Angle-of-Incidence Scrim Gradients
Feather your strobe or LED behind a secondary diffusion scrim so glossy bottles display smooth, continuous vertical light strips instead of hotspots.
Photography & Lighting
Program #037 · Photography
✓ Free Online Intro Included
Commercial Tabletop Product, Glass & Packaging Photography
Control reflections on glass bottles, metallic foil labels, and chrome caps using diffusion scrims, black edge flags, and multi-plane focus stacking.
Aiming a bare softbox straight at a serum bottle, wine glass, or foil-stamped carton leaves a harsh rectangular glare patch across the brand label. Grounded in angle-of-incidence physics, this studio course teaches you how to shoot through diffusion scrims for smooth cylindrical gradients, carve crisp glass contours with negative flags, and blend multi-pass product composites.
✓ Free Online Introductory Session
Start with a free online intro consultation for this course: we review the syllabus together, clarify how many sessions you need based on your goals and pace, and decide whether continuing Online ($69 CAD/hr) or In-Person ($99 CAD/hr) suits you best.
First Session
Free Online Intro
Session Rates
$69/hr Online · $99/hr In-Person
Course Structure
Tailored to Your Level & Pace
Instructor & Language
Iman Adlkhah · EN & Persian
Need on-location photography for your team, brand, or listing in Toronto & GTA? Explore our Toronto Photography Services, configure a shoot on Book Online, or see recent shoots on @tehranto.plus on Instagram.
Course Learning Pillars
Core Capabilities Developed in This Course
Every learner starts from a different background. These are the core capabilities this course develops, paced to your goals across the sessions we plan together.
Negative Edge Flags on Clear Glass
Place symmetrical black cards just outside the frame to draw clean dark contours along clear glass edges against bright studio backgrounds.
Multi-Slice Macro Focus Stacking
Capture progressive focal planes from front cap edge to rear packaging corner so close-up catalog shots stay sharp front-to-back.
Dedicated Foil, Label & Liquid Passes
Capture quick dedicated light passes for gold foil stamps, matte paper labels, and backlit amber liquids so every material reads at its best.
Course Syllabus
Core Concepts & Topics Covered
Below are the main concepts and topics covered in this course. In your Free Online Intro Session, we align the exact depth and number of sessions to your experience and goals.
Topic 01
Angle of Reflection, Scrims & Matte vs Glossy Boxes
Set up a tabletop rig hands-on to see how moving the scrim versus moving the lamp changes gradient width on packaging.
- Testing the family of angles from the camera viewfinder position
- Building clean three-tone dimension across top, front, and side box panels
- Using museum wax, acrylic risers, and plumb rigging for crisp alignment
Topic 02
Clear Glass, Amber Liquids & Specular Chrome Caps
Light translucent liquids from within using hidden foil cutouts and keep camera reflections off polished metal hardware.
- Cutting custom rear silver/gold bounce cards matched to bottle silhouettes
- Bright-field backlighting vs dark-field rim lighting for glassware
- Surrounding chrome caps and jewelry accents with lit white tents/cards
Topic 03
Macro Focus Stacking & Multi-Light Capture Passes
Lock camera stability on a geared head or tether setup to shoot aligned focus slices and dedicated label/foil light frames.
- Determining step overlap at f/8–f/11 to avoid diffraction softness
- Using a small handheld bounce card to wake up embossed foil typography
- Capturing a clean shadow/reflection base pass on acrylic or stone
Topic 04
Focus Blending, Pen-Path Isolation & Commercial Retouch
Combine focus stacks and light passes into a clean e-commerce or campaign master file free of dust, halos, and crooked label seams.
- Blending focus stacks cleanly without haloing around overlapping bottle shoulders
- Precision vector Pen-tool paths for pure `#FFFFFF` marketplace compliance
- Frequency/dust cleanup on glass and subtle gradient polish on metal caps
Course Reference Overview
Commercial Tabletop Surface Lighting Matrix
Core practical benchmarks and standards covered as part of this course's curriculum.
| Material Surface | Direct Softbox Result | Principled Studio Rig | Critical Control Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glossy Cylinder Bottle | Harsh rectangular patch | Strobe feathered into wide scrim | Lamp-to-scrim distance sets strip width |
| Clear Glass on White | Edges vanish into background | Lit white backdrop + black side flags | Flag gap controls dark contour thickness |
| Matte Paper Carton | Flat single-tone front | Top-three-quarter key + gentle fill | Keep three visible planes distinct in tone |
| Foil Stamp & Chrome | Reflects dark room as black | Angle lit white card into reflection zone | Metal never lights directly; light what it sees |
Start With Your Free Intro Session
Book Program #037: Commercial Tabletop Product, Glass & Packaging Photography
Choose a time for your Free Online Intro Session to map out your course path, or book an Online ($69/hr) or In-Person ($99/hr) session directly.
1. Choose Option & Preferred Time (ET)
Program FAQ
Common Questions
Can I bring my own brand's physical bottles or packaging to photograph during training?
Definitely. Bringing two or three of your actual jars, bottles, or cartons lets us build and measure the exact tabletop scrim and flag diagram your product line needs. Share photos of your packaging during our Free Online Intro Session so we prepare the right surfaces.
How does the Free Online Intro Session work, and how many sessions will I need?
Every course begins with a Free Online Introductory Session where we review the core syllabus together, evaluate your current background and goals, and map out how many sessions you actually need and whether continuing Online ($69 CAD/hr) or In-Person ($99 CAD/hr) suits you best. Session count is never a rigid one-size-fits-all number; it adapts to your own level and pace.
Do I have to commit to a multi-session package upfront?
Never. There is zero upfront package commitment: once your free online intro session maps out your path, any coaching sessions you choose ($69 CAD/hr online or $99 CAD/hr in-person) are scheduled flexibly session-by-session at your own pace.
Are courses taught in English, Persian (Farsi), or bilingual?
Your choice: every session with Iman Adlkhah can be conducted 100% in English, 100% in Persian (Farsi), or naturally bilingual with industry terminology.
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