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Cosmetics Photography in a Nutshell Vichy SoundshellSimple steps for photographing cosmeticsAs you may know by now, cosmetics is very difficult to photograph because it reflects in many cases up to 99% of the light is receives. It is very shiny, highly polished and above all this it may contain color stones or diamonds that make the job even harder. In many cases, photographing a piece of cosmetics is like taking a picture of a mirror you will see all kind of items being reflected into the piece the lights, the camera, yourself, the table etc. Also if you try to use your new digital camera to do the job, two major things may happen. If you use a flash, you will either wash out the item (over illuminated) or it will be under illuminated with lots of dark areas and uneven lighting from one side to the other.The solution to Cosmetics photography is the use of an enclosed lighting system. The reasons are many. The enclosed system wraps even and balanced light around the entire product youre photographing. The advantages include an even distribution of light, consistent natural lighting, elimination of glare, and illumination of hard to reach spots. Tips for Photographing Cosmetics:1.Use a closed photography setup with soft wrap-around continuous lighting 2.Perform a custom white balance according to the light you are using 3.Be sure you have set your camera to manual mode 4.If you are going to photograph rings or bands, set your maximum aperture to the highest f/stop in order to get the maximum depth of field. 5.Turn off the flash on your camera, and if you can, connect the camera to the wall using a power adapter. This will ensure that you not run out of batteries during the shooting session.2. The Basics: Key elements in cosmetics photographyAs you may know, cosmetics is one of the hardest products to photograph because of the nature of its components. The metals, precious stones, diamonds and other elements that most fine cosmetics is made up of, have reflective qualities that can easily show reflections, shadows and hard spots in photographs if the right tools are not usedTherefore, understanding the nature of cosmetics and obtaining the right tools for photographing it is essential for producing high quality cosmetics photographs. In our opinion, here are the six most important elements in cosmetics photography:1.Continuous natural daylight lighting: To evenly reproduce the colors in cosmetics 2.Diffused lighting: To eliminate shadows and hard spots3.White Balance adjustment: To adapt your camera to the lighting environment used to photograph4.Depth of Field & Focus: To get a sharp and clear image 5.Shutter Speed/Exposure time: To control the lightness and darkness of your image 6.Stable camera mounting (tripod): To ensure your camera is stable to avoid a blurred photo. 1. Continuous Natural Daylight Lighting Cosmetics is very difficult to photograph because it抯 shiny highly polished surface reflects, in many cases, up to 99% of the light it receives. If you use flash photography, you抣l usually end up with glares and hot spots. The key is to use continuous natural light which has the ability to evenly and accurately reproduce all the spectacular colors found in the different elements of cosmetics. Therefore, for photographing cosmetics we will be using fluorescent daylight light.Remember: all of our photography lighting systems contain continuous fluorescent lighting in at least the bottom/platform, right and left panels of the box. Other lighting systems, like the MK The Box also contain light on the back, top and doors. Other features include LED lighting, rotating platforms, halogen lighting and more. 2. Diffused Lighting When illuminating cosmetics, you have to make sure never to expose it to light directly, as direct light will be reflected on the cosmetics, and will create hot spots and shadows. What you need to do is expose cosmetics through diffused lighting, which is light that has passed through some sort of light diffuser. The diffuser evenly spreads the light, and eliminate all hot-spots, shadows and reflections. Remember, that all of our photography lighting systems already include natural daylight that is exposed through the boxes thermoplastic housing that acts as light diffusers.3. White BalanceA key element of successful product photography is white balance. You need to be able to program the white balance setting on your camera. Although many cameras will come with pre-program options or presets you need at least one custom white balance option. This means that the camera can read and self-adjust itself to be able to take pictures under many light conditions. This feature is very important. If your camera cannot perform this custom adjustment, it is very likely that you will end up with badly colored product pictures, especially if you are trying to take pictures of products against a white background. You willl likely end up with all kinds of color variations: yellow, blue, magenta, green etc. Do not misunderstand the white balance feature to mean that the background is going to be always white. White balance means that the camera needs to adjust itself to the ambience light you are using, to give you accurate and true colors of the items being photograph.4. Depth of Field & FocusSetting the Depth-of-field in your camera is an important element in photographing cosmetics. The first thing we need to do is to take advantage of the maximum depth-of-field that any camera has to offer. The camera should be set to manual mode so that the smallest aperture (For commercial consumer cameras use F8.0, for professional camera use F16.0 ) setting can be selected. This will allow us to focus the entire piece of cosmetics, rather than only parts of it.The second thing we need to do is to focus the lens to get an image as clear as possible. Most digital cameras have an auto-focus option which can be used, please select this.5. Shutter Speed/Exposure Time Cameras need to control the amount of light so that an image is not too bright (over exposed) or too dark (under exposed). Similar to our eyes, light enters through the lens and strikes the inside of the camera. Digital camera uses a charged coupling device (CCD) to capture the light of an image. Think of a CCD as film in a conventional camera. Therefore, term exposure generally refers to a combination of aperture and shutter speed control to obtain the correct amount of light.6. Stable Camera MountingWhen photographing cosmetics, we recommend you to mount your camera to a stable surface (either a Tripod or our lighting systems L bracket) in order to get the sharpest photographs possible. If you hold the camera with your hands, it is very likely that you will slightly move the camera while photographing (even if you dont notice - because we as humans cant perfectly hold it still) , and your photos will come out blurry. How to photograph perfumeWhen it comes to photographing perfume, white perfume high-polish (mirror finish) cosmetics, the first thing one has to understand about perfume is the natural properties it has. Perfume cosmetics, in most instances, tend to be a natural mirror that reflects everything that is around it. For this reason, one has to carefully place perfume cosmetics and with the correct surroundings in order to create an image that can truly show the perfume cosmetics piece in its true and natural look.To illustrate the idea that perfume, white container of perfumes mirrors its surroundings, we have placed a perfume ring in three different photographing environments, and have showed you the result of each of them. Please view the following images, and read the text along each photograph. After the photographs, you will find tips on how to photograph perfume. Tips and suggestions for photographing perfume, white perfume cosmetics:Try not use a white background when photographing perfume cosmetics: In order to get a photograph that presents perfume in a much more natural and real way, you want to avoid a white background; as white will only make the perfume look white, dull and unnatural. Use dark or metallic-like backgrounds: When using a dark or metallic-like background, you are allowing the perfume, white perfume cosmetics to reflect a more natural color; because you are reflecting it against backgrounds that create a contrast between the white walls of the photography lighting system and the surface it is against. This contrast, lets the cosmetics appear natural in color while creating a three-dimensional look. Photograph perfume cosmetics inside a photography lighting system or light box: In order to provide the correct lighting and reflections in perfume cosmetics photographs, you need to have a diffused lighting source inside a closed environment. Such as the walls enclosed inside the Photo-eBox lighting system. Learn about diffused wrap-around natural lighting and why you need it.Dont expect reflection-free photographs: When it comes to the facts of nature, dont expect the impossible. You have to completely understand the nature and fact that perfume, white perfume high-polish cosmetics will always act as mirrors, and will always reflect its surroundings. Dont expect your photos to be completely reflection-free, as there is nothing you can do about this (unless you use an editing software). In some photos you will see the reflection of the camera lens, or other surroundings. It is impossible to completely avoid them. Above, you can see the reflection of our camera to the right of the purple stone - its the black spot you see. To avoid the cameras reflection we move the ring, so that the purple stone would be directly in front of the camera lens, and thus avoiding its reflection in the perfume of the ring.1. Avoiding unnecessary shadows and reflections When photographing cosmetics, there are certain shadows and reflections that might be necessary to create a three-dimensional look, or that you may simply want as a personal preference. Yet, there are other reflections and shadows that are unnecessary and that you want to avoid in order to have a photograph that presents your cosmetics in the best way possible.The first thing you need to understand about reflections and shadows is how they are produced and why they appear or exist. Though it may seem obvious, shadows are created when an object is exposed to direct lighting (which can come from light in a room, the sun, or through the use of a regular lamp); while reflections are created in any object that is composed of reflective materials such as metals or glass. What you need to do, is to avoid this direct light that creates shadows, and avoid those surroundings that create reflections in your cosmetics. Please read the following steps on how to avoid shadows and reflections in your cosmetics or view example photo.Steps for photographing cosmetics without unnecessary shadows and reflections: Step 1: Get a photography lighting system with wraparound and diffused natural daylight. Learn why this is important and view various photography lighting systems. Step 2: Place your cosmetics item inside the enclosed photography lighting system. At this point, you are making sure that the surroundings of your cosmetics are nothing but natural daylight and white backgrounds. Step 3: Adjust your camera settings and begin photographing. The correct camera settings will allow you to take photographs with the correct exposure, focus, colors and qualities of your cosmetics.2. Positioning your cosmetics - using different cosmetics accessories There are many accessories you can use to hold cosmetics items while photographing, deciding which ones to use depends on the type of photograph you want, or simply your preference. Cosmetics accessories will help you position rings, earrings, pendants, loose stones, diamonds and other pieces in various positions and angles in order to get a photograph from the perspective you desire. Positioning your cosmetics correctly is essential for getting a professional cosmetics photograph. When shooting photographs, you have to remember that you want to get the best shot possible of your cosmetics, as it is your photographs the ones that your customers will look at and judge, rather than your actual cosmetics. Thus, taking photos from the correct angles and perspectives is the key to successful shots.3.How to photograph a ring while floating - using holding wax This section shows you how to photograph a ring that looks like it is floating in space. Want something to hold your cosmetics, that doesnt appear in your photograph?The accessory you need is Positioning holding wax. This specially manufactured wax allows you to position your cosmetics in an upright vertical position or at various angles. The wax is hard and resistant, yet flexible enough for you to handle it and mold it to your needs.Using the positioning holding wax in cosmetics photography: (pictured below) Step 1: Grab the wax from the corner and take a very small piece (1 to 3 mm) Step 2: Take the wax piece and mold it into an egg or oval shaped ball Step 3: Position the wax on the surface, then kindly place the ring above the it.4. Giving Sparkles to your cosmetics using white natural daylight LEDsDiamonds and gems presented in cosmetics stores do not sparkle as intense as compared to being displayed in the sun. While the sparkle produced by illuminating cosmetics with metal-halide, halogen, and florescent lighting are good, it could be better.New advances in technology have created a unique opportunity for the cosmetics business. A scientific breakthrough in light emitting diodes (LED) has produced lighting that matches the full spectrum of the sun. As a result, retailers can now display their cosmetics with maximum radiant potential.Utilizing the new LED technology, MK Digital has crafted the SparkleLite product line. With MK SparkleLite lighting your customers will be amazed at the fire and brilliance of your diamonds and gems. Using specially calibrated and color corrected super white LEDs, your cosmetics has the ability to out-sparkle the competition.While super white LEDs are great, SparkleLite products offer an additional design advantage. By placing the LEDs on a precise angle, the effect creates multiple points of light, which brings out even more surface sparkle.Proper LED light illumination:When illuminating your cosmetics with LED light it is important to only use the right amount of light, not too much and not too little. Most LED natural daylight products will not allow you to control the intensity of the light with a dimmable switch, but in this example we have used the Mini-Lite 350-2, that does contain a dimmer switch and allows you to control the light.Steps for proper illumination: Step 1: Turn off the fluorescent light on your lighting system box - Step 2: Turn on the Mini-Lite 350-2 or other LED light, and direct it towards your cosmetics. Once you have the light box turned off, you will be able to see only how much LED light you will be using. Step 3: Now turn on the fluorescent lights on your lighting system box. Step 4: Take a photograph of your item. Check the photo to see if you like it. Step 5: If needed, adjust the intensity of the LEDs to a proper level. The correct amount of intensity, is the one that begins to show sparkles and brings out your cosmetics piece to life, but its not excessively strong that it is too shiny. View the first photo shown above.5. Halogen lighting used for photographing rubies, amethysts, opals, emeralds, and other stones. As we have mentioned before, the illumination of cosmetics in photography is one of the most important elements for achieving quality photos. Although most cosmetics only needs to be photographed with fluorescent light, certain types of gem stones and cosmetics need halogen light illumination.Halogen lighting provides a warm light environment that provides the optimum viewing and photographing condition for rubies, pearls, opals, emeralds, amethysts. If fluorescent lighting is used, there will be a shift in the color of your gem stones and precious stones which might not allow you to appreciate them in their natural colors and characteristics.Note: Please test your cosmetics with both fluorescent and halogen lighting, as different gem stones and precious stones will act differently to both types of lights. While we do recommend halogen lighting to the previously mentioned types of stones, we encourage you to test both types of light. Please remember that when photographing with halogen lighting, you need to adjust the white balance of your camera. Steps for properly illuminating cosmetics with Halogen lighting: Step 1: Turn on the halogen lighting on your lighting system box Step 2: Adjust your cameras white balances to the halogen lighting. This will adjust your camera, so that the halogen light appears to be white, while maintaining the true colors of your cosmetics and stones. Step 3: Simply adjust the shooting speed of your camera, then photograph. 6. Artistic cosmetics photography by using black and white acrylics Have you ever seen and wondered how those fancy cosmetics photos on magazine ads are photographed? - Well, heres one artistic effect thats you can easily achieve. Most cosmetics photographs that are used for catalogs, online stores, eBay, or other forms of marketing, dont really look too fancy - but they should. Because when it comes to having that cover or front page photo, or photos that will make a sale, you want to make your cosmetics look very special. A popular product photography effect, is the use of a products reflection on the surface that it is being photographed. This is a technique regularly used for photographing a very special and unique item, as it has as a purpose to make the product stand out and look twice as nice (the reflection). Steps for photographing in a reflective white surface: Step 1: Turn on the fluorescent lighting on your lighting system box Step 2: Adjust your cameras white balance to the white fluorescent light. Step 3: Place the white glossy acrylic inside of the box. Step 4: Take photographs, and enjoy the look of the photos! Steps for photographing in a reflective black surface: Step 1: Turn on the fluorescent lighting on your lighting system box Step 2: Adjust your cameras white balance to the white fluorescent light. Step 3: Place the black glossy acrylic inside of the box. Step 4: Add a black velvet or black plastic at the back of the box. This is done in order to get a completely black reflection on the black acrylic. Otherwise, the acrylic would reflect the white walls of the box, and would end up looking gray. See below Step 5: Place your cosmetics near the edge of the acrylic and the black velvet. Step 6: Take photographs, and enjoy the look of the photos!7.New! How to get a perfectly white background when shooting cosmeticsIm sure this is something a lot of people want to achieve, but dont know exactly how to do it and what tools they need to use in order to get a perfectly white background in their photos. White is the most popular background used in product photography for the internet and catalogs.Steps to follow to achieve a white background in your cosmetics photos1. Get a digital camera that has a full manual mode, which also has a MANUAL or CUSTOM white balance setting (which allows you to manually configure the white balance). This is essential in order to manually allow your camera to adapt to your photography lighting environment (studio).2. Use a w
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