Professional Product Photos in a Flash:Part 2: How to Set Up Your Photo and Get a Good Shot
Preparing the Item
First, make sure the item is clean and dust-free. If you are photographing jewelry or another small object, remember that the Macro function will make every detail prominent. Even the smallest fibers or patches of dust can show up, ruining the picture.
If you are selling an item of clothing, hang it carefully on a mannequin or from a hanger.
Background
Select a clutter-free background for your photo. For a small item, a photo tent is ideal, as we mentioned in the last post. However, a couple of pieces of plain white card will do the trick if you are unable to purchase one. Make sure the card is of a matt texture though, otherwise the light will be reflected off the surface.
Taking pictures of electronics, books or other flat objects? Make sure they are on a flat surface – I see too many photos on eBay of an iPod laid out on someone’s quilt. Your bed really isn’t the most sophisticated place to take photographs! Try a table, or at least a flat piece of card on the floor.
If you are photographing an object that is difficult to move, either indoors or out, try to remove as much clutter as possible from behind.
Lighting
If you have a couple of strong lamps you can position these either side of where you will be standing to take the picture, so that the two streams of light meet at the point of your object. Incorrectly positioning the lamps will cause more shadows and possibly make your item look worse for wear or distorted.
Using a photo tent means that your light has to be fairly strong, otherwise you will get shadows. Positioning the tent on a table out in the sun has worked very well for me in the past; otherwise you do need to invest in some good lamps.
Taking good photographs of vehicles is an art in itself. Generally, you will find that professionals will take car pictures late afternoon as the sun is setting to get a dramatic light, or just after sunrise for a soft light. Driving your car up on a rise and then photographing it from one side, or positioned from slightly down the hill gives a good clear picture. It also means the background will just be the sky, which ensures no distracting clutter!
Camera
If you are using a digital camera, note that auto will often notgive you the best result. Use Macro for taking close-ups. You should also keep the flash off for most shots to avoid reflection, however will find that this makes it very hard to get a clear, non-blurry picture unless you use a tripod. Be prepared to take 10-20 photos of your item from different angles and using different settings. It’s worth the time to get a good result!
Editing
Next, transfer the photos from your digital camera to photo editing software. Picasa is a good, free and easy option, although if you want to do anything more than simple cropping, you’ll need to use something a bit more advanced such as Fotoflexer http://fotoflexer.com/start.php or Paint http://www.getpaint.net/, a free software with Photoshop-like capabilities.
We strongly recommend that you rotate your photos to the best angle as well as cropping it down to show only the item and very little background for a professional look. Adjusting light and contrast can also be beneficial, however attempting to crop out clutter in the background can be difficult to do well unless you are very experienced.
