Lighting is an extremely important aspect of photography, though often it is overlooked. Common sense tells us that objects in front of us will appear on a photograph exactly the same way as we see them. However, in many situations this is not the case. The camera is not capable to capture exactly what we see, unless the photographer makes an effort to light the scene in a certain way.
When you photograph isolated objects, use soft diffused light for best results. Surely soft vs hard lighting may be considered a matter of taste, but for purpose of stock photography, soft light is preferred because it brings out the best in objects and helps communicate its 3-dimensional elements.
I hope the contributors of images I am going to use in this example do not take this post as an insult, but rather as constructive criticism. Metal and glass are some of the toughest materials to photograph, so you get credit for trying!
Metal
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This image suffers from hard lighting. Light is reflected by the curvature of forks, creating bright white triangles that distract the mind from understanding that this is in fact a bunch of forks. |
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This is a better representation of cutlery because lighting is soft and comes from a larger source, making the object appear 3-D. |
Glass
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Here again, small direct light was used, hence contrasting reflections are noticeable on the bottles and glasses. Green bottle has some interesting detail at the base, which is impossible to distinguish due to incorrect lighting. |
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Objects in this photo are properly lit, letting the viewer concentrate on the idea rather than trying to figure out what the objects are. |
When photographing objects that reflect light by nature, pay attention to your lighting. Try to use a large light source and diffuse the light. If you are using a flash, apply a diffuser or a soft box. Same goes for any other lighting. Place tracing paper in front of light source for a quick solution.
Let there be light! Diffused light, that is.
Posted by Julie 
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