Brian Rodgers Jr – The Hero Shot: How To Light And Composite Product Photography

The Hero Shot

The Hero Shot is a 13 hour video that can be watched immediately after purchase. The unlocked video files can be watched on a computer, phone, tablet, or TV.

Who is Brian Rodgers Jr.

After leaving a corporate career to work on a 3D team, Brian Rodgers Jr. got into product photography. Brian became the highest rated product photographer on the Fstoppers Community within a few months of becoming a part-time writer. Brian has learned how to produce world-class product photography without the need for a studio or expensive gear.

Where The Tutorial Begins

You don’t have a big studio. Brian does not. He shoots products for companies all over the country from his home studio. Brian wanted to show that capturing an incredible shot doesn’t have anything to do with your studio or your gear. Brian used inexpensive lights to create a picture of a drill.

He was able to create this image by combining a few different exposures and adding a background.

Brian uses speedlights for the next shot. Brian was once again able to come away with a simple, yet beautifully lit photograph without relying on expensive gear by lighting a single perfume bottle and then duplicating it.

All Image Files Are Included

It’s an absolute necessity in the world of product photography if you don’t like it. Almost every image of a product you have ever seen in an advertisement has been created with some sort of compositing techniques. Brian teaches the techniques he has mastered to produce professionally edited photos quickly and easily in a large part of the tutorial. All of the files that Brian uses to create his shots will be available to you.

What Gear Does Brian Use

Brian insists that the gear you use doesn’t matter and that almost any camera, lens, and lighting system will work. Brian uses a range of different gear to help you master his techniques regardless of what equipment you own.

Brian shoots with a Sony A7RII and a Canon 24-105mm lens but he always tethers his camera to a computer. This allows both Brian, and you the viewer, to view each shot directly through his camera. Every time Brian moves the product or a light, you’ll be able to see and understand how the changes affect the overall product shot.

Brian uses a variety of light sources for the lighting in this video. The light doesn’t really matter, but Brian uses a lot of store-bought and homemade modifiers to create the perfect light. No matter what your budget is, you will be able to use the tools you have to replicate Brian’s style.

Shooting multiple products

You might think that shooting a pair of speakers would only take a single shot, but Brian shoots all of his products separately. He can change the composition after the shoot is over. Brian’s method makes it easy to give the client exactly what they want in the final product photo.

Making Products Levitate

We have seen images of products levitating but how do they do it? If your product is laying on the ground, you won’t be able to light it realistic. Brian attached a video game controller to a dowel rod and floated it above his set. He was able to turn a well light image into an advertising style photograph by using a simple background.

Focus Stacking

The depth of field may become an issue when shooting small products with a macro lens. When shooting a watch, most brands want the watch to be sharp. Brian teaches his favorite way to light a watch and also focus stacking the image to make sure the entire watch is as sharp as possible.

Managing reflections

Product photography can be difficult to shoot. Brian wanted to film an entire lesson on reflections and decided to shoot a set of oddly shaped products. He was able to control the reflections and come away with a clean and elegant final shot using a few techniques.

Creating A Small Set

Brian wanted to stage and light a complex set by taking all of the information he was taught in the lesson. He was able to get a great looking image out of the camera but with a little bit of editing, he was able to make it into a great portfolio.

This download includes.

• 9 Video Files (25 GB, 1080p 23.98fps h.264 mp4 files)
• Over 13 Hours of Content
• All High Res Images Included
• Brian’s Full Story
• Intro to Post Production
• 7 Unique Final Photographs
• Brian’s Entire Post Production Workflow
• Access to Brian’s secret The Hero Shot Facebook Group

Delivery Method