Lighting plays one of the biggest roles in how your product photos turn out. When it's done right, good lighting shapes the mood, brings out color, adds depth, and gives your photos the professional edge they need to stand out online. But when it’s off, even just slightly, products can look flat, colors may appear inaccurate, and finer details get lost. If you’ve been hitting snags with how your product shots are coming out, poor lighting might be part of the problem.
This is especially true for creatives and brand teams working in Los Angeles, where expectations for visuals are high and the competition is fierce. The sun might shine most of the year, but that doesn’t always make lighting simple when you’re shooting indoors. Whether you're running a quick shoot for your skincare line or building a catalog of new arrivals for your fashion brand, fixing your lighting mistakes can make a big difference in photo quality and post-production effort.
Common Causes of Poor Lighting
Unwanted lighting issues can show up in different ways, and they don’t always come from a bad camera setting or the wrong background. When the lighting is off, it often shows in one or more of the following ways:
- Harsh shadows that overpower the product
- Uneven lighting where one part of the product looks overexposed while another is too dark
- Color tone mismatches caused by different types of bulbs or light sources
- A dull or flat-looking product with no highlights or natural depth
One of the easiest mistakes to overlook is mixing light sources. Using daylight from a window and artificial light in the same shot can create two different color temperatures. Cameras often can’t process this well, and the result is off-color product photos that take longer to fix.
Another issue comes from relying only on overhead lighting. Top-down light with no bounce or fill source can cause heavy shadows under your product and make it feel disconnected from the scene.
We've also seen photos where the product is brightly lit, but the lighting is too direct, aimed straight at the object. This flattens the look and overshadows important texture. Glossy packaging and reflective edges, like metal or glass, can also catch stiff glare when the light angle isn’t managed properly.
Fixing lighting isn’t just about adding more brightness. It’s about controlling where the light falls, softening it when needed, and making the product stand out without being overwhelmed by shadows or shine.
Quick Fixes for Lighting Problems
Before investing in new gear or renting a photography space, try some simple setups that can make a noticeable difference. These quick tweaks can help give your photos a cleaner look without heavy editing.
1. Use natural light wisely
- Place your table near a window with steady, indirect sunlight
- Avoid strong sun streaks that cast hard, high-contrast shadows
- If the light is too harsh, hang a sheer white curtain to soften it
- Try to shoot at the same time each day for consistent lighting
2. Reduce shadows with reflectors
- Foam boards, white paper, or fabric can bounce light back onto your product
- Put them on the opposite side of your main light source to balance lighting
3. Adjust your product's position
- Rotate the item or adjust the angle slightly to find the best light catch
- Elevate the product with a small stand or base to prevent weird surface shadows
- Stay away from colored surfaces that can reflect unwanted hues
4. Minimize distractions from the background
- Use a matte, light-colored backdrop that won’t compete with your product
- Skip glossy backgrounds that create extra reflections
5. Soften strong lighting
- Clamp light fabric or a commercial diffuser in front of your bulb
- A stretched white shower curtain can work to tame brightness or glare
These changes don’t require much beyond a thoughtful setup. Even a few small changes to how you direct and control light can help reduce editing time and help highlight the unique features of your product.
Advanced Lighting Solutions
If you’ve tried the basics and your images still feel off, it could be time to level up to more refined tools. This doesn’t mean building a massive studio or buying very expensive gear. It just means adding some tools that give you more reliable control over your lighting.
Softboxes are a top upgrade. They spread light across a wider area, making shadows softer and giving your products a more natural glow. You can use softboxes as your main light source or as a secondary fill to help even out lighting from other spots.
If you're working with more than one product or style combinations, setting up more than one light can really help. Use a key light to define the shape, a fill light to soften shadows, and a third light to brighten the background or separate your product from it. This approach gives your setup more dimension and polish without having to fix things digitally.
Colored gels add another layer of control. These thin pieces of colored plastic fit over your light source and can help correct tones or create mood. They’re especially useful when working with reflective surfaces or when you’re trying to dial in a season-specific look.
If you're shooting skincare products in Los Angeles toward the end of summer, using a warm gel filter can keep your scene cozy and on-brand as fall sets in. It's a small touch, but it can make packaging designs sing in just the right way.
Maintaining Consistent Lighting
Once your lighting setup is dialed in, keeping it consistent is what really keeps your photos sharp from shoot to shoot. This goes a long way when you're cataloging a new collection, posting frequent product drops, or working with different clients.
Start with a dedicated photo space. Even a small room corner works. Keep your lights, reflectors, and surfaces in the same position and mark your setup with painter’s tape so you can quickly reset if something shifts.
Use consistent camera settings that match your usual lighting conditions, so you don’t have to recalibrate every time.
Lighting equipment needs regular checks too. Swapping in a light bulb with a slightly different tone can throw off the whole set. Prefer using matching LED or fluorescent bulbs and replace them in full sets when needed.
These quick tips help keep things consistent:
- Use painter’s tape to mark light and camera positions
- Keep your shooting gear and background carefully stored
- Write out or sketch your favored setups to duplicate them later
- Retest your lighting every time you’re launching a new shoot
- Stick to one type of lighting across setups to maintain color balance
Consistency fuels trust. When you post photos that share the same quality and lighting across products and marketing channels, your audience recognizes your brand instantly.
Let Your Photos Do the Selling
Poor lighting can make your product look less appealing than it actually is. Harsh shadows, overblown highlights, or odd color shifts steal attention from what matters most. When your images feel underwhelming, your lighting setup is often to blame.
Clean, consistent lighting is especially important in locations like Los Angeles, where the market is full of great visual content and top-notch brands. Whether you’re prepping for a seasonal launch or updating your main product catalog, small improvements in lighting can increase both visual clicks and perceived value. Investing time and care into your lighting setup helps your product photos share your brand’s story clearly and professionally.
By making smart choices and recognizing exactly what’s standing between your product and a great photo, your results can shift in a big way. Better lighting leads to better photos—and better results.
To truly let your products shine in a competitive market like Los Angeles, partnering with a professional studio can make all the difference. For tailored solutions that support your brand from concept to final image, explore how our team at Four x Five can bring out the best in your product photography in Los Angeles. Elevate your visuals with a setup designed to highlight every detail.
