No Shadow Product Photography!
I use Google Alerts to send me web notices about photography topics. One day a listing about shooting whites without shadows caught my attention. I clicked on the link which took me to a Youtube video by Alex Koloskov. Alex is a photographer based in Atlanta and creates some gorgeous photography. You can learn more at: http://www.koloskov.com/.
After watching the video, it was obvious just how simple and effective Alex’s technique is. The beauty is in the simplicity. At some point I knew I wanted to try his technique. A client contacted me with an assignment that was perfect for Alex’s method. I already had a 30 by 60 inch sheet of plastic to use, so it was off to the local hardware store (where they’ve known me on a first name basis for years!) to build a table.
As most everyone who does home projects knows, often, there is a second and better design. So I came up with a plastic PVC pipe table design. Not fully seeing the approximate size of the plastic sheet used by Alex, mine was too large to allow heat forming over the kitchen stove. It now sits in the corner of the studio with ripples and a burn spot!
That meant another trip to the local home center for another sheet of clear plastic. That also meant the table needed to be modified. So, off to the local hardware store again for more supplies. So design number 2 is shown in the photos attached.
The PVC tubing table has glued joints. By not gluing all the joints, the table can be broken down for easy storage when not in use. Using clamps allows me to change the clear plastic sheet positioning to suit my needs.
In some of my first product shots using the table I noticed the frame reflecting on some of the product surfaces. A coat of black paint on the frame fixed that issue. So The photos included show the table and clamping system and a quick shot of a plastic hairspray bottle to show how the shadows are GONE! Alex, a trip of the shutter to you for inspiring me! Thanks.
Simple glued join construction.
Swivel support for table top.
C-Clamps retain plastic sheet to form a large radius.
Clear plastic table top on a PVC tubing frame.
Viola! – No shadows and a pure white background.
That’s the most horrible product shot I’ve ever seen ….the colors are murky and the there’s a terrible highlight running right through the entire bottle and through the product name…..I might be biased but below is a link to what I think is good product shot.
http://fernandoariasphotography.com/product-shots-i/
Sonya:
You’re absolutely right about it being a horrible product shot! As I was putting the images together for my blog post, I noticed I had nothing to demonstrate the end result. So I stuck a spray bottle of hairspray on the table and fired off a shot. I included it simply as a demonstration of how you could eliminate the shadows. Serves me right for not addressing the sample image properly.
Nice technique.. There is also this way…
http://tiny.cc/81h7jw
Matt:
If I had the money to buy that table, I would have! Mine was a lot less expensive.
Nice design…If you get a thicker sheet of plexi, it takes a while to form, but it is more stable and takes heavier objects. Also, if you curve the front edge down a bit you won’t need the swivel support and you’ll be able to take lower angle shots.
And you might want to try matt frosted (no reflections) plexi for a different look. You can light from the back and from below.
Mike:
Great idea about the frosted plexiglass. I did have to deal with some glare. Thanks.
You can find a better example then that hack of a photographer Koloskov. That guy teaches without knowing anything. I feel sorry for the suckers that buy into him.