Sunlit Shadows Cosmetics Shoot
Cosmetic products come in all shapes, sizes, and textures, so every shoot requires originality and creativity. In this class, Karl experiments with a variety of lighting setups to produce an eye-catching, colourful, graphic arrangement of three Elemis face-care products.
Commercial clients often underestimate the difficulties of shooting variously textured products. In this case, with the glass Elemis pots catching the light very differently than the highly reflective chrome lids, Karl goes through an extensive trial-and-error process in pursuit of the best dual lighting approach.
First, he tries a number of different key lights to generate the bright sunlight effect. He then reduces shadow density using global fill lighting.
Next, he experiments with different light sources and modifiers – plus some DIY accessories – to apply gradient lighting to the chrome lids.
To solve all of the problems the shoot serves up and help produce the stunning final image, the whole team gets involved. A light gets smashed along the way, but it’s all part of the process!
In this class, you’ll cover how to light mixed surfaces, balance multiple lights, and create interesting compositions using techniques such as depth, colour, light and shadow.
To find out how Karl brought all of this work together in post-production, check out the Photoshop class.
In this class:
- Styling cosmetic products for photography
- Lighting setups for cosmetics photography
- How to use multiple studio lights
- How to apply dual lighting effects
- How to create gradient lighting
- Using fill light to balance shadows
- How to use a scrim
- How to use a tilt-shift lens adapter
Questions? Please feel free to post them in the comments section below.
Comments
Hey Karl,
Loving this setup and lighting! I’m really interested in the acrylic pieces the products are displayed on—could you share more about them? Specifically:
• Where do you source them from?
• Are the edges beveled or polished? They look super smooth on camera.
• Are they opaque, frosted, or matte?
I’m a New York City–based photographer working out of a small in-home studio, and I’m looking to create a similar setup. I found a spot called Canal Plastics Center here in NYC, but I’d love to know if you have any other go-to recommendations for sourcing props and materials like this—especially acrylics. Thanks so much!
Hi, thank you for your kind comments!
1. Acrylic in the USA is sometimes known as Makraolon or Plexiglass and they are often available from plastic suppliers or sign service companies (people that make signs for company door, building signs etc)
2. The edges are sometimes cut with a laser so they are sort of shiny, but sometimes they are cut with a saw and they can be a bit sharp. It depends on your supplier.
3. They come in anything, I use solid colours for backgrounds and mostly matt, I use white solid and white semi transparent to use as an actual diffuser (you’ll see this in some of our other classes). The frosted ones are also interesting compared to the 50% transperent as they scatter the light slightly differently and I’ve used those as backgrounds in some of our classes too.
I also use huge gloss white sheets as the floor on fashion shoots and all the acrylics we use come in 3mm or 5mm thickness. The 3mm is fine for most things but if you need a stiffer sheet then the 5mm is better.
Hope this helps, all the best Karl.