One of the most popular ways to achieve a clean, modern look in product photography is through high-key lighting. Using a seamless white background creates a distraction-free image that's easy to edit later, but sometimes adding subtle details can better reflect a product's personality and attract attention.
High-key refers to the dominance of brighter tones in the shot, which produces a clean image. This allows good contrast while introducing an airy atmosphere, setting off products with a modern feel or with geometric shapes.
It offers clean surroundings for clean lines. This type of lighting can be achieved by mixing natural window light with a reflector on the opposite side of the object, creating a balanced exposure.
Color shifts can be a problem when using window light, and ugly reflections are common with metal or glass products. In these cases, setting up a light tent, or simply surrounding the product with light sources on all sides, produces a wrapping and soft style, with minimal shadows.
High-key shots don't need to be limited in color palette. While a dominance of white can appear contemporary, overlighting a chroma background can have intriguing effects which suggest a setting, without additional set items actually being introduced to the scene.
Most critically, when setting the lighting for your shot, consider the branding of the product. The tone in any shot is significantly affected by the amount of light present, and this has to make sense for the product.
Key characteristics
Color choice
We chose a yellow background color to introduce a summery, sunlight atmosphere.
High-key color
Exposing to-the-right has given the scene greater luminance, maintaining the high-key modern styling.
Minimalist composition
Wider framing increases negative space, pushing the clean, unrestricted tone.
Alternative look
Splash of color
To break up the otherwise empty periphery, the petals add contrast while staying on-brand.
Almost shadowless
Window light from the right and diffused flash from the left reduce most shadows to soft impressions.
Subtle high-key
The airy look is achieved through bright negative space, which contrasts with the dark box but is not entirely seamless.
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