge in a short burst. With this power, you won&#;t have to increase the shutter speed or ISO or widen your aperture to get the brightness you want.
External flashes are amazing when you want to capture subjects in motion, like water drops, sprinkling sugar onto a food photo, or "freeze" cloth blowing in the wind. If you try to capture the same motion using a continuous light, you usually need to use a very fast shutter speed which can lead to dark photos.
However, it&#;s an investment. You will also need a transmitter to sync your flash to your camera shutter. And, as i mentioned before, they can't sink to a shutter...at least not in .
Types of dIffusion
You might have a high-end, high-wattage bulb. But unmodified direct light will cause reflections, hotspots, and hard shadows. The function of diffusers is to diffuse, soften, and direct light for a more appealing photo.
Here we are going to look at the three main options: soft boxes, umbrellas, and scrims. We&#;ll also give some thought to reflectors.
If you place a thin white sheet in front of your window to soften direct sunlight, you&#;ve just made your own scrim. These are the cheapest form of light modifiers.
They may be loose-edged or set in a solid frame. Either way, they need to be mounted.
Affordability makes them a good place to start if you are experimenting with what works for you.
Because of their shape, umbrellas spread light subjects widely. This makes them closely mimic natural light. Though, it's not always the first choice to use umbrella lights for product photography.
They are well suited to shooting larger products like furniture, especially in the context of a room.
However, they aren&#;t suited for shooting small or medium-sized products because light is less focused and spills out the sides. Ideally, you want more control over the direction and quality of light.
Umbrellas make up for it in ease of use. They are collapsible and easy to transport. They are also cheaper than their alternative, the soft box.
Unlike an umbrella, a soft box gives you greater control over the direction of light because soft boxes are closed and don't allow light to spill out the sides. They can easily be placed close to the product to enhance edges and colors.
They come in myriad shapes and sizes. It&#;s not immediately obvious which lighting soft box to choose. So let's break down your options!
The advantage of a large box is that it creates the softest light by spreading light out over the largest area. It can also cover a larger area if you're shooting a large subject.
You&#;ll want to go for a bigger box if you&#;re shooting larger products, but it&#;s still useful in shooting smaller objects if you want well-rounded and even lighting, for example, if you&#;re shooting jewelry.
A smaller box allows you to play with slightly harder shadows. You can use them to create more dramatic images. Smaller boxes are also best for small spaces since large boxes take up a lot of space when in use and in storage.
Soft boxes come in octagons, rectangles, and strips. Having a variety to pick and choose from is great, but there is not too much difference for the most part.
Octagonal and round boxes give a nicely shaped "catchlight" in portraits. This is reflection you see in the subject's eyes. A round-ish catchlight is optimal for portraits looks most like the sun. In contrast, a square catchlight in the subject's eyes would give it away that they're being photographed in a studio!
For product photos, however, square or rectangular soft boxes are your best bet, especially if photographing reflective objects. With this shape, reflections will be rectangular which looks most like a window!
Strip soft boxes are great for crafting light across specific areas of a shot. This is definitely a more advanced technique. Otherwise, they aren&#;t as versatile as a rectangle.
So for product photos, we suggest a rectangular box to start off with.
Have a couple of reflectors (or boards) on-hand no matter how many lights you have. They allow you to fine-tune the light across all sides of your product.
For more on using reflectors, check out this how-to.
Lighting Techniques in Product Photography
There&#;s no one way to take brilliant product photos. Shooting a large piece of furniture is going to require a different setup than a wristwatch. It&#;s a game of experimentation, patience, and experience. Here are some guidelines to help.
White Background Cut-Outs
This is a mainstay of most eCommerce websites. The product is set on a perfectly white background.
You need an edgeless white backdrop to achieve this. Something like the infinity curves seen in large studios can be accomplished on a smaller scale with a good rigid white backdrop.
The second key ingredient is knowing how to light a white background. Aside from your key and fill light, it helps to separately light the background. This will remove any shadows being cast by the product and ensures an even tone.
Here&#;s where you can fall short if you are only using one or two lights. More time and effort has to go into editing out the background using photography software.
If you only have your key and fill light, position them at 45-degree angles on each side of the camera. This way they will cancel out most of each other&#;s shadow.
Photographing Jewelry
Jewelry is tricky to shoot because it&#;s highly reflective and multi-faceted. You&#;re likely going to spend a lot of time adjusting your focus and aperture to capture the object and not the background.
A good way to start is to use a white background. This removes distractions and highlights the piece.
You will also need soft, diffuse light. A medium to large overhead soft box is a standard way to get good results.
Photographing Textured Products
Think of leather bags, a perfectly baked cake, or hand-carved wooden ornaments. Part of the appeal of items like these is the fine textures and patterns across their surfaces.
To capture these features, you need to play with hard and soft lighting and angles.
A front-on and diffuse light source will flatten the object.
A nearby and powerful light source to the side will cast harder shadows in patterning in the textures. Combined with a darker background, you can create a moodier feel with this.
There is no single answer for how to light products. But hopefully you now know where to start so that you can find your style and tell the story of your brand. With some practice, I'm confident you'll start creating photos that tell your story the moment your viewer lays eyes on them.
Did you find our blog helpful? Then consider checking:
Flexible LED Strip light buying guide: How to choose LED strip Lights
Accent cove lighting example with UltraBright Accent Series LED strip lighting
90% of customers found this information helpful before choosing their LED strip lights
The use of flexible LED strip lights is rapidly rising in modern lighting design around the world. Architects and lighting designers are implementing LED strip lights into residential, commercial, and industrial projects at an increasing rate. This is due to an increase in efficiency, color options, brightness, and ease of installation. A homeowner can now design like a lighting professional with a complete lighting kit and an hour or two.
There are many options on the market for LED strip lights (also called LED tape lights or LED ribbon lights) and there is no clear-cut standard for how to choose LED strip lights. We have created this guide to educate experts and newcomers alike.
New to LEDs?
What are LED strip lights and what can they do?
AI-powered Product Selector by Project
LED strip light customer-submitted project photos
LED strip Light Comparison Sheet
Flexfire LEDs Catalog with many photo examples
Important notes before getting your project started:
Step 1: Get a clear vision first!
Because each project is unique, there is no all-in-one solution. Different projects require different types of LED strips. Answer the questions below in your head before starting any project. We're here to walk through these with you as well.
Location
What type of location are you in? Residential, commercial, retail, outdoors?
What specifically will you be lighting?
Where will it be installed? Under cabinets, kick boards, coves, eaves and awnings, backlighting, display cases, international space station?
Will the lights be exposed to the elements or liquids?
What material will the lighting be attached to?
Goto Yunsheng to know more.
How many feet do you need?
Functions and aesthetic
What overall look do you want to achieve?
Do you want accent lighting, task lighting, perimeter lighting, indirect lighting, principal lighting, specialty application, etc
What materials or objects am I lighting or using the strips for?
Do I need High CRI for high color rendering? (See below for explanation)
Do you want the lights to emit a white light only? Single color like red, green, or blue? Have the ability to change colors with a remote? Or have the ability to change the white output from warm to cool white with a remote?
Are there other lights in the area and if so, what color are they?
Do you want to dim your lights or control them with a remote or wall switch?
Emotions
What are the non-physical results you want to achieve?
Do you want to create a calm, seductive, energetic, hopeful, safe, relaxed, bold, or fun environment?
What do you want your guests and customers to think or say when they enter your space?
Ready? Let's Go!
- Top 4 things you need to know before choosing or comparing LED strip lighting -
1. Compare Lumen, CCT, and CRI (Color Rendering Index)
1.1 Lumen (Brightness)
Lumen is the measurement of brightness as perceived to the human eye. Because of incandescent lighting, we are all accustomed to using watts to measure the brightness of light. Today, we use lumen. Lumen is the most important variable when choosing which LED strip light you need to look at. When comparing lumen output from strip to strip, note that there are different ways of saying the same thing.
The questions you should be asking is &#;Lumens per what? Per foot, meter, or reel? How long is the reel?&#;
Different projects require a certain amount of brightness to achieve a desired look. Our advice is to always go brighter than needed and add a dimmer. Running your LEDs below their full power and brightness can also increase lifespan.
Below is a general guide. We are always available to help design your project with you.
Quick Guide of needed lumens by project type:
Accent Lighting and Mood Lighting - 100 to 350 lumens per foot
Under cabinet Lighting - 175 to 525 lumens per foot
Task Lighting with low distance from light source - 280 to 437 lumens per foot
Task Lighting with higher distance from light source - 500 to lumens per foot
Indirect lighting in a bedroom/ hotel / vehicle / lobby - 375 to 562 lumens per foot
Industrial lighting / signage / tube replacements - 500 to 950 lumens per foot
Here is an example of our White Output LED Strip Lights and the lumen they emit:
Important: Be careful if the company does not state the lumen output. You will have no idea what the brightness will be until you purchase them. Flexfire LEDs has some of the brightest LED strip lights in the world. If quality is important to you, always request the test data sheets from any company to verify their claims of "lumen output".
Using Lumen as the only comparison can be tricky! Some brands over-power their LEDs to make them brighter. Sadly, this will make them fail faster and burn up. We under power our LED chips to make sure they last longer than rated.
1.2 CCT - Color Temperature
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the color temperature of light, measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The temperature rating directly affects what the white light will look like; it ranges from cool white to warm white. For instance, a light source that has a &#; K rating is seen as, what we call, warm white light. Warm white light looks very orange and/or yellow. When increasing the degrees Kelvin, the color will change from yellow to yellowish white to white and then a bluish white (which is the coolest white). Although the varying temperatures have different names, it should not be confused with actual colors such as red, green, or purple. CCT is specific to white light or rather, the color temperature.
"Can I order a k light from amazon and a k light from you and they will look the same?" The answer is quite possibly no.
All CCTs are not created equal. You may notice that some lights that are "cool white" may not look pure white. They may give off a greenish, purplish, or bluish hue to them. This is because the LEDs have been selected from a presorted pile (bin) that is far from true white, in order to save money. It is important to ask the manufacturer of the LED strips how they BIN their LEDs and what their selection process is. Our strips are always selected from the same bin, to make sure every batch is the same and there are no color differences.
Which color temperature should you choose?
Here is an example of the same bedroom under k, k, k, and k lights. Notice how lighting changes the mood and style of the space! The aesthetic, function, or emotion of a space may change depending on the color temperature you use. Choosing the right color temperature is not difficult, but make sure you take into consideration the colors of your walls, the floor, what you will be illuminating, what activities will be completed in the area, or if there are local regulations telling you what CCT to use (Like California's Title 24).
If you are having difficulties choosing which LED CCT is best for your project, consider purchasing a Tunable White Strip.
1.3 CRI - Color Rendering Index
Can&#;t tell the difference between the black and navy colored socks in your walk in closet? Could be that your current lighting source has a very low CRI!
Color rendering index (CRI) measures how colors are correctly rendered under a light source in comparison to natural sunlight. The index is measured on a 0-100 scale with 100 being a perfect rating of color accuracy, meaning the colors appear as they naturally would under unadulterated daylight. High CRI lighting is sought out everywhere, but is particularly valuable in. The bottom line: the higher the CRI, the higher quality is the light source.This rating is also a measurement in the lighting industry to help discern naturalness, hue discrimination, vividness, preference, color naming accuracy, and color harmony.
95 - 100 CRI &#; Phenomenal color rendering. Colors appear as they should, subtle tones pop out and are accented, skin tones look beautiful, art comes alive, backsplashes and paint shows it's true beautiful full saturation. You have to see it to believe it! Our Outline series, Render Series, and Accent Series have CRIs up to 98!
90 - 95 CRI &#; Great color rendering! Almost all colors 'pop' and are easily distinguishable. Noticeably great lighting starts at a CRI of 90.
80 - 90 CRI &#; Good color rendering, where most colors are rendered well. You may not see items as fully saturated as you would like, but most people will not notice.
60 - 75 CRI &#; Poor color rendering. Items and colors may look desaturated, drab, and at times unidentifiable (cannot see the difference between black and navy colored socks).
See our High CRI LED Strip Lights
2. Compare LED strip size and number of LEDs on the strip
Traditionally, LED strip lights are packaged on a reel (spool) of 5 meters, or 16' 5''. The machines used to "pick and place" the LEDs and resistors on the flexible circuit board are typically 3' 2'' in length, so individual sections are soldered together to complete a whole reel. If purchasing, make sure you are purchasing by the foot or by the reel. Confirm length before checking out.
Measure how many feet you need of LED strips before you start. This will make it easier to compare price (after quality is compared, of course). Once you determine the number of feet on the reel being sold, look at how many LED chips are on the reel and the LED chip type. This can be used to compare LED strips between companies.
What do the numbers of the LED chips mean?
The numbers referenced before the LED type specifically detail the size of the LED.
Below is an example of what the numbers mean when companies talk about LED strip lights. Here is a full writeup on What is the difference between and and LED chips?
Not all chips are created equal either, you can purchase a LED strip from Amazon and one from a high quality manufacturer, and all the components, CRI, light quality and longevity can be different. These numbers specifically detail the size of the LEDs.
Types of LED chips and meaning of their indicated numbers
3. Wattage consumed per strip of LEDs
Power consumption is one of the reasons we as a society have begun switching to LEDs. Wattage tells us how much power we are consuming while these lights are on, and in turn how much we&#;ll have to pay at the end of each month. Once again, be sure to verify the wattage per foot, meter, or reel before you buy.
Some may read &#;24 watts&#; on a reel and then get home and realize this is per meter or per foot, meaning the whole reel actually uses much more. Making matters worse, they have bought a power supply that covers 30 watts, thinking that would be enough. This often occurs when a seller doesn&#;t properly list important information in an easy to read format.
Finally, make sure you understand the voltage that your flexible LED strip lights use. An LED strip light that uses 24 volts will not work if you purchase a 12-volt power supply, and also may result in risk of fire. You need to choose the correct power unit for your lights.
4.
Verifiable Quality
You are looking for a "set-and-forget" lighting system that can be used for years to come. To make sure that your LEDs last their intended lifespan, are safe around your home and business, and don't require extra maintenance costs to replace, you need to verify the quality claims.
1. Thermal Management - Heat = death to LEDs. Ask if and how the LED strip lights have been designed for proper thermal management and heat dissipation. If they have not, the LED's 50,000+ hour LED chip lifespan may drop to 10,000 or 20,000 hours. This can be done on a chip level and on a PCB level. Do not solely rely on an aluminum heat sink to dissipate heat away from the LEDs. The product should be designed at a component level to ensure a longer lifespan.
2. Color Quality and Accuracy - When you purchase a 'K warm white' LED strip light you should not expect to get a bright white color from the LEDs. Ask for test reports that prove the color you are purchasing is what will arrive. This is especially important when adding additional lighting to an existing installation. If the colors do not match it will be very noticeable.
3. Safety Certifications - It is difficult to verify a seller&#;s safety claims using Amazon or Ebay alone. Check the UL listing, REACH, or RoHS registry to make sure the LEDs are safe and do not contain lead or other hazardous materials.
4. Material Quality - Product performance and longevity is determined not just by the quality of the LEDs, but the thickness and materials used in the PCB, resistors, wires, and lead-free soldering.
5. Test Reports - Ask for test reports to verify claims of brightness and longevity. These may include LM-79 testing, IES reports, etc.
6. Warranty, Customer Service, and Installation/Design Assistance - We are here to help design your project, no matter what the size. Our LED strip lights represent the highest quality found on the market today, and will be lighting your project area for many years to come. We also boast the longest warranty of any LED strip light in the market of 15 years!
Which LED strip should I choose?
White Output
Outline Series&#;- For long runs of light. Subtle, beautiful accent lighting with near perfect color rendering. CRI up to 98.
Accent Series&#;- For the perfect ambiance. Bright accent lighting suitable for most residential, hospitality, and retail spaces. CRI up to 98.
Architectural Series&#;- Double the brightness of the Accent Series. Perfect for high-brightness applications like coves, architecture, and retail. CRI93+
Industrial Series&#; - Packs a serious punch. Extremely bright for where a lot of light is needed. CRI up to 96.
Slim Series&#; - Thinnest LED strip light for specialty applications with a width of only 3.5mm
Dynamic Tunable White Output
Accent Series&#; Dynamic Tunable White - Mid-range Brightness adjustable from K - K Small cut lengths, long run length, high CRI of 98
Architectural Series&#; Dynamic Tunable White - High Brightness adjustable from k - K, high CRI of 94
Sienna&#; Series Dim-to-Warm Tunable White - As the lights dim, they automatically warm from K to K. Used with any dimmer and have a high CRI of 94.
RGB Color Changing Output
ColorBright&#; RGB 150 Series - Lower brightness for accent lighting, long run length. 150 LEDs per 16ft spool. Low power consumption at 2.2w/ft
ColorBright&#; RGB 300 Series - Mid brightness for task and accent lighting, 300 LEDs per 16ft spool. Low power consumption at 4.4w/ft
ColorBright&#; RGB 600 Series - Very high output to fill your space with gorgeous color, 600 LEDs per 16ft spool. Medium power consumption at 6.1w/ft
ColorBright&#; RGB+White Series - Choose any color as well as a pure white. 50% RGB LEDs and 50% White LEDs.
ColorBright&#; RGB+Tunable White Series - Best of all worlds. This 5-in-1 strip boasts full RGB color control and full spectrum Tunable White technology CCT range: K-K. High CRI and emits over 260lm/ft
ColorBright&#; Digital Pixel Series - WS IC Protocol 'digital strips' mean each segment is individually controllable. Create scrolling effects.
Other considerations when choosing your LED strip lights:
You need a product you can trust and will produce a good clean light for years to come and save you money in the process.
The LED market is highly saturated with manufacturers and distributors offering various levels of quality, cost, and specifications. Due to safety and quality purposes, we have created this page and video to ask the question of what the difference is between Flexfire LEDs and other competitors like the ones on Amazon - LED Strip Light Reviews - Flexfire Vs Amazon Strip
Flexfire LEDs' strip lights have been used by NASA, Lockheed Martin, JPL, US airports, Disney, Hilton Hotels, major retail chains, and thousands of happy homeowners. Chances are you've seen our lights somewhere.
Save this comparison chart and compare with other LED strip lights:
Download the Strip Light Comparison Chart
View our catalogs for design ideas:
Flexfire LEDs Catalog / Brochure
Need help with your project or selecting the perfect lights?
We have LED project design specialists ready to help educate and assist you in your project.
Please contact us or call us at 1-844-353- OR 1-925-273-
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