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Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseb...

  
 
rscheffler
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p.2 #1 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Ming-Tzu wrote:
My terms are $2500 if he likes the pictures, and $1000 if he doesn't. That way, I don't lose out on money used to purchase the lighting gear. He seemed agreeable to those terms. I was also upfront about my zero experience with product photography but was willing to give it a try. I am thinking he just needs a photographer and $1,000 is enough of a gamble to take a chance.


That does leave you somewhat exposed with a potential subjective gray zone interpretation of what constitutes 'good'. In that he could say he doesn't like the photos but uses them anyway. I mean we expect people to be honest but the stuff I see happening in my wife's work with the efforts her employer's business partners go to pocket revenue without reporting it... it's like a game to some and losing doesn't mean getting caught but not doing it in the first place for your own gain; screw everyone else... Sad, really, but I digress.

Anyway, your arrangement seems pretty casual so hopefully it will all work out.



Sep 02, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Sy Sez
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p.2 #2 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


You could also Google Baseball bat Product images and have your client go over them to determine what he finds appealing. Might save some disappointment in the end.






Sep 03, 2026 at 07:16 AM
kaplah
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p.2 #3 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Ming-Tzu wrote:
My terms are $2500 if he likes the pictures, and $1000 if he doesn't.

My standard deal: if the images aren't working for the customer's end use, they don't use them and don't pay. No-one has ever done that, but it provides peace of mind for the customer as they have no financial risk.

So it's not about liking the images, it's about using them. I am not a lawyer, but it seems prudent to have that in your contract. You are doing a contract, yes?



Sep 03, 2026 at 02:06 PM
Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #4 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Yes definitely will have a contract to stipulate terms. But it seems like a pretty casual arrangement. But I'll see what the company says as far as terms and whatnot.

kaplah wrote:
My standard deal: if the images aren't working for the customer's end use, they don't use them and don't pay. No-one has ever done that, but it provides peace of mind for the customer as they have no financial risk.

So it's not about liking the images, it's about using them. I am not a lawyer, but it seems prudent to have that in your contract. You are doing a contract, yes?




Sep 04, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #5 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


I'm sort of going through the rabbit hole of which flash(es) to get. Definitely Godox. However, I'm a bit torn between the AD, DP and QT series. I don't anticipate needing to be on-site so leaning towards the mains. But intrigued with the flexibility of multiple AD200 units.

Initially, I was going to purchase 2-3 of the same flashes but wondered if I should be purchasing different models for different purposes. Like maybe a DP800 or DP1000 for background and other types for the sides? Just wondering if I should be mixing and matching different flash models for the same shoot. Also, I gotta contemplate the pros/cons of different models.

I am thinking a 2-3 flash combination of the following would be in the budget:

- AD200 Pro II
- DP800 or DP1000
- QT400
- MS300V

rscheffler wrote:
If you're going to buy some of this gear and can use it later, for example you have a bunch of speedlights, so it sounds like you might already do some multi-unit OCF shoots, the AD200 would be a good upgrade over those. The strip lights might be more specialized and instead you might get better use out of regular more square or octagonal boxes. For the latter, you can 'convert' them to strip boxes very easily to strips of whatever size or width you need, by simply masking the face of a regular softbox with black foam core, or
...Show more →



Sep 04, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Sy Sez
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p.2 #6 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Food for thought:
Unless there is something truly unique about "this" bat that can be emphasized in photo, it might make sense to make the photo more creatively appealing by, for instance, adding a baseball, and/or glove while still emphasizing the bat, or doing a composite of an actual baseball game as a background?



Sep 05, 2026 at 12:38 PM
sungphoto
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p.2 #7 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Ming-Tzu wrote:
I'm sort of going through the rabbit hole of which flash(es) to get. Definitely Godox. However, I'm a bit torn between the AD, DP and QT series. I don't anticipate needing to be on-site so leaning towards the mains. But intrigued with the flexibility of multiple AD200 units.

Initially, I was going to purchase 2-3 of the same flashes but wondered if I should be purchasing different models for different purposes. Like maybe a DP800 or DP1000 for background and other types for the sides? Just wondering if I should be mixing and matching different flash models for the same shoot.
...Show more →

Would depend entirely on how you want to light it, and the depth of field you want to shoot it at. The last time I shot a baseball bat earlier this year, we used a total of 7 lights, ranging from 2400 ws pack and heads to 250 ws monolights.



Sep 08, 2026 at 07:24 PM
Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #8 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


In theory, I'm envisioning three Godox 300w lights. One for the backdrop to make sure it's a white background. And the other two outfitted with strip softboxes illuminating the bat hanging from fishing line. With my 5d4 and 70-200

sungphoto wrote:
Would depend entirely on how you want to light it, and the depth of field you want to shoot it at. The last time I shot a baseball bat earlier this year, we used a total of 7 lights, ranging from 2400 ws pack and heads to 250 ws monolights.




Sep 08, 2026 at 08:02 PM
rscheffler
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p.2 #9 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


The other thing with this being an inanimate object and a classical product photography situation, you could light it with continuous lighting rather than strobes. I doubt it would be cheaper in the end, but if you could have more use for such lighting instead of strobes for your other work, it would be worth considering. Additionally, if you're pretty new to studio strobe work, soft boxes, etc., it's easier to work with continuous because WYSIWYG. Waaayy back when I was in school, our first year was 100% continuous lighting for precisely this reason.

A challenge with continuous is that you need a lot more power than you expect, but for your situation, you should be able to get away with lower output lights IF you can totally eliminate all other light sources that might affect the image due to the necessity of long shutter speeds at low ISOs. Suspending it from fishing line however will be problematic as the bat will move. This could also be an issue on strobe if you need the bat to maintain a specific position, such as to see branding, etc.

I'd guess it's extremely rare for images generated by professional product photographers not to be run through Photoshop for retouching purposes, which would still be necessary for fishing line. But since it's going through PS anyway, a more robust anchoring/positioning arrangement likely won't incur much additional work in post.



Sep 08, 2026 at 09:02 PM
sungphoto
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p.2 #10 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Ming-Tzu wrote:
In theory, I'm envisioning three Godox 300w lights. One for the backdrop to make sure it's a white background. And the other two outfitted with strip softboxes illuminating the bat hanging from fishing line. With my 5d4 and 70-200



For something the size of a baseball bat, assuming you're shooting it horizontally, you'd probably want two lights for the background to make it an even pure white, at a distance where it's not spilling too much onto the back of the bat. The edges of a bat clip pretty easily on pure white, especially if it's too close to the background. I'd just use the strip boxes for the background.



Sep 08, 2026 at 09:47 PM
 


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BigBabyMoses06
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p.2 #11 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Something as clean and simple as "Baseball bat on a white background", you don't need to worry about getting the background exposure absolutely perfect. Get the lighting perfect on the subject and then extract it, or just adjust the background exposure / color in post.

I'd consider even hanging the bat with fishing line to get it off the backdrop, where the white paper will reflect and fill shadows more than I would want. But I tend to over complicate things. Also could be a fun opportunity to get creative after nailing the shots they are after, and offer some more dramatic photos for social media marketing. Check out Bonesaber's bats and producs photos.

Re flash units, I moved to westcott so I could use the same batteries for all 3 of my main flashes (250, 400, and 800) and very happy I did. They now offer a 100 unit as well. With godox, each unit uses it's own unique battery and they have had their fair share of battery issues. I don't know anything about other brands.


Controlling the reflections on the bat itself will be important. Loads of info on the youtubes.




Another option that popped into my head, is find a small affordable studio outside of the city and outsource the work to them.



Sep 09, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #12 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


BigBabyMoses06 wrote:
Something as clean and simple as "Baseball bat on a white background", you don't need to worry about getting the background exposure absolutely perfect. Get the lighting perfect on the subject and then extract it, or just adjust the background exposure / color in post.

I'd consider even hanging the bat with fishing line to get it off the backdrop, where the white paper will reflect and fill shadows more than I would want. But I tend to over complicate things. Also could be a fun opportunity to get creative after nailing the shots they are after, and offer some
...Show more →

Yeah, I tend to overcomplicate things as well haha. I am assuming this will be relatively easier than what I am making it out to be. Sure, there will be hiccups along the way but as long as I have enough lights, diffusers, etc., I can play around with spacing of the lights, etc. to make it work.

For the backdrop, I am looking at the Kate collapsible backdrop rather than the traditional white paper backdrop with the backdrop stand. The collapsible one is big enough to accomodate the bat and is much lighter. I would probably still buy the backdrop stand though. For this instance, I am thinking the stand can be used to hang the bat with fishing line. In the future, the backdrop stand can be used in case I decide to go with the white paper backdrop.

I was told only static shots so I guess buying the best strobes is easier than if there were action shots. I am probably going for 3-4 Godox MS300-V lights. I was going to get three but, with the cost here in Hanoi being only $90 USD, I was thinking to get a fourth one "just in case." Another thought running through my head is to get only two MS300-V lights for the background, and then maybe get something for action in case that's needed. Something like one QT400 III. However, I am researching whether it's even possible at a basic level to take the following shot: action shot with fast SS using the QT as the key light, while simultaneously using the MS lights aimed at the backdrop to create the white background. I know the MS will default to the camera's flash sync speed, which would be 1/200 in this instance (5d4). My assumption is that if I shoot a picture at, say 1/5000 SS, the QT will take the shot at that 1/5000 but the other lights in the group (MS300-V) will fire off at 1/200. Not sure what the impact that would be. All in all, best not to overcomplicate things and just buy the lights that are needed vs buying lights for things that may or may not be needed lol

Anyway, lots more research to do

Thanks!



Sep 09, 2026 at 10:53 AM
sungphoto
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p.2 #13 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Keep it simple and just use a paper backdrop and the stand for its intended purpose. It would make more sense to use C-stand arms to hold each end of the bat, that way angling it would take just a simple adjustment of the stand height.

How you are using flags and bounce panels is just as important as the strobes and modifiers you’re using.



Sep 09, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Sy Sez
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p.2 #14 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


I can't help but wonder what's so special about this bat, that the client is offering $2,500 to an armature product photographer, when there are thousands of baseball bat stock photos available, many of which are user customizable?
https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=baseball+bat
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/baseball-bat
https://www.pexels.com/search/baseball%20bat/



Sep 09, 2026 at 01:14 PM
rscheffler
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p.2 #15 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


sungphoto wrote:
For something the size of a baseball bat, assuming you're shooting it horizontally, you'd probably want two lights for the background to make it an even pure white, at a distance where it's not spilling too much onto the back of the bat. The edges of a bat clip pretty easily on pure white, especially if it's too close to the background. I'd just use the strip boxes for the background.


This might be a difficult concept for many to grasp but as I suggested earlier, and as mentioned above, that edge transition would be a big challenge if the OP did as originally envisioned and put the bat in a light tent. Bats have a lacquer finish that is very shiny and as the bat surface curves away from the camera, that shiny finish will pick up the white background and you'll lose the sharp transition from bat to background. It's why I suggested putting a black mask between the bat and the white background, with the mask opening just large enough not to crop into the bat. And with that mask some distance behind the bat. This should kill most reflection of the background from the edges of the bat and make for a much sharper transition. Lighting on the bat would be slightly frontal at least to avoid putting light on that edge transition.

As for how to suspend the bat - you could put a long screw into each end and prop it horizontally on a stand on each side. Sure, the screws will be in the photo, but you just remove them in post.

I totally agree with other comments that you don't need to achieve a perfect white background in-camera. You just want a clear separation of tones between the edge of the bat and the background. The background can be made white in post.



Sep 10, 2026 at 07:47 PM
rscheffler
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p.2 #16 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Ming-Tzu wrote:
I know the MS will default to the camera's flash sync speed, which would be 1/200 in this instance (5d4). My assumption is that if I shoot a picture at, say 1/5000 SS, the QT will take the shot at that 1/5000 but the other lights in the group (MS300-V) will fire off at 1/200. Not sure what the impact that would be. All in all, best not to overcomplicate things and just buy the lights that are needed vs buying lights for things that may or may not be needed lol

Anyway, lots more research to do

Thanks!


It won't work. If you're going to shoot at 1/5000 in HSS with a flash that works at HSS (I'm assuming the QT), that flash pulses the light output to extend the flash duration time to 1/250, which is the travel time for the shutter slit opening to cross the frame. The pulsed light is necessary so that at every point across the frame that the shutter slit/opening passes, the light output is exactly the same. With a cheap non-HSS flash, it will probably have a flash duration shorter than 1/250, meaning that the shutter opening will only see that flash for a brief portion of the time it takes to cross the frame. Meaning, you'll register an exposure only for a small section of the image right at the start of the shutter travel. While there are some niche systems that operate in Hi-sync or hyper-sync mode, rather than pulsing the strobe output as the shutter opening crosses the frame, they rely on a very long flash duration, typically longer than the camera's max sync speed, so that the single burst output of the strobe is 'on' for the full time that the 'higher than sync speed' shutter opening crosses the frame. But this system has some downsides in that the output during that single burst is not entirely even, meaning that exposure across the frame is less even than HSS strobes.

All that said, if you have total control over ambient lighting and can mostly eliminate it from illuminating the subject, you don't need to use a high *camera* shutter speed to freeze action with strobes. You just need strobes with short (fast) flash durations. The strobe's flash duration effectively becomes the 'shutter speed' because that is the only light on the subject. So if the flash duration is 1/2000, that is the same freezing effect as a 1/2000 shutter speed in continuous light. The catch here is that cheap strobes generally have slow/long flash durations at higher power outputs, or depending on how the reduce flash output, possibly across their full output range. It can be as slow as around 1/200, which will not freeze fast action. Many of the battery operated studio strobes are IGBT controlled, which means that as power output is reduced, the IGBT circuit shortens the output pulse, which shortens flash duration. So a lot of these strobes have really short flash durations at low output levels, and is why you will see some outrageous looking claims like 1/20000 flash duration. Sure, that's true, but probably at 1/128 power. If you need short flash duration at high power output in order to stop down a lot and use low ISO, you're looking at seriously expensive strobe equipment.

So if action isn't on the client's 'want list' I'd skip thinking about it. If it is, you'd be better off to rent some decent studio strobes from a rental house and increase the fee.




Sep 10, 2026 at 08:06 PM
sungphoto
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p.2 #17 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


rscheffler wrote:
This might be a difficult concept for many to grasp but as I suggested earlier, and as mentioned above, that edge transition would be a big challenge if the OP did as originally envisioned and put the bat in a light tent. Bats have a lacquer finish that is very shiny and as the bat surface curves away from the camera, that shiny finish will pick up the white background and you'll lose the sharp transition from bat to background. It's why I suggested putting a black mask between the bat and the white background, with the mask opening just
...Show more →

It won't be an issue as long as the entire bat is in focus, but if the OP is planning on doing shots where one end is closer to the camera than the other, than the softer focus on the other end may be harder to just mask out if the ends are falling into a light grey. Some bats have an irregular surface due to the quality of the grain, so it's trickier to do cutouts than one might think. Also, because the bat is reflective, it might potentially reflect back the hot spot in the background, whereas lighting the background evenly avoids that potential complication.

When I shot an MLB bat earlier this year, we used a blackout tent to control reflections, and even with the backdrop carefully metered it's still tricky to control the highlights on the edges of a bat when you're striving to get it right in camera. It takes a little more work on the front end, and saves you hours in post.



Sep 10, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Alek Komarnits
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p.2 #18 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


In addition to the classic product shots, you could provide some "action" shot as depicted on this webpage (obviously get the branding lined up better) ... plus it's a TON of fun SMASHING APPLES! ;-)

https://www.komar.org/faq/sports/smashing-apples/











Sep 10, 2026 at 10:45 PM
kaplah
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p.2 #19 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat?


Alek Komarnits wrote:
... it's a TON of fun SMASHING APPLES! ;-)

Unless people routinely buy bats to smash apples, I'm struggling to understand how this would help to sell them.



Sep 11, 2026 at 01:39 PM
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