People often assume that dynamic images are created with a complex list of equipment. I’ll show you how I accomplished this image with just 2 lights and a fill card.
What you see vs. what it actually takes 📸
Here's what went into a "simple" product photo:
The lighting setup 💡
A large roll of diffusion with a light blasting through it for my key light. This creates the nice highlight on the right side of the product. The light above the diffusion has a gobo on it, which allows me to create a beaming effect. By adding this into the shot, it creates a punchy shadow and guides the viewer where to look. Lastly, I have a foam board as a fill on the left side of the product. Without this, the product's text becomes difficult to read and the highlight to shadow ratio is just too intense.
The water surface💧
An acrylic tray filled with water and a mauve colored sheet of paper underneath helps bring some color into the frame. I'm using a rocket blower on the water between every frame to create the organic ripple patterns. I do have a small piece of wax that's holding the product down to the base of the tray - the moving water would shift the product around if it wasn't anchored down.
The overhead angle 📐
Camera mounted on a c-stand arm directly above the product with a Matthews Junior Ballhead adapter paired with my tripod head. By putting the camera directly overhead, you avoid staring at the bottom of the product, and the text appears nice and legible.
Tethered shooting 🖥️
Every frame went straight to the laptop so we can evaluate color, shadow, sharpness, and ripple placement in real time. I always push to shoot tethered because being able to zoom in, crop, apply adjustments, and even overlay designs to ensure we're creating assets that work for you across every platform.
BTS image of the setup
Final image