How to Composite Images to Create the Perfect Product Shot

Photographing small objects is a unique challenge, and if you want to know the right gear to showcase those items, the best I would say is to look no further than a DSLR or mirrorless camera and a macro lens. After slapping a sweet macro lens on your camera, you will be amazed at the brand-new world you have access to—one that is tough to imagine. You’ll be able to capture the beauty of a water droplet or the surprising detail found in an everyday object. And, if you are lucky enough to be a working photographer, it can boost your product photography game, especially once you add in compositing as an editing trick.
For the product photographer, macro lenses and the images they create can be used to showcase smaller products in unique ways. Macro photography brings a new dimension to the image when you get up close, giving an almost three-dimensional wraparound feel. Macro images also come with some beautiful bokeh. We all love the blurred background look, but if you are photographing a product for a client, they typically hate when the blurred background manages to blur out part of their product. It’s understandable, and as product photographers we need to showcase the product in the best way we can. A key to that is making sure the entire product is in focus. That’s where compositing comes in.
We will be taking multiple macro images, all with different focus points, and making one complete photograph. Also, while we are doing that, we are going to use this compositing trick to manipulate the lighting in different images and build the perfect shot in post.

This is the final image, after all the editing is done.

Our subject is a mug for Chelsea Gilligan’s Little Imperfect line of ceramics. We shot everything at f/16 and used a tripod at all times. A tripod is an absolute must when compositing images. Now let’s go back to the beginning and walk through how we did this.
When I start photographing a product, I like to work from the ground up. Literally.