How to Shoot Professional Product Photography using Speedlites

In this video, I show you the start-to-finish process of how to create professional product photography using Speedlites. All you need is your camera, a tripod and a couple of flashguns.

I walk you through the lighting setup for shooting a clear glass bottle of sparkling water, showing how it’s possible to achieve professional photography results using just three speedlites. You’ll see the flash settings I used, the position of the lights, how I made a DIY modifier to create a controlled pocket of light on the label, and the retouching process to polish off the final image.

For this shoot I used:
➡️ Canon 5D MkIII
➡️ Manfrotto 058B tripod
➡️ 3x Godox V1 Flashgun for Canon with Battery
➡️ Frosted acrylic sheet
➡️ LEE Filters 216 diffusion material
➡️ 1x small softbox
➡️ 1x piece of cardboard/card for DIY snoot
➡️ Acrylic mirror

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[andrewmckenley]

Blessings Karl, I really love the fact that you used your 5D and not a high end medium format. Sometimes people feel that it's all about your expensive gear. You're a man that study and practice to get where you are. Much love!

[mroblige]

New photographers shouldn't let big brain ego enlist photographers get to them. You can still achieve high quality photos with $20 speed lights, a starter camera, and very well planned stage and background. This guy will always show you the way

[josephchan]

Glad this pop up again. I can adapt most of it for personal work.

[CappuccinoLife]

I just took on a big project based on what you wrote and presented in this clip. 98% of the pictures are old wine bottles that I wanted to present in a professional way and that can be sold. 

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. 🖤

[speterlewis]

This is great, Karl. I've been shooting product photos for years and use speedlites all the time. They are so versatile! (Tip: get a battery pack.)

[LMoProVisualComm]

That's right!!! It surely ain't the tool... Good job Karl!!!

[hajmanek]

Simple tutorial without to much blabla, great job

[josephchan]

Thank you for having the video. This be great if your contract worker, personal work, or business for E Commerce.

[haroonmalik]

Karl, u r the best teacher i am really inspired by your photography and tricks. i am following you in my blessings

[Govannonart]

I can't stop admiring your work, Karl. Thanks a ton for your lessons.
Best regards from Mother Russia
Nick

[RustyBin]

You have a very good professional delivery style of presenting. Impressed with your videos.

[ivansmiljkovic]

I just love how informations are simplified, and yet amazing and helpful. Thank you very much. 😊

[machouston]

Hi Karl,
A brilliant tutorial on how to shoot Professional Product Photography that could only be Karl Taylor, a True Professional in every sense of the Word.

Thank you for sharing this tutorial with us Karl, Truly as always a Pleasure watching a True Professional at Work

[johnleighdesigns]

Hi Karl great to see another of your "its not about having expensive gear" shoots - Im using speedlites and also LED lights for my work and Im often debating with myself per project the need for flash versus constant lights. Flash is great if one is not able to black out a room it gives that control oveer ambient, as well as being able to shoot at ISO 100 for noise free shots, whereas LED allows a what you see is what you get approach which can be easier and more fluid way of working, but with the lower power usually meeaning higher ISOs and higher noise. Today Im trying a whiskey bottle challenge and while its daytime Im going to use speedlites but later when dark will try LEDs and compare results for interest!

[RuneSmedstuen]

Expensive gear and a big studio helps, but it doesnt matter if you lack the creativity!
Really glad I stumbled over your channel! Thumbs up, and a great thanks for your effort in helping others!

[rbvan]

Karl, your work is absolutely incredible, and you’re an excellent photography educator. If you produced a series of courses lighting entirely with speedlites, and affordable strobes similar to the Godox AD200 and AD400 pro and common affordable (let’s say Amazon acquired) modifiers, I for one would subscribe to your paid education and I’m sure many others would as well. Thank you so much for the time, energy, enthusiasm and careful technical detail you put into these YouTube videos. Great job!

[reydahamadou]

great video as always. this is the very heart and core of photography: understanding the light. thank you!

[stephendouglas]

I've been into all things photography for a solid 3 years. I'm a subscriber to many photography youtube channels. I'm a member of Dave Morrow photography (which I HIGHLY recommend) landscape photographer. I have 3 canon cameras, all the lenses, and all the studio gear needed to shoot just about anything on the planet. I have shot events, parties, studio portraits, fashion, landscape, wildlife, macro, etc. etc. I'm a member or subscriber to several Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop training channels. I'm having a lot of fun and learning a lot from many of these avenues.
If I were to give advice to anyone serious about either their photography as an art or business...the #1 thing I would recommend, 90% out of 100% of the learning tools available on the planet, would be Karl Taylor's education system. There are many, many great and wonderful teaching tools available on the internet these days, and they all should be pursued. But in my opinion and experience photography requires a huge foundation be laid to become a true and great artist and/or a true and great photography business person. No one is addressing the FOUNDATION--the foundation of not only gear, and technique, and approach to various photography genre, but also of the attitude needed, the discipline, the hard work ethic needed, and the openness of mind and fortitude to pursue each student's artistic insight and taste.
As a member of Karl Taylor Education I found Karl's teaching system to be the most comprehensive and complete foundational systems there is. Frankly, there is no other system designed to take you from kindergarten to graduation. Karl's experience and passion is obvious. His lighting techniques are artistic, whether he is teaching studio portrait, fashion, or food photography. His guests are experts and he uses them to help teach his students. All the teachings overlap to some degree. It is all frankly, it is all very interesting and entertaining to a degree that it doesn't matter if one is going to ever shoot in that genre--there is still something to learn there. I really think that Karl Taylor Education is the best tool available to the any photographer today.

[RS-Amsterdam]

Have to give it to you, you take lighting to an extreme level.
Love your eye for detail.
IMO it's all about the knowledge where to put the lights, basically you have taken the shot already in your mind, this is merely the execution.
Since you have a lot of equipment at your disposal, I wonder do you ever add lighting in post (PS or LR/C1) ?
Thanks for sharing !!

[kunalsahu]

cheapest lighting set up with Highly results ...Thanks Taylor Sir