Black-on-Black Product Photography Using Two Lights
In this video, Karl works with broncolor’s Urs Recher to demonstrate a simple rim lighting technique for cosmetic product photography.
Together, the pair demonstrate how to use a single backlight to create beautiful rim lighting around a black product on a black background. Using two of the simplest, and most affordable modifiers — softboxes — Karl and Urs clearly show the importance of each individual light, as well as reveal the key to achieving gradient lighting.
Topics covered in this class:
- Black-on-black product photography
- How to rim light products
- Creating gradient lighting for product photography
- Techniques for reducing flare
- Using softboxes for product photography
- How to photograph small products
Further product photography classes you may enjoy include:
If you have any questions about this class please post in the comment section below.
Comments
Hi. did you tape two pieces of scrim paper together? If so, would that not show up in say a glass/wine bottle shot? or is this (if in fact you did tape or connect 2 pieces of scrim together) only be used for none reflective surfaces?
Hi, This was Urs’s scrim and he had taped two sheets of diff together with selotape but i don’t recommend this as the join can show up in the product reflection.
Easy to set up and learn something new if working in a studio. Thanks for the tips and suggestions for lighting.
How was the glow behind the product added in post? any tutorials on how to do that in photoshop?
Hi Blueline, this class will show you how – https://visualeducation.com/class/luxury-watch-retouching/
AWESOME! ❤ BEAUTIFUL! ❤ Thank YOU very much 😁
That’s a great ‘bite-size’ chunk of education. Would be interesting, too, to see the effect of altering the distance between the scrim and the product, so I’ll give that a go myself. Really like your work with Urs.
Hello Karl, happy new year.
I was wondering if I use a frosted acrylic instead of the scrim, the results change?
Regards and say hello to the team.
Hi Frosted acrylic works well but can be heavy and cumbersome in bigger sizes.
Amazing!
I would never have guessed that you don’t need a whole black background.
Hi Karl. It looks like you tweked the lighting a bit to achieve fine tuning for the final image. What were the most relevant changes?
Hi Victor, where have I tweaked the lighting or what can you see so that I can look at that an explain. I’m afraid this shoot was a while ago so.
what is the accessory you clipped the small black background behind this product?
Hi, I’m not quite sure what you mean, we used a piece of black card with black velvet clipped behind the subject. It was clipped with a manfrotto clamp onto a manfrotto flex arm.
Simple but nice
Thank you.