Hardware photography

This pass locks the foundations. The per-category setup guide - ruggedized tablets, radios, radar units, sensor packages, operator-worn equipment - lands once FDT hardware is being shot at scale. Everything below is binding; the full guide inherits from it.

Foundational decisions

• Matte subjects only. Hardware is photographed as deployed - no glossy studio polish, no chrome highlights, no ring-light reflections. If a piece of hardware is matte in the field, it photographs matte.
• Deep navy background. navy-900 or a near-match physical backdrop. No white cyc, no gradient backgrounds, no “tech product on a beach” lifestyle composition.
• Single directional light source. One key light, hard or modestly softened. No three-point beauty-dish lighting, no ring lights, no rim-light drama. The light suggests environment, not spotlight.
• Muted shadow. The subject doesn’t cast a theatrical shadow. Ambient fill over strong directional shadow.
• No props, no hands, no models. Just the hardware. Context is implied by the subject, not supplied by a scene. Exception: scale reference where genuinely needed - a human hand or boot scale indicator handled as a separate “in-context” shot, not the primary studio capture.
• Focal length: 50–105mm equivalent. Normal to short-telephoto. No wide-angle distortion, no extreme telephoto compression.
• No CGI pretending to be a photograph. If a product is presented as a photograph, it is the actual product. Renders are acknowledged as renders - separate visual treatment, clearly labelled in captions.

Deferred to next pass

• Per-category setups for each hardware class - ruggedized tablets, radios, radar units, sensor packages, vehicles, operator-worn equipment
• Renderings vs photography - when each is appropriate, how to maintain visual consistency between them on the same page
• In-context / environmental shots (field use, vehicle-mounted, in-TOC) as a separate discipline from studio hardware shots
• Exploded / technical illustrations - the “diagram-of-the-internals” register
• Retouch rules - what can be cleaned up (dust, sensor noise, tape residue), what must stay (wear, handling marks, real deployment character)
• Consistency sheet across the hardware product line - shot angle conventions, scale indicators, color calibration targets
• Photography for product launch videos vs static marketing vs technical documentation - different registers, one system