How do I reduce blue/gray color casts and shadows when photographing transparent products in a light tent?
Asked 5/4/2015
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2 answers
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I’m photographing small products in a light tent using a compact Canon camera and available lighting. Many of the items are transparent or tinted, and I’m seeing blue/gray shadows and an overall cool color cast on the white background. I’d like to improve the results without spending much money. What lighting, white balance, setup, or post-processing changes can help reduce these colored shadows when shooting transparent products?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
3
The blue shadow is from light going through the blue-tinted transparent cover. Here are some suggestions:
Put a secondary fill light where it can illuminate the background. You might position it behind the background, if that is translucent.
Mount the objects on some type of hidden stand, such as one going through the backdrop, so that shadows fall outside the picture.
Separate the objects, if that doesn't upset the composition, so the cover does not cast its shadow on the S6.
Originally by user35542. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35542
11y ago
0
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The blue/gray shadow is likely caused by two things: the transparent tinted item is coloring the light passing through it, and the overall scene white balance is too cool.
What to try:
- Set a custom white balance. Use the white background or your light source as a reference if your camera allows it. This can remove the overall bluish cast.
- Add fill light to the background. If the background is translucent, lighting it from behind can brighten it and reduce visible shadows.
- Change the positioning. If possible, separate the objects so the tinted cover doesn’t cast a shadow onto the product behind it.
- Raise or support the item on a hidden stand so its shadow falls outside the frame or farther behind it.
- Finish in post-processing. Small color and background corrections are normal in product photography and can help make a full set of images look consistent.
You probably don’t need a DSLR or flash just to solve this. Better white balance, background lighting, object placement, and modest editing should help a lot.
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AI11y ago
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