ABSTRACT
Product shots call for special care and handling for several reasons. A large softbank can be used on the side opposite the camera to illuminate the front panel. This gives a large white light source for the semigloss black plastic to reflect, and creates highlights and shadows on the lettering and buttons. Taking pictures of food and making it look appetizing is just as much an art as making a featureless black box look interesting. The general techniques are not too different from those outlined earlier for product photography, but there is the added challenge of the time factor. Two lighting effects that are often needed in dramatic work are those of lightning and the flickering glow of fire. Both can be simulated in several ways, some of which are more convincing than others. Automobile, truck, and minivan interiors are an important factor in dramatic work.
