Here again is a quick product flash recipe using small flashes, since many of you have asked me.

Step by step, then:

ONE. Find a neutral background.

TWO. Now find a stool, plus a surface for the product, preferably a sloping one. Put the product on the surface, with the background behind (far enough – the farther the better, usually), and do a sanity check. Look ok?

THREE. Add a main light. For this, use a flash with a modifier. I used a Honl Photo softbox in yesterday’s Three Minute Shot. Put this on a light stand, close to the product (close means larger, hence softer; it also means less light falls onto the background. This is important if you want to color it or leave it dark.)

FOUR. Add a fill light or edge light. I use a speedlight with a grid. Aim this at the product’s other side. In my case, slightly from behind.

FIVE. Add a background light. Again, I use a speedlight with a grid. Aim this at the background. I added a gel to the light: steel green seemed a nice colour.

Simple, no? This looked like this, in yesterday’s Three Minute Shot setup:

—-

POST: Oh I hate this. I wrote a LONG blog post here, with TEN points, and then some more. And it seems to have vanished. And at midnight, I am not going to rewrite it.

But at least let me share the resulting shot:

Sigh!