All articles copyright 2007 Jeff Coleman
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Photographing items for ebay and internet stores.
Take your item over to a window and set it on a large sheet of white paper. Craft stores sell this paper as well as white foam core poster board. You want to use white because any other color will cause a color cast on your item. Black absorbs light and will cause any part of your product to be excessively dark wherever it touches the paper. White on the other hand will help bounce more light onto your product and give it a nice glow.
Natural light from a window is going to look a million times better than your cameras flash. I have a ton of studio equipment and I shoot products for a living. Whenever possible I use natural light from a window.
If your item is metal, glass or anything else shiny, you're going to need a light tent. Basically this is a sheer white tent that softens light while blocking out anything in the room that could show up in the reflection. You want as small of a hole as possible for your lens to poke through. You can buy a light tent for $100-$200 or you could make one with a white bed sheet and some PVC.
Usually it's best to use a high F number of F11 or greater so most or all of your product is in sharp focus. Higher F numbers require lower shutter speeds. Use a sturdy tripod and set your camera on timer mode or use a remote shutter release to minimize camera shake. |
