How does the reflectivity of a surface affect your choice of lighting position and camera angle in product photography?

• A. Reflectivity doesn't affect lighting strategy
• B. Use direct front lighting to mask reflections
• C. Reflective surfaces require angled lighting and camera positions to control reflections; use polarizers, flags, and cross-lighting
• D. Always shoot with maximum bounce light to minimize reflections

Answer: (C)

Reflectivity changes how light bounces off a surface and what the camera sees. On a glossy surface, a straight-on light and a straight-on camera can create strong glare and unwanted reflections of the lights or even the lens itself. To avoid that, you move both the light and the camera so reflections don’t travel into the lens, typically by lighting from the side or at an angle and positioning the camera off-axis relative to the surface. Using a polarizer on the lens helps reduce glare by filtering reflective light, flags or black cards block stray light from hitting the surface or entering the lens, and cross-lighting—placing lights at multiple angles—lets you shape the object while keeping reflections under control. Direct front lighting tends to exaggerate reflections rather than mask them, and relying solely on bounce light can still produce hotspots, so controlling angles and using these tools is the best approach.