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Product photography


pixie

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I have someone that I use that charges me $100 for each commercial photo I choose to use. She takes a ton of them at different angles, with different lenses, etc. She does not charge me a sitting fee or anything else, it is just a flat $100 for the final edited shot (digital format) that I can use for whatever I want (website, business cards, print ads, etc.). If you are interested message me on here and I will send you her info.

Edited by VerticallyEnhanced
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Can someone recommend a good photographer to photograph candles at a reasonable price? I've tried photographing them myself but just dont want to mess with it. If you have a recommendation, please let me know.

Thanks

Pixie,

What kind of product shots are you going for? Solid white background with an isolated item or with the product in a setting/themed backdrop? I could potentially help you out depending on what's required. If you're still interested in DIY I know some useful tips I could shoot your way when I'm on next.

Mark

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I would be glad to help, but first here is a briefer that may or may not help some. As others have suggested, I think searching the topic will help give a better idea of equipment, setups, and techniques employed.

Typed this in a hurry as I have to head out, just realized my passion for product photography is still there after a couple years off from shooting on a regular basis! If anyone has questions just post or PM if that is possible.

Camera

While the camera itself holds the power to really make or break an image, in this case it is more so the correct lens and angle combination that create a dynamic and versatile stock/product image. The camera should almost always be mounted on a tripod to achieve the best results and using a remote trigger or time delay if possible. Most modern point and shoot style cameras will suffice but once again a nice DSLR with some accessory and lens options will make a huge difference. The key item to remember in each product shot is to set your white balance to that paper or poster board or whatever white background your are using.

Background

All dependent on the actual product size, but setup can and should be kept as simple a possible. A wide roll of white paper or perhaps a piece of white poster board curved into a 90 degree angle (not creased) and attached to a table top will do well for this. Expensive backdrops are not really necessary, especially at first.

Lighting

Much of the difficulty in shooting products with a white background revolves around blowing out the shadows around your item. To do this avoid using the on camera flash, but instead use supplemental lighting on at least the left and right sides of the product. Top and bottom are very useful too if you have the tools handy. Expensive strobes are not necessary but nice to have, shop lights are actually recommended by many as they are very intense and inexpensive, but do produce a lot of heat so be cautious in their placement. It is also important to not mix light sources, in other words no Incandescent/CFL/LED,etc combinations, this throws off the color temperature of the shot. Even light coverage will soften shadows to a tolerable point but will not give you that truly white/clean background.

Post-processing

With all this considered, it is the post-processing that really makes ties it together. What software is used will vary depending on what is suitable I realize, and can get rather “spendy.” There are plenty of inexpensive and even free applications out there, but what you need is a way to adjust exposure and color levels in order to phase out that last bit of shadow lingering around the item. This will make all the difference in the world and really make your item “pop” into a more crisp view.

Best,

Mark

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I made a box out of the white thick poster board, It has a bottom and three sides with no top. I take all of my pictures outside(because the lighting in my house is terrible). And take a ton of picture of each item. It has been really awesome, and it costed a whopping 4.00 to build. I still sometimes have to edit the photos a little to increase the brightness, but they turn out pretty good, and it really is easy to do yourself. (as long as you have a good camera)

I use the macro setting on my camera, no fancy lenses yet...but I am looking into playing with some. Here are a couple of my product pics I have taken, both for me and a friends stuff. Good luck with your photos...you can pm me if you want some additional tips.

Monica

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post-10849-139458486231_thumb.jpg

post-10849-139458486237_thumb.jpg

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I did all my own photography and it was challenging but, once I figured it out, really kind of fun. The most important part I found out, and that's why my ealiest pictures didn't turn out well, is lighting.

I bought a cheap, clamp on utility light (the kind with the silver reflector), would clamp it on the back of a chair, drape some material under and behind my products, place the products at different heights with colored boxes and tins, and add things like small rocks, nice small silk flowers, etc. and snap away with my digital camera. Would sometimes take 6-8 pictures of each product and compare until I came up with the best ones.

It's kind of fun seeing the results.

P.S. notice my profile picture, I took that one! Also, don't forget to light yoiur candles when you take the picture, it makes a big difference.

Edited by beekeeper_sd
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