Enju Design
Photographing my product was something that took me quite awhile to learn.
How close do I get?
What kind of background should I use?
Zoom, Macro, Exposure, Manual Focus or Auto?
Lighting!?
The list seemed so long and while I tend to try my hand at most crafts, I hadn't taken photography since high school, and back then it was mostly about being in the darkroom, we didn't have digital...oh my....how old I must be!
So here are a few pointers based on what I have picked up over the past 5 years on product photography with a digital camera. There are so many ways this can be done, so I am sure you will find others that work and I would love to hear them, but if you don't have anything to start with you, you can try this!
Purchase some foam core like that in the photo and build yourself a box that will allow you to place your product inside. Whether you are shooting jewelry, handbags, or pottery, this will allow for a professional looking white background. A solid color background is key for most product, so that it won't take away from the details of your design.
**This is not the best method for shooting shots of clothing or things that can't lay flat.
Set up the products that you are ready to shoot on one table and have your foam core box on the other table. I built my box-cube with 2 open sides, this will allow you to shoot your photos from one side and allow you to place your light from another side, such as the top.
Now time to set up your lighting. If you can use daylight, true outdoor sunlight, this is
often the best light you will ever get. If not, purchase 1 - 2 dome lamps from your local hardware store and either photoflood bulbs or regular 150W bulbs from Home Depot.Use either a stool, ladder or curtain rod to place your lamps where you need them, if your photo studio will not be a permanent set up, use those halogen floor lights to pull over to your studio and use the base as something you can clamp your lights onto. This is what I did in the beginning.
Now you are ready to shoot your images.
The First Rule: NO FLASH! Flash photography is not meant for showing details.
The Second Rule: No Zoom, do not use zoom for shooting close-ups. Use your macro setting if you have it, or close up setting, usually with the icon of a tulip. Read your manual to see what features your camera has.
Set up your piece in your photo box, turn on your lights, and shoot at least 2 or 3 shots of each item.
If you have jewelry, lay it flat on the white background (you can use other solid fabrics over your white background if you wish), or lay a clear acrylic sheet underneath to get that professional appearance you see online. Red Envelope does some of the best product photography I have seen. They do enter props into their styling, and most of them don't take away from their products. Using a busy background, fabric, or other props is not the best idea, as they will steal the show from your product. To make things stand up, use museum putty, you can find it at most art stores, just like the yellow wall tack used to put up your bedroom posters.....if you can remember when.
For Earrings, you can either lay them flat, or hang them off the edge of a vase, picture frame, branch, etc. Once you get the basics down, you can begin to understand how to implement creative techniques into background. Be sure if you see very original ideas that you make them your own by implementing your
own creativity. Don't outright copy the way someone photographs, unless of course they are just using a plain background....everyone does that!For product like handbags, tabletop, ceramics, and other items, search the web, find sites that you think do a great job and implement those ideas into your photography.
Anthropologie uses a plain white background to shoot photos of handbags, it really maximizes the color and "pop" of the product.
So now that you have a few pointers just to get you started, set up your studio and snap away!
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