As most people who have dabbled in any type of photography are aware, light is probably the single most significant part of the creation of a good photo. In product photography and jewelry photography, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right lighting equipment for one’s needs. If one does a quick search on the Internet, it quickly becomes clear that there is seemingly no end to the amount of photography lighting kits and product photography kits that are available online. The purpose of this article is to help you understand the importance of choosing the right kind of product photography light box kit for your specific needs especially as it pertains to product photography and portable photo studio kits.
When it comes to product photography and jewelry photography kits, the most important thing to consider is that one needs full and accurate lighting. From the buyer’s perspective, it is critical that every detail of the product is shown clearly and accurately, and in a flattering light. To achieve this, one needs to make sure that they have an adequate amount of light with their photography lighting kit, and that the light is accurate enough to reproduce the colors and detail of the product without altering them. To achieve this, “daylight” lighting is preferred. In photography and video, daylight lighting, also called “full spectrum” lighting, is light with a color temperature of around 5000K to 5600K. ‘K’ stands for Kelvin which is used to define the color temperature of light. Basically, the lower the number, the “warmer” the light will appear, which means it will have more yellow and orange tones. Higher color temperature numbers are “cooler” and have more bluish tones. A color temperature of 5000K is most closely compared to the color temperature of the sun at midday and has been found to most accurately reproduce colors. So when it comes to choosing the best lightbox product photo studio kits, make sure to choose one with daylight lighting.
Besides color temperature, another important factor to consider is the “quality” of light that is used on the products and jewelry in the photos. As a general rule, the larger the light source is relative to the size of the product, the “softer” the light will be. Conversely, the smaller the light source is, the “harder” the light will be. In portable light box photography, hard light generally creates harsh shadows and reflections, while soft light creates a much more even and pleasing appearance in product and jewelry photography. For this reason, it is generally recommended to choose a photography lighting kit that is larger relative to the size of the item being photographed. One final factor to keep in mind is that the proximity of the light source, or rather how close it is to the product, will also affect the softness of the light as it will increase the size of the light source relative to the product the closer it is placed. In light box photography, the further the light source is moved away from the product, the harder the light will become. Since most product and jewelry photography kits online are done with the lights positioned fairly close to the products, using larger light sources will minimize the amount of variation that is caused by slight changes in the proximity and position of the lighting accessories.