As a product photographer, you may notice that some products do not look good without natural shadows. So, you must learn what types of products need natural shadow effects.
Industry-leading photographers utilize natural lighting setups to create a realistic shadow. When you don’t have the lighting, they use alternative solutions as well.
Whether you believe it or not, natural shadows improve the aesthetics of the product images. It provides a good sense of scale and provides realism.
Thus, let’s learn about the products you should have natural shadows on the image.
Table Contents
What Is The Natural Shadow Effect?
The natural shadow effects are the ones that align with the real-world lighting setup. Adding it makes it look like the lighting is set up in a specific direction. For example, setting up a light above furniture with a slight angle creates a natural shadow on the surface.
These effects have a lot of benefits when it comes to eCommerce products, which is why you should use them for certain types of items. Hence, you could set up a light to create a shadow. Or go for services that provide you with quality photo editing.
List Of Products Which May Need Natural Shadow Effects
Let’s look at the products that need natural shadows on their photos. Adding them to the images would make them more realistic and compelling. These items are suitable for having a realistic shadow. Below are some of the products one by one.
Shoe Products
Products like shoes need natural shadow effects to make them compelling. As a result, the shoe image provides you with more perspective. Plus, it doesn’t look like the shoe is sitting on a blank white canvas.
Often, you would get to see natural shadows in product photography for eCommerce platforms. If you want these effects on the shoe products, correctly set the light. It makes the image more compelling and suitable to upload on an eCommerce listing.
Eyewear and Sunglass Products
Although we place sunglasses and eyewear products on shiny surfaces, their shadows make them look precious. Most of the time, natural sunlight makes the sunglasses more realistic. Plus, it improves the aesthetics of the sunglasses.
You might see occasional eyewear photos without natural shadows, but it does look odd. Natural shadow gives dynamics to the item within the image. Customers get to imagine the sizings of the sunglasses.
Cosmetics Products
As we find luxury within cosmetics products, natural shadows can help you out. Most of the high-end cosmetic times would have realistic and smoother lighting. But most of them feature a soft light which creates a more realistic environment.
Natural lighting in cosmetic product presentations improves the look and feel. Plus, it makes sure the item feels organic in the photo. It has become a trend to use shadows with pastel color palettes on the background surface.
Furniture Products
Natural shadows help many of your customers determine the scale of the furniture products. It helps the viewers to imagine the furniture in their house interior. Without the proper shadow effect, it might get trickier to get the scene of the furniture size.
On the other hand, photographers had to imitate the natural lighting to make the furniture look surreal. Further, when the furniture is placed within a room, it utilizes sunlight from the window. Or you might create custom effects.
Accessories Products
When you look closely, most leather accessories products have natural shadows. For example, shadows in leather bag photos provide a strong sense of the scale. Hence, it entices the viewers to buy the accessories as they imagine using the item.
As with other product photos, soft natural lighting is popular as well. It provides a great ambiance to the whole composition. Moreover, it avoids confusion about the sizing and how it would look when it gets used.
Why Should You Use Natural Shadows?
Natural-looking lighting has a lot of benefits for product photography. Most renowned photographers utilize this kind of shadow, and you must do so. Let’s explore some of the key reasons you should use natural lights in your images.
- Improve realism: Natural shadow always improves the realism of the product, making it look a lot more real.
- Provide a sense of scale: Understanding the scale of a product becomes a lot easier.
- Adds consistency: Same-angle shadows make each image consistent and easy to recognize.
How You Should Set Up Natural Lighting
You could use natural lighting via the window, so you should arrange the photoshoot at noontime. That’s how you get the best out of the daylight. In addition, set up the reflector to make the lighting look more utilized.
Or use artificial lighting to imitate the same. But, if it doesn’t work out, apply image editing techniques. Professionals have software like Photoshop to create custom shadows in these techniques. Lastly, you should hire someone who can create natural shadows in Photoshop software.
Things To Consider When Hiring Natural Shadow Effect Services
Let’s talk about what you should consider when you go for a natural shadow effect service. First, you need to compare several services. Comparing them would let you save some extra bucks on your editing task. Further, don’t forget to check out the portfolio the following service provider has.
When looking for a natural shadow creation process, ask for a free trial. Most of the big editing studios have free trial sessions for new customers. Last but not least, make sure to have a call or email to explain your requirements in detail.
Let’s explore some of the questions that may come into mind when you talk about the natural shadow.
What Are The Conditions For Creating A Shadow?
First, you need a visible light source, object, background, or surface. As a result of the process, it will cast a shadow on the surface or the background. Hence, the object must be solid to create complete darkness in the following area.
Do Amazon E-commerce Photos Have Shadows On Them?
Amazon eCommerce photos can have shadows on them as long as it doesn’t damage the look of the item, which is why you could add them into images to improve the product’s appearance. However, the image must contain a subject located at the focus.
Which Tool Is Best To Create a Natural Product Shadow?
Sometimes it would not be feasible to get enough light to create natural product shadows. You could use lighting equipment like a softbox and umbrella kit at these moments. When using softboxes, you need to set up a diffusing cloth to make a more realistic shadow.
Conclusion
Thanks for sticking with us. I hope you have learned what types of products need natural shadow effects. These types of items must have realistic shadows to make them compelling.
Plus, it adds dynamics to the image. As a result, it attracts more customers to the product page.
Hence, if you are a product photographer, you must create shadows for different items. Use natural light from windows or lighting equipment.
If these fall short, you may need to photoshop shadows under objects. Either way, make sure the product on the image looks good.
