Photographing scopes for Arken Optics is one of my favorite projects because I get to use interesting top down lighting. Because the product is rounded and the angles requested by the client were as such, I determined the best lighting would be a small, soft source over the product.
Surely that's not just 1 light:
With white paper all around the product, naturally it reflects the light and fills in the shadows. This is what allows the 1 light technique to be successful. I've been shooting products in Dallas for 12 years now and I've learned a thing or two over the years. One thing is keep it simple, clean and let the product do the talking.
Let It Float:
Floating the product off the surface allows for the underside of the product to stand out. Because the light is coming from above, the shadows would be below which would create a problem where the black product would blend into the shadow. This would make it difficult to see the outline of the underside of the product. Floating it allows a little bit more light to bounce in off the white paper, then I go back in and add black cards underneath the product to maintain that shadowy look.
How Much does it cost though...
Because I've been doing product photography in Dallas so long, I've made my process super efficient which allows me to keep prices competitive. Photography like these shots range from $75 to $100 per shot which includes editing!