Lighting within the World of Watch Photography - Part Two
About halfway through writing my last article on lighting I realised that this could have been an extremely long article… As I work with lighting every day as part of my job I have never really noticed how much there actually is to it. Lighting is just one of those aspects that I mostly do on auto-pilot now, so I decided to make it a two part-er. Rolling on from the last, part two of this article will talk a little more about flash, continuous lighting, lighting styles, and how to deal with lighting different dial and case textures. To read part one you can click here!
Flash vs Continuous Lighting
Continuous light refers to light that is always on, in comparison to flash which lets out a quick burst of light when needed. Deciding on which is best to use completely depends on the subject matter, mood and even personal preference. Personally I have always preferred the free option of ambient lighting, the sun! It’s a great way to practice using things such as reflectors and diffusers, too.
Continuous
Another reason I always fall to continuous lighting is for the simple fact that you get what you see. It’s the easiest way to see what your image will look like, and if you’re using light kits rather than natural light you can have a lot of control.

Flash
If you’re setting up an image which is more still life then continuous light is a great way to go. So, why use flash? Well, flash and strobe lights are perfect if you’re wanting to capture something moving whilst avoiding any motion blur. A major pro with flash is that you can have a low ISO, avoiding that grainy look most of us try desperately to avoid!
Soft vs Hard Lighting
The best way to find your own style in photography can be to practice with how soft or harsh the lighting in your images are. Both come in handy for different purposes. I tend to use a mix here at Geckota, using diffusers to help create generous soft light, or using a much harsher, directional light to get moody shadows. One thing to keep in mind when taking photos of watches is that lighting is vastly affected across different parts of any watch. Polished areas can become overexposed when trying to light brushed areas, or the dial texture may become diluted if the lighting isn’t placed properly. Above is an example of hard and soft light. The lighting on the left image was taken with a stronger, directional light. This has created a more defined flecto across the crystal, and the lighting on the case is additionally sharper. The image on the right has been taken with softer lighting using diffusers - you can read more about the use of diffusers here! - which creates a gradient of light across the dial and case. Although it completely depends on the style of image, I prefer to use softer light as much as possible as it can help make metal sections look smoother. Play around with the lighting in your images by using different sized lights, or move the lights closer or further away from your subject to experiment with these lighting techniques!