Understanding Gradient Lighting for Glossy Objects

Glossy products are notoriously difficult to photograph well. To make them look luxurious and desirable, you need to achieve a gradient lighting effect. But how?
Photographers shooting shiny objects often use softboxes to diffuse the light. But a softbox is an homogenous light source that creates a uniform patch of light - no gradation!
Luckily, there's the Light Cone - my game-changing new modifier, produced in collaboration with V-Flat World.
If you want to achieve perfect gradients on glossy, reflective products like jewellery, cosmetics, electronics, and more, you need the Light Cone in your life.
Learn more and watch a detailed demonstration of the Light Cone on this page: visualeducatio...
📸 Order Your Light Cone:
UK: lightingtools....
USA: vflatworld.com...
#lightcone
#karltaylor
#productphotography
#photography
#professionalphotographer
#learnphotography
#howto
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[@jlwilliams]

I'm enough of an old-timer to remember cutting and forming sheets of drafting film (translucent plastic used for making engineering drawings) into cones, taping or clipping them to hold their shape, and then using them for this type of photography (in my case, of high-end fountain pens.) It was pretty awful, though… the sheet would come unclipped or flop over or wiggle into the shot at the most inconvenient times! So kudos to Karl Taylor for turning this bodgy idea into a practical product, and for providing this clear demonstration of its benefits.

[@bala1000mina]

Thank you so much Karl for sharing your very precious knowledge with the world! Very kind of you!

[@AhmetSoysat]

Many thanks from Turkey sir. Life is beatifull with sharing when you share valuable content that will touch the lives of others and you know it.

[@AzzurroWolf]

When it comes to photography videos on KZbin, you'll be hard-pressed to beat Karl. Another top video. Cheers 🔥🔥🤙🤙

[@evanlim2189]

This is simply genius and amazing 💯💯

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Thank you!!

[@alessandropinto5204]

I figure an increase in demand for dog cones is about to happen 🤔 Amazing results. However, to really represent a reflective product properly, the light setup probably will have to account for the roughness of the product's surface. Using the cone allows for nice gradual lighting but the product looks like sandblasted metal when in fact it is much more like a mirror. Maybe a combination of approaches, leaving part of the cone open to create hard reflections could help. Anyway, the results are much better than not using the cone.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Hi thanks, yes on V-Flat world we also have videos showing how to keep a high gloss 'black stripe' look to the product.

[@futurehistoric]

Would have liked to see the kettle shot. If the only camera position is from above, it's fairly limited in the types of product it's able to shoot. ie, flatish smaller objects.

[@bobgreaves1716]

Agreed. The flat lay looks great, but I too would be interested to see the kettle (or anything else that has to be shot from the side) demonstrated, if the cone will work for this (?)

[@twoborders]

Guessing you could put the kettle on its side.

[@gilartzi]

@@twoborders it's not the same shot as an object on it's base far from the background

[@次表面]

Stainless steel products are turned into aluminum alloy after being photographed by you. Do you think customers will pay for it?

[@DrJorgeReynal]

Fantastic...as always Karl. Trust you are well.

[@samuelecapetti102]

Beautyful beautyful, thank you for this video!

[@DarioToledo]

Great idea, that would be a game changer. But I have a question: is this cone intended to be used when shooting with horizontal camera (i.e. objects standing still and taken by the side or jewels hanging from a wire) as well, instead of the top-down setup?

[@niyaasveecy]

Same qs

[@VincentWoo]

I don't see why the optical properties would be much different, but you might have to like, tape a cone to a vertical surface and then arrange your lights around it in just such a way to achieve the same effect

[@lxrproductions]

sAMMMMMMe Q . hanging jewels. @visualeducationstudio ?

[@KondoPhotography]

I boubht this light cone . I will make a review in french, very soon 😉

[@BenJamminJ]

Looks good, but can you show us how you'd photograph that kettle?

[@SEPK09]

might thoughts exactly see some flaws, and £72 for peace of plastic as well !!!!!!

[@garycrant4511]

❤I vaguely recall 'Dulling Spray'.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Yes that's still around, we have some in the cupboard but it's a very messy thing to work with and doesn't always give the results you hope for, equally we can also retain the hard gloss look in places when using the light cone by applying black tape or lifting the cone off the ground.

[@ThemisFz1]

Nice Product ! What if you want to take the picture from another angle ? ?

[@lucasbertazzo]

Hi, how you do to make the light cone for large objects to take a side picture ?

[@angelpenchev420]

Swiss company FOBA AG offer this lighting cone, more than 50 years ago. The cone is made with plexiglass.

[@evgenylaptevsstudio7857]

Yes, that is right. But the Foba cone is made of thick plexiglass, which loses 4 aperture stops and therefore all glossy objects will look like plastic. On the other hand, the material that the author uses is very thin and the light is very hard. This is good for flat objects, but it is unrealistic for them to beautifully illuminate convex shapes. Also with these cones it is impossible to shoot most of the jewelry because of this. I have been shooting with cones for 15 years, mostly jewelry, and I can say that the best material for making a cone is Translum, the one that is the thinnest.

[@kojpetersson]

@@evgenylaptevsstudio7857 The Fobe is not plexi, its acrylic.

[@Ziplock9000]

What inexpensive (I know) light source do you recommend in the UK?

[@jimb2500]

I think what would help you best is if you went to some source books like At-edge, art dept, etc. and started teaching the updated techniques used in commercial advertising today. You know the stuff that’s in style. Basic is fine but let’s face it, most gradients are drawn on in post…

[@1825OREO]

👍🏻. Why about when you need to shoot from vertical position not from the top down? Do you have any products for that?

[@AntonyMeadley]

Cut a hole in the side of the cone? Although as it costs £76 with postage maybe not 🙂

[@heavensphotography]

Thank you for your fantastic courses, i have followed you for years now, i took some pictures for a sunglasses campaine with model so not productshoot, i did a lightning with a high position so No reflexes from flashes, but in the glasses i can se myself, a Window behind me and and all the stuff in the studio, do you have any tip to avoid that? You cant remove it all in photoshop

[@agiantmansoliman]

Great, Is this cone intended to be used when shooting with horizontal camera (i.e. objects standing still and taken by the side or jewels hanging from a wire) as well, instead of the top-down setup? Ref. to Dareo Toledo question

[@nothappy97]

What is the paper used for cone??

[@cockerjc]

I think it's a brilliant product and it works wonderfully well, but I realized it does make a glossy surface look matte or like brushed aluminum. A client might feel that it doesn't present its product honestly.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

You can create the gloss black stripes look easily with the Light Cone and we demonstrate that in other videos on V-Flat website.

[@stephenwarriner5137]

I agree. It does give a brushed look. Adding black lines I don't feel would cure the problem as the rest of it still looks brushed. My relative has a Colonial era silver collection so the brushed look won't work. I do wonder if you shot the product both ways (maybe a couple of times moving the lights/hotspots) and then layered them in PS. Could the "shine" be brushed back in? Would a polarizing lens help? Maybe I'll buy it or maybe just keep looking for another solution.

[@KarmazynowyAgent]

What's the name of your t-shirt? Where can I buy it?

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Pretty Green is the brand

[@magedzaki9637]

Where to buy this light cone?!

[@Fedaikin]

use lightcone about 5 years for jewelry photography =)

[@lxrproductions]

lightcone? what's this ?

[@Minyahel]

Can we shoot shoes on that ? 😮

[@ratuldebnath8134]

But it make makes the glossy product matte

[@VisualEducationStudio]

See our recent video on how to make the product look glossy at the same time.

[@aakeelr]

Can you link that video for a glossy look here please? Thanks

[@riskybusiness3413]

One word - lampshades

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Or you could use a light cone which can be unclipped and stored flat and comes in different sizes, also the light cone is larger than a lampshade and with a smaller top shooting hole for less reflection of the lens hole in the product. The diffusion material of the light cone is also better as it has been developed specifically for photography, but we're love it for people to create their own solutions if they can make them, we did previously to coming up with the light cone - People use shower curtains instead of dedicated diffusion screens or softboxes - if they work it's great to come up with your own solutions too!

[@monztermovies]

If I put that cone over my ugly face will it work the same magic as it does with that shower head?

[@MishaRGB]

Highly respect Karl, but this cone is for beginners "PRO" photographers or for "Not peaky" clients, If you have one of these conditions in your business then you can spend money, otherwise, it will be sitting on the shelf...forever

[@VisualEducationStudio]

I don't understand your comment or what you mean. I use the Lightcone myself for lots of items especially jewellery.

[@MishaRGB]

@@VisualEducationStudio As I said if you're expectations from the final pictures are met with the result you get by using this con then you're totally fine but in the truly fine art photography these con will not work or will work for very very specific shot

[@TheBurzhuy]

What about not-your game-changing, "luckily" long-existing-on-the-planet light cubes? What picture they produce compared to your cone? Let's be honest, as long as Carl has his own teaching platform he will likely not post a proper "Understanding something" video because otherwise he would devalue his 10 euros/dollars a month subscription. Even this is an ad for his product. His channel has become an advertisement platform and that's it. Latest video of vodka bottle has been shot on the channel long ago, and whiskey with a class shot seems very familiar to one who is subscribed to this channel for years.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maGXg6WJjrZlgck

[@bososoku]

I’ve been doing this years, with varying transparency polypopelene sheet, and tubing, you can also use things like black electrical tape on the cone to give you high contrast detail points. This technique, works well for highly reflectice macro/extreme macro if you rig a diffuser cone that fits on the end of the lens so you dont have to worry about disturbing your subjects. Works equaliy well for “candid” shots too as you cone is attached to the camera, so you can take jewlery photographs outdoors, but with softer reflections.

[@soupfork2105]

So what your light cone does is make a chrome shower head no longer look like chrome, but more like matte alminium. If I asked you to shoot my chrome shower head, I'd want it to come out looking like chrome, because that's how I'm selling it.

[@MarkFore]

Quite bold to claim that you invented something that any product photographer worth his salt has been using for years.

[@Yoshitomo111]

Very good explanation of the use of a light tent. It gets more demanding in gear and space, the bigger the subjects are.

[@hornomat6099]

Thank you for sharing. How to make this cone then? What material to use?

[@f8barrosophotography516]

Not useful in all situations, how about shooting the coffee pot ?

[@photobeis]

Karl you are a great photographer I am one of those people who support exactly what you say here and many I have made my own frames and mounted savage translum as diffusion paper i have made some big frames and then small ones they are great also the cone you have made is very convenient well done !!!!

[@Klausjp.ontheroadagain]

cut out a cheapo showercurtain and save the money

[@ricrob2]

Amazing product Mr. Taylor. Q. On the kettle, you have a front level shot, how do you achieve that with this lightcone? As it seem the products is only a top down shoot application.

[@quirkworks4076]

Definitely adding this to my arsenal (but, shhhhh, don’t tell my clients). Thanks, Karl!

[@bowieknife]

How would you photograph the kettle straight on with the cone in the way?

[@escorreganomeupiru]

Friend, which side is on the outside, the matte or the glossy?

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Hi, it's the same both sides?

[@irishlostboy]

A sheet of diffusion plastic in a cone shape with some clips is designing now? Well, good job most photographers have more money than technical knowledge. You sir will make a fortune.

[@PedroHofmann]

very interesting yet simple idea. Would be nice to be able to buy in Europe. I am living in Austria. Thanks

[@iqnill]

Ha, I had to make a cone like this when photographing a coin collection a few decades ago. Found out that making disposable cones and airbrushing some patches on them created a lovely light inside.

[@Sicong_Wang]

非常棒

[@Zeropadd]

🐰

[@tbeiber09]

Do you have any tips for photographing clear items? I've had a few clear plastic containers come through some jobs and I'm never really happy with the turnout

[@opamediaacademy]

This is really nice. Thank you. I will ordering mine soon. Sir am a commercial photographer and I want to add car photography in it, do I need a separate page or website for that niche?

[@cekuhnen]

I am not a photographer but yeah 3D rendering and tell students to study actual product photographers Your video is just proof

[@danialbakhsheshi9064]

Hi, I need to take a photo of our flooring samples which they are metallic epoxy floor panels. I would like to make it like a sample chart. But they are shiny and reflective. Can you help me how can I do it please?

[@ovidiu88]

Can we find this product in Europe ? I would love to buy the large cone but couldn't find any source that ships to France. Thank you

[@ozzythemighty2767]

2:15 & got sold on your channel . &.....click..subscribed!

[@therealiamlove]

Thank you Karl! Could you share instruction on achieving great tonal balance on your final shot. Like getting white whites and black blacks. Your backgrounds are always perfectly exposed

[@rokg12]

Show us how it works on black plexi “background”... in all videos you are photographing on white board 😊 I will buy a set definetly when it will be available in Europe

[@aristotle_4532]

This has nothing to do with diffusion. White surfaces on the reflection keep the shadows high creating a low contrast look and keep reflections non descriptive, which is less distracting..

[@quadcopter.things]

Instead of cone can we use a squre ? Its make diffrence or not !

[@MikeTaffet]

Let’s all say it. It’s one of those cones you put on your dog

[@gordonjohnston684]

I had to buy a light tent to photograph Hairdressers scissor's, this was before Carl Taylors Light cone's were invented! How do you choose the desired effect there seems way to many great option.

[@colinturner6628]

Karl Taylor with a K

[@konkretnygameplay9773]

It is a pity that, unfortunately, there are no deliveries to Poland. I wanted to buy this product;)

[@iamrevel1430]

what if the object needs another angle ? 😅

[@WEDDINGNEWS]

cube light soft box also can give the good result. Thanks

[@josephchan4198]

I always watch your videos since it has great information. Thanks for giving back to the community.

[@emme.gi.1961]

Ma si può fotografare solo dall'alto? Inoltre in Italia dove si può acquistare? Grazie🙂

[@terohonkaniemi]

Really impressive! 👍🏻 Is the product available in Europe?

[@joseph1172]

Isn't this a Elizabeth cone, a animal cone?

[@hawg427]

We had to use Tungsten lighting back in my school days, those were some hot lights especially when you had about 9 students in a large room. Strobes are so much easier.

[@poojaaggarwal4795]

What is the sheet name. Which one you used to cover products

[@badaboom2995]

East or west, Karl the best. Thank you Karl for sharing your knowledge!

[@neilgibb5265]

Great explanation and pitch. Thanks

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrZeeshan3333]

Thank you so much for sharing this great idea.👍

[@smilepleasephotostudio5501]

so so nicely explained. Thank You sir

[@riffraff778]

Great content! Thank you, Karl! 👍👍👍

[@shinkunAvi]

Thank you man, very helpfull

[@muhammadasari3558]

Another freemium video.. 😍

[@hzubovi1]

Thank You for this free class in lighting!

[@renatozorn7162]

Woooow! Congrats from Brazil!!!

[@outblufferoutbluffer2481]

thank you Sir !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@videokhchannel2362]

👌

[@andrazmuljavec6262]

Is it available in europe?

[@nickcucchiara]

Thanks Karl, I'll have one soon!

[@Johnny-u7g]

Nice ConeMercial

[@stevencall3968]

Really cool. IMO the diffusion cone makes the chrome look like a satin finsh. It needs that hard black highlight lines to show the hard chrome surface. Brilliant idea tho.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Hi, on the V-Flat world website we have other videos that show you how to create the hard black contrast lines to create the gloss look

[@JiraphiphatLimchoowong]

Where can I buy?

[@jbigallery]

Great idea

[@NguyenNguyen-qs4rr]

Perfect!! love it

[@abdonofal1945]

great video

[@michaelmode]

Thank you

[@Goldmangun]

Genius!

[@antoinernb9398]

Love it

[@kojpetersson]

I think maybe it should be mentioned that Foba has had this product for maybe 25-30 years and recently stopped producing it, possibly since Foba has always been at the top end in prices but this is certainly not a new product.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Yes I came across the Foba one during my research, it was made of solid acrylic but was about $500 and not very big. For the last 10 years I've been making my own out of LEE diff sat ontop of a clear acetate made into the shape of a cone but it was inconvenient to make this each time.

[@lxrproductions]

LEE diff ? 🧐 what is that? @@VisualEducationStudio

[@ArcanePath360]

Excellent tutorial

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@NarenderSingh-cl8le]

You r the best!!!!

[@mirkolink7744]

It's a very nice tool... but, if you have a very polished surface and you picked a photo with a smooth surface... do you change an important visual property of the product. Is this a good idea for product photography?