How to Shoot Product Photos with a White Background

I had always been interested in figuring out how to shoot product photos with a white background. Like those ones you would see on Amazon.

Finally, I had the opportunity to try when a client asked me if I could do it. I said sure and got to work.

Here is how I did it.

The Box

I used a washing machine box that I knew would be helpful in creating these product photos. I went to Walmart and bought a pack of big white poster boards.

Then I taped some of the poster boards together to use in the back of the box as a backdrop. I also lined the sides of the box with the poster boards. Then I cut a hole in the top of the box and put another piece of poster boards over the hole.

The reason for all of the white poster boards surrounding the box is to reflect light.

Flashes

I set flashes around the room, none of which pointed directly at the box. I pointed them away from the box. Two pointed at opposite walls and one pointed at the ceiling above the box.

By bouncing the light it naturally defuses it causing nice soft shadows, almost to the point where you can’t see them at all.

I have these flashes set up on a remote so they all flash when I snap the photo.

Shooting Product Photos

When I’m shooting product photos I typically have my camera on a tripod. I then set a 2 second timer so there is no shake in the camera when I take the photo. You could also use a remote to take the photo so there is no shake.

This gives you the freedom to shoot with a closed aperture and a very slow shutter speed which gives you a lot of control over the light.

Aperture/Focus Stacking

I close the aperture as far as it will go, typically to f32. This helps to have the entire product in focus. But if f32 is not enough, you could use focus stacking.

Focus stacking is where you take a series of photos and stack them together. You start by focusing on the closest point of the product, take a photo, then focus forward a little bit and take another photo and continue doing this until you have captured the whole product in focus.

Post-Production

After I capture my product photos, I take them into Lightroom to do some post-production.

The first thing I do is correct composition and white balance if it needs it. Then I mask out the white background to ensure that it is completely white. Lastly I sharpen the product.

Conclusion

This has helped me to get exactly the type of product photos that I wanted and I hope it helps you too. 

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