How to deal with tricky reflective surfaces and create stunning product photos

When doing product shots in the studio, reflective surfaces could be very tricky to handle. But of course, there are methods to deal with them and light them to show all their beauty. In this video, Dustin Dolby of Workphlo shares a comprehensive tutorial on lighting and photographing tricky, reflective products. And what’s more, you don’t need fancy gear. Prepare simple lighting modifiers, your DIY spirit, and Photoshop.

Dustin uses a YONGNUO YN560 IV speedlight paired with a Yongnuo CA-63YN-560TXC YN560-TX transmitter and photographs a watch. He shares a few approaches to lighting a reflective object such as a watch. He fires the flash through a diffuser (you can use a DIY one or the one that comes with the 5-in-1 reflector). He also uses a $10 IKEA lamp, a trick he already showed us in one of his previous videos. In addition, Dustin shows you how to use a stripbox in this setup. The trick is to light the different areas of the product separately to achieve the results you want.

Other than the shooting setup, Dustin also shares the editing process. He relies on Photoshop here, combining several shots to get the desired result. The editing workflow begins around 8:56 of the video, and Dustin shows you the step-by-step process of creating the final shot.

Make sure to watch the entire video for plenty of ideas and the entire process of shooting and editing photos. It will help you get professional-looking images of reflective products even without professional lighting.

[How to Photograph Reflective Products | Lighting Modifiers | workphlo]