These are a few examples of product photography done on the cheap if they help.

Steak + Chips was shot during food service for a client. Saves them $$ as we shot actual meals ordered for lunch. Shot on top of a table shoved out of the way with about 15 seconds spare (got to give it to the punters while it's hot...).
580EX in a brolly box, camera right about 20cm high.
550EX + Stofen left and 420EX+ Stofen left and back for fill.
I used the stoies as I wanted a bit of shine for that hot freshly cooked look.
Triggered with STE2, Canon 350D, kit lens (the old days for me)




This tie was shot on a glass topped "serving trolley" with black material on the floor surrounded by cardboard to flag any light falling on the BG.
Main 580 in a 70cm x 50cm softbox, bottom left at 45deg at about 10 -20cm above the tie using OC 2 cord.
1 x 580 top left aimed towards the bottom right of shot. Elevated only about 3-5cm above the height of the tie, flagged to prevent flare.
1 x 550 top right aimed towards bottom right across the top for a bit of "edge" at about 5-10cm above the height of the tie.
A white reflector about knot height angled towards the "neck space"
Canon 40D 17-85 IS USM lens (the not so old days, better lenses now)




I shot this with a Canon S5IS, Sunglasses:
Shot on white plexiglass with 2 Canon 580EX (one at back and one underneath) for BG.
Another Canon 580EX through a 70cm x 50cm Softbox.
Canon S5IS, not bad for a P+S. (the ancient days)
Triggered by Cactus wireless



I concentrated on getting my lights together first (for quick, small jobs, my market), started with a 220Ex then 420EX then added 580Ex + 550EX and then a couple of 580EXIIs. What I then lacked in camera bodies and lenses I made up in Photoshop.

These examples are a while ago, but I hope this shows you that you can achieve reasonable work with not so great gear BUT, better gear helps you work smarter and faster...

Good Luck Cheers Gaz

Technique-wise realize that 3D shape is best revealed by cross lighting and shooting into the shadow side. Just consider how the moon looks in its phases from new/spherical to full and flat and what direction of light creates that illusion in the brain of the viewer. Shape in a 2D medium is defined with highlight placement and highlight / shadow contrast. Our brains are conditioned to seeing and interpreting highlighted surfaces as being raised and shadowed surfaces as being lower, so when lighting is arranged to fit that pattern it looks "natural". If you set the lights so there are shadows on the raised surfaces and highlights in the lower ones the contrast pattern doesn't match the mental image of the object and it will not look natural.

Most natural light comes from above and casts shadows in a downward direction so for starters you'll usually want your "key" highlight producing light above the object. Start with your "key" light above, behind and to the side of the object, about 135 degrees off the camera axis, which will produce shape defining rim highlighting. Then you will need independent control of the fill light coming from the direction of the camera to open up the the shadows and reveal the detail in the foreground to the extent required for the presentation of the object.

Beyond that simple two light configuration, which can be done with natural light / reflector or two flashes you can control the contrast and tweek the modeling by adding additional reflector card on the sides to nuance the shadow detail and shape or black cards to cut reflections.

Think holisitically in terms of contrast. Ask youself "What is most important in the photo / on the object and how can I make it contrast more than anything else?" With that goal in mind the task of where to put the light is clearer; you put the light on whatever will make what is most important contrast the most with the overall background tone. Often the simplest way to do that is by controlling the tone of the background. Note how in Nick's examples the overall shape of the black objects was best defined on a white background and the black one made the edges of the object disappear into the background. A medium gray background would strike a better balance between highlights and shadows in the object making both contrast.

Reflective objects like jewelry and bottles require a different strategy for lighting. What is seen on the object is the reflection of the surroundings so you surround the object with with a uniform white surround, then use black cards to cut the refections where the parts of the object are lower from the point-of-view of the camera, recalling how the brain interprets highlights as raised areas and shaded darker parts as lower / further away. Its really all about creating contrast patterns that trick the brain to thinking the 2D pattern of highlight and shadow is a 3D object.

Chuck

to everybody, i'm a little ashamed of the answers. i stop seeing reply's for a while so i just unsubscribed the notifications and didn't noticed the thread was going on.

there are very good advices and i've learnt a bit (been thinking about the book science of light) but it seems the client won't pay for that so i'll make de website and the client will took the pictures with a p&s.....

thank you everybody for the reply's and i'm sorry for not noticeing it before.