# Is product photography possible w\ portrait studio equipment?



## Ygrazi (Dec 22, 2009)

I was recently asked to do a job taking pictures of watches. Until now I only did portrait photography. Would I be able to take these pictures with my current equipment? I have a softbox, umbrellas, absb800, and a nikon speedlight.
Do I need different equipment? 
Oh and I have a Nikon D200 and  50mm lens.


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## Big Mike (Dec 22, 2009)

I don't see why not.


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## Overread (Dec 22, 2009)

A lightbox would be a good addition to your setup:
Strobist: How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio

That would give you a good way to control the lighting in the shot. As for the lens side it depends what sort of shots you want to get - have a try with a watch and the 50mm and see where you get. If you find that you need to get seriously closer (ie that you are cropping a lot away from the shot) you might consider extension tubes/macro diopters or a proper macro lens to let you focus closer.


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## Ygrazi (Dec 22, 2009)

Where would I position the light box? I imagine I'd use it instead of the softbox?
Also how do I achieve the look of the watch standing on its own?


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## Overread (Dec 22, 2009)

Follow the link I gave  - it will explain all you need to know about the lightbox 
As for the watch standing on its own more tricky you could use some fine cables in the lightbox or a base the same colour as the background. I suspect some cleanup in editing would be needed, but so long as the main effect works it should not be too difficult


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## Ygrazi (Dec 22, 2009)

Woops I clicked the link after I posted. It seems so easy! Thank you.


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## kundalini (Dec 22, 2009)

Ygrazi said:


> Also how do I achieve the look of the watch standing on its own?


 Here's a method by Scot Kelby.  It requires some photoshop skills.

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 - Video Downloads | Kelby Training


Scroll down mid-way to Special Wire for Hanging Products (video).  Also have a look at the one above it Enhancing Highlights and Shadows in Post (video).


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## grafiks (Feb 10, 2010)

kundalini said:


> Ygrazi said:
> 
> 
> > Also how do I achieve the look of the watch standing on its own?
> ...


 
Nice link.  Thanks for sharing.  :thumbup:


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## LearnMyShot (Feb 17, 2010)

Yes, lighting equipment is very versatile. But when shooting products you need to look at the reflective quality of what you're shooting and light it appropriately. In other words, you cannot shoot a crystal object very well using a direct hard light, but that may work well on a fabric. I choose the type of lighting depending on what the object is. So look at each object as a separate lighting challenge and choose the type of lighting set up that is best for that object.


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## IgsEMT (Feb 17, 2010)

> *LearnMyShot.com* - learn how to shoot anything


_*Very Nice*_


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## LearnMyShot (Feb 17, 2010)

It's me again. One last important thing to know. You must remove the crystal of each watch so you can light the faces properly and without reflection on the glass. Just go to a jeweler and have them remove the crystals. In the final photo no one will know.
If you do this you're halfway home!


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## Battou (Feb 17, 2010)

LearnMyShot said:


> It's me again. One last important thing to know. You must remove the crystal of each watch so you can light the faces properly and without reflection on the glass. Just go to a jeweler and have them remove the crystals. In the final photo no one will know.
> If you do this you're halfway home!




I've always worked without a flash. Sure it takes longer in the exposure department but it saves a lot of time and effort having pieces removed from the watch. Another part about it is that this habit will prove useful when shooting glass ware.

Maybe later I'll do up a quick watch shot if my brother still has the watch I am thinking of.

I do have examples of some non watch shots taken and properly visible through transparent material without a flash for anyone who wants to see them, one of them was taken with my portrait lens.


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## Professional (Feb 25, 2010)

Do simple watch shooting, i did many watches shots in the studio using one or 2 lights and i am happy with some results, just i am not into product photography yet, but i am planning to do it ASAP.

one of my crap simple shot of the watch

Watch on blue


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## Sw1tchFX (Apr 1, 2010)

you don't need photoshop to take a picture of a watch. 


If you do it right, the only thing you'd need photoshop for is color correction of your raw file. 


Set it up how you want, Make sure the time is set right, use the softbox and bring it in close, you want the face WHITE. than use white cards to fill in the areas in the reflections that aren't white. 

than you can use a gobo to make sure the crystal isn't getting glare. 

that's it.


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## kkamin (Apr 4, 2010)

Battou said:


> I've always worked without a flash. Sure it takes longer in the exposure department but it saves a lot of time and effort having pieces removed from the watch. Another part about it is that this habit will prove useful when shooting glass ware.



Flashes don't create more glare than any other light.  Light is light.  A flash or strobe is just a bright burst of light, but to compensate you set your camera to expose it properly (ISO,f/stop,shutter); if you use the ambient light in the same situation to take a proper exposure, you end up shooting slower or opening the lens up, or shooting at a higher ISO or a combination of them, but you are allowing the same exact amount of light to reflect from your subject to the camera in the end.  What dictates the quality of light are things like its size in relation to the subject, how diffused it is, etc.


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