Product Photography Quiz

A light tent is a box of translucent fabric that surrounds the subject. Light passing through its walls becomes a large source wrapping around from many directions, which gives soft, even lighting with almost no shadows. It is a common tool for simple product shots.

Glass reflects any light source in front of it. Lighting the bottle from behind lets light glow through it, and black cards along the sides create dark edge lines that define its shape, with no bright reflections on the front. Front lights and direct flash create hot spots on the glass.

A short telephoto, such as 85 to 100 mm, lets the camera stand back from the product. From that distance the near and far parts of the product keep their real proportions and straight lines stay straight. A 16 mm or fisheye lens used up close exaggerates the nearest parts and bends lines.

An infinity curve or cyclorama is a continuous curved surface that transitions from floor to wall without a visible corner. Products or subjects photographed in front of it have no horizon line visible in the background, making the surround appear to extend indefinitely.

A clear acrylic sheet placed under a product acts as a partial mirror, reflecting the product and its lighting back toward the camera. This creates a symmetrical reflected image that gives the composition a sense of depth and polish without any post-processing.

Gemstones and polished metal sparkle by reflecting small, intense points of light from their facets. Hard, small light sources create those crisp glints. Large softboxes close to the piece create broad reflections that make stones look flat and milky.

A product often needs every part sharp, from its front edge to its back. At close distances even a small aperture cannot cover that depth, so several frames are shot at different focus distances and blended until the whole product is in focus.

A flag is a solid black or opaque panel placed to block light from part of the scene. It stops spill on the background, shades the lens from flare, or deepens a shadow. Diffusion and gels are separate tools that soften or color light.

Products must match their real colors, since buyers judge them from photos and returns follow when the color is off. A white balance card shot in the same light gives a neutral reference, so the editor can remove any cast and make the product's color accurate.

Around f/11 to f/16, most lenses give enough depth of field to keep a small product sharp from front to back while staying crisp overall. Wide apertures like f/1.8 leave much of the product out of focus, and f/32 softens the whole image through diffraction.