Glass product photography can be a very tricky endeavor. The unwanted reflections, lack of details, etc. can make it look like an extremely challenging project. Such projects demand you to be equipped with the right techniques and skills to successfully pull off the shoot.
And what better way to learn something than by learning it from the mistakes of others. So here are the top 5 mistakes that you can avoid while capturing glass product photos:
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Shooting Glass Products
Let’s Discuss Each Point in Detail
Dusty and smudgy glassware
Using unclean products is a common mistake done by amateur photographers while capturing glassware. Usually, these mistakes reveal themselves at the time of post-processing when a re-shoot cannot be done. This requires you to clean the glassware throughout the shoot.
You can use transparent gloves and glass cleaner to handle the glass and not leave your fingerprints all over the surface. A point to note- Your gloves should be of good quality and not leave fibers or specks of dirt while handling.
You can always check for any dirt and smudge on the glass products by exposing them to a concentrated beam of light from one direction.
Unbalanced or Poor Lighting
Lighting has an unprecedented impact on your photographs. Poor or unbalanced lighting can result in repulsive photographs. Considering the case of glass product photography, your photographs will likely have a lot of reflections and missed boundaries if the light setup is not up to the mark.
However, this is a segment that you can control, and capture attractive photographs. Glass products can not be captured with conventional light methods. However, based on the experience of veteran photographers, ‘backlighting’ can be an effective solution to all your woes.
Backlighting highlights the finer details of the glassware by illuminating it from all the sides. However, do not keep the light source too far from the subject. This will result in a concentrated light image at the center.
Another technique that you can use is ‘sidelight’. Here you need to have a well-designed relation of camera angles and product placement. Some experts also recommend using a ‘lightbox’ to diffuse light and click balanced images. Remember, just like beauty product photography, do not use flash. It will result in reflection.
Inaccurate Camera Settings and Angles
Another common mistake noticed during glassware photography is inaccurate camera settings and angles. Photographers often click glassware photographs with conventional camera angles and settings. This, most of the time results in a reflection or a glare.
Your camera settings must be in line with the light setup. Since glass products are extremely transparent, it becomes tough to flawlessly catch their finer details. You can select your camera settings like aperture, exposure, white balance, and others so that a well-defined photograph is created.
While capturing a glassware product, set your camera angle in such a way that it complements the light. In erroneous glass product photographs, it is usually noticed that a camera angle just above the source either results in extremely bright images or is full of dark spots. You can counter this by setting your white balance as per the intensity of the light source.
Poor Post-Production Processing
This is another key issue found in glassware product photographs. In a bid to hide flaws like reflections, dark spots, missed details, etc. photographers usually over-do the editing process. This steals the realness and authenticity of the product into consideration.
You can optimize your post-production process by outsourcing it to a specialist. There are multiple editors available that can energize your images and make them more quaint through their magic of edits. During photography for ecommerce products you require to highlight the finer details of a product. The right editor can just do that for you.
Lack of Practice
Owing to its complex nature, glassware product photography is at a higher spectrum of money paid. The exciting pay usually motivates amateur photographers to pick up glassware photography projects without any relevant skills and practice. The post-shoot results are usually over-edited photographs, or sometimes are just in an unacceptable form.
Pulling of disasters like these can be catastrophic to your career. Therefore, it is important to first practice capturing glass products and grabbing the just of the process. You should also practice with different camera angles and lighting to understand the nuances associated. Also, you must actively change the glass object so that you can try your skills on a variety of products.
Once you feel confident enough and your photographs are flawless you can start picking up the projects and offer service worth the product photography rates. Invest in the right equipment!