Behind the Scenes: Photographing Iconisus Forged Wheels
How a temporary studio, careful lighting symmetry, and a long production day produced a clean product lineup for Iconisus Forged Wheels.
Product photography often appears deceptively simple in the final image. A wheel floating on a clean background, evenly lit and perfectly symmetrical. What those images rarely reveal is how much control is required behind the scenes to make reflective objects behave in front of the camera. For this production with Iconisus Forged Wheels, the goal was to photograph an entire lineup of forged aluminum wheels for their retail website and marketing materials. The images needed to be precise, consistent, and flexible enough to be used across multiple platforms. Because the wheels feature chrome and high-gloss finishes, achieving that clean result required building a controlled studio environment around the product.
Building a Studio on Location
Rather than working in a traditional studio space, the shoot took place inside the company’s corporate office. To make that possible, a full tabletop studio was built around the wheels using large diffusion panels, carefully positioned lights, and a neutral background. Reflective surfaces present a unique challenge in product photography. Chrome and gloss finishes behave almost like mirrors, reflecting everything around them—lights, stands, walls, and even the photographer. Managing those reflections becomes just as important as lighting the product itself. The entire set was designed to create clean, balanced reflections across the wheel surface while keeping the environment around it invisible.
Precision and Symmetry
Because the wheels are highly polished, even small differences in lighting can become obvious. Highlights that are slightly brighter on one side or reflections that don’t match from left to right can make the product appear uneven. To avoid that, the lighting environment was built with careful symmetry. Large light sources were placed evenly on both sides of the set so the reflections would mirror each other across the wheel face. Once that environment was dialed in, maintaining consistency became the priority for the rest of the day.
When you’re photographing reflective products, you’re not just lighting the object — you’re shaping everything the object reflects.
Shooting Tethered
For a production like this, shooting tethered is essential. Every frame was captured directly into a laptop where it could be reviewed immediately on a larger screen. A digital technician worked alongside me throughout the shoot, checking focus, reflections, and symmetry as each image came in. This extra layer of oversight helps catch small details that might otherwise go unnoticed on the back of the camera. When you're working with reflective surfaces, those small details matter. It also allows adjustments to happen quickly while the product is still on set.
Moving Through the Production
The goal for the day was ambitious but straightforward: photograph 18 wheels in a single production day. For each design we captured two primary hero angles along with two detail shots highlighting specific elements of the wheel. Those details—machining patterns, spoke geometry, and finish variations—are often what distinguish one design from another. Working efficiently was important, but consistency across the lineup mattered even more. Each wheel needed to feel like part of the same visual system so the images could live together seamlessly on the Iconisus website. Because the wheels were photographed on a plain background, the final images could be extracted in post-production and placed into a variety of marketing layouts.
An Ongoing Collaboration
This shoot marked the beginning of what has since become a long-term collaboration with the company. I first began working with Iconisus in 2021, and since then I’ve completed multiple production shoots as their lineup has expanded. As new designs are introduced, maintaining a consistent photographic approach ensures that each product integrates smoothly into the existing catalog. For a brand built around craftsmanship and design, consistency in presentation becomes an important part of how the products are perceived.
The Takeaway
Product photography, particularly with reflective materials, is often about building the right environment before the first frame is ever captured. Once that environment is established, the rest of the process becomes a balance of precision and efficiency. The final images are intentionally simple—clean lighting, symmetrical reflections, and a clear view of the product. But behind that simplicity is a carefully controlled setup designed to make sure every wheel is presented at its best. When that balance is right, the photography allows the product itself to do what it’s meant to do: stand out.
