Creating stellar product photography has nothing to with how much money you can spend. Often times, things don’t go perfectly, so you have to be resourceful and be able to figure out how to capture the images you’re looking for. To help aid his fellow photographers in taking great product photography, Chicago based photographer Caleb Pike created this helpful tutorial on how you can turn the IKEA LACK side table into your next full fledged product photography booth:
Whether you’re a photographer on a budget or looking for helpful tips and tricks, this is one DIY idea to keep at your disposal. Practicing a set skill in photography, typically requires loads of extra gear or supplies. Thankfully, this inexpensive method helps you to create a virtual duplicate of higher end setups on a smaller scale, allowing you the ability to capture great shots and to master the technique of bouncing light.
How to Create a Product Shot Booth from an IKEA Table
- Remove one leg from the table and place something heavy on the back corner of the tabletop to keep it from tipping over.
- Place craft paper or poster board on the back of the table as a backdrop.
- Attach white foam core to the bottom of the table to bounce light.
- Clamp a light to the leg of the table. Pike uses small LED lights with a ball head.
- Bounce the light off the underside of the table.
- Improve your lighting by strategically placing bounce cards around your subject.
- Flag your light to eliminate hot spots on your subject. Pike uses black foil, but you can use a piece of dark paper.
- Add a second light if you want to improve upon the light even more.
From the perfect background to creating just the right lighting, product photography can be very tricky. However, the ultimate goal is always the same: to showcase your product in the best way possible. This great video tutorial provides a quick and easy, budget friendly option to diversify your photography and allow you to be a more attractive candidate to potential clients.
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Love this idea! Can you please tell us what kind of light you used? Also, could reflectors be used with this set up? I’m needing to photograph small perfume bottles. I have a white backdrop made of cloth. Would this work as well? Thanks!
Great tips on how to make a quick and cheap DIY product booth. Thanks for sharing!