Cleveland Product Photographer captures exploded view of ¼ turn ball valve

To answer usual upfront question… no, the ball valve is not a CGI rendering or AI generated… and yes, it was captured in one shot. So why photograph it when you could use CGI or AI… because there is a time and a place for everything. While CGI or AI can potentially be useful tools, they are not the end all to creating product imagery of this type, especially when there is a need or desire to have the viewer see the “real thing” (the actual product).

There is no denying that capturing an exploded view of a product that is fairly uncomplicated (as the featured image) can be somewhat time consuming. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just drop a piece at a time on the shooting table, capture it, and expect to assemble it all in post and have everything look right. Anything other than a straight on or flat down angle will most likely require everything to be staged, propped and/or suspended in place and captured in one shot… otherwise, the perspective, proportions, lighting and angles of the individual pieces could potentially not play well together.

At this point, you’re probably wondering why (as a photographer) we would want to take on a project like this? Capturing exploded views of actual product can be time consuming and tedious. Not only can you spend hours or even days setting up the shot (depending on the complexity of the product), but it also requires a certain amount of post work to accomplish the end result. The short answer to that question… fulfillment! It’s really no different than capturing any other image in that respect. There is always a level of fulfillment or satisfaction once the end result has been achieved, especially when you know what went into creating it. 

So why would a Client want to spend the time and money to create an image like this… more often than not, to have a leg up on their competition. Creating an image like this can definitely capture the attention of the Client’s target audience. Plus, creating the image with the actual product, will help solidify the Client’s authenticity with their potential customer.