Claimverta
Claimverta Light manipulation in photography
Photography Intermediate to Professional

Studio Product Photography: Advanced Lighting and Client Workflow

10 sessions over 5 weeks 933 888 01-01-2026

There is a specific gap between knowing how to take a good product photo and running a product photography workflow that a client can rely on consistently. This masterclass is about closing that gap.

We start where most courses stop. Strobe lighting, light modifiers, and multi-light setups are the technical backbone of the first half. You will build setups for four different product categories: skincare and cosmetics, food and beverage, jewellery, and hard goods like electronics or tools. Each category has its own particular challenges with reflection, texture, and scale.

The business side of the work

The second half of the masterclass covers client communication, shot list creation, and file delivery standards. These are not soft skills bolted on at the end. They are what determine whether a client comes back or finds someone else.

We also look at colour accuracy across devices, ICC profiles, and why a file that looks perfect on your monitor can appear warm and dull on a client's screen. This is a technical problem with a straightforward solution that most photographers skip.

Instructor Declan Ofosu has run a product photography studio in Melbourne for eleven years, working with e-commerce brands, advertising agencies, and small manufacturers. He teaches from real project files, not constructed examples.

Prerequisites: solid understanding of exposure triangle, experience with off-camera flash or continuous lighting, and Lightroom familiarity.

What the programme covers

A structured path through technique and practice.

Masterclass Program

Module 1: Strobe and Modifier Fundamentals

  • Strobe versus continuous: when each makes sense
  • Softboxes, beauty dishes, and strip lights in product work
  • Building a two-light setup from scratch

Module 2: Category-Specific Lighting

  • Cosmetics and skincare: skin tones, packaging gloss, and label legibility
  • Food and beverage: steam, condensation, and colour accuracy
  • Jewellery: controlling specular highlights on metal and gemstones
  • Hard goods: managing complex geometry and mixed materials

Module 3: Post-Production at Professional Standard

  • Batch editing and catalogue organisation in Lightroom
  • Frequency separation and surface retouching in Photoshop
  • Colour management and ICC profiles for accurate delivery

Module 4: Client Workflow

  • Shot list structure and pre-shoot communication
  • File naming, folder structure, and delivery formats
  • Handling revision requests without scope creep
Equipment requirements

A strobe or speedlight system with at least one modifier, a tethering cable or wireless tethering solution, and Adobe Creative Cloud. The course does not require a specific brand of equipment.