How Do You Get Photos of Your Products?

[ttmw]

I'm just wondering what/who everyone uses to get professional photos of their products. Is there a simple and cost effective way to get them done? What does everyone here use?

[Nickdavis87]

I use a camera

[ttmw]

Man up then and lets see your photo's ;)

[Nickdavis87]

Man up then and lets see your photo's ;)

Haha, sorry was just messing.

We use a canon 400d SLR but for most of our products we use digital mockups.

We will be getting a light tent etc for some more products we are doing.

[lazytycoon]

right click, save as...

:( takes forever and really hurts my wrist.

[webpromoterservice]

I get them from the manufaturer.They have high quality images in all formats.
You want a professional to do photos for your site.

[ttmw]

Yeah save as does seem an easy option but i'd love to get the most professional great looking shots i can :)

I've done a bit of photography in the past (nothing serious) and have a got a 350D myself but my shots always seem to get a nasty off-white background.

Anyone know of a fool proof way or around how much it costs to get them done professionally?

[Kailew4kids]

I do most myself, but most suppliers will send you a disk or will have a dedicated site to download them from.

[richhobson]

Yeah save as does seem an easy option but i'd love to get the most professional great looking shots i can :)

I've done a bit of photography in the past (nothing serious) and have a got a 350D myself but my shots always seem to get a nasty off-white background.

Anyone know of a fool proof way or around how much it costs to get them done professionally?

Depends on the type of product you want photographying. Small items can be couriered to a photographer who will charge a set amount per item. Larger items may require a visit and mobile studio in which case a day rate may be best.

Widgets can be shot for a few pounds each depending on exactly the look you're after.

[richhobson]

Yeah save as does seem an easy option but i'd love to get the most professional great looking shots i can :)

I've done a bit of photography in the past (nothing serious) and have a got a 350D myself but my shots always seem to get a nasty off-white background.

Anyone know of a fool proof way or around how much it costs to get them done professionally?

A pure white background is simply a process of lighting the background brighter than the subject or foreground.

[Dymo King]

A pure white background is simply a process of lighting the background brighter than the subject or foreground. So what sort of basic equipment would someone need to get that effect? Is that what the previously mentioned 'tent' is for? And then maybe some kind of bright light source behind it?

[richhobson]

A tent on it's own will not totally provide the differential between foreground and background but will help. A DIY solution is often to use a tent with cheap halogen lights. You need to then adjust the white balance in post processing to account for the halogen light colour.

Ideally you need to seperate the product from the background by standing it on something. Use one light to light the background and another for the product.

[crawlgear]

Father-in-law used to sell outboard engines, he asked the manufacturers for pictures of the engines he was selling and they sent a CD with all the engines they supplied in different formats for his site.

[J-Wholesale]

We do all our own photos. It's quite a lot of work, but outsourcing attempts have yet to be successful. Luckily, we have an accomplished photographer on staff who gets good results and knows exactly what we need.

Much of the advice given on this thread depends on what you are photographing. For example: a plain white background does not always work well for jewellery.

[That Guy]

Camera and Tripod or using Suppliers Images :)

[Place of design]

We shoot products commercially for an idea of pricing: http://www.placeofdesign.com/website-photography/

Forget light tents - they are pretty pointless

What products do you need shooting?
Where are you in the country?

If we cant do it, we will know a phootographer who can

[ttmw]

The products are all small no bigger than 20cm cubed. Currently in Wrexham north wales :).

So its not uncommon to ask my supplier or the manufacturer for photos of the products, or at least see if they have any?

[That Guy]

The products are all small no bigger than 20cm cubed. Currently in Wrexham north wales :).

So its not uncommon to ask my supplier or the manufacturer for photos of the products, or at least see if they have any?

I would ask. At the end of the day they can only say no. Could save you time and money :)

[Place of design]

The products are all small no bigger than 20cm cubed. Currently in Wrexham north wales :).

So its not uncommon to ask my supplier or the manufacturer for photos of the products, or at least see if they have any?

couple of pointers

1. forget the light tent, they produce dull flat uninteresting lighting
2. We use studio flash guns, however a SLR with something like the Nikon CLS system (allowing off camera flash), will allow a lot of flexibility for not a lot of kit

suggested reading: check out the strobist website, and google Nikon CLS

3. We use professional backdrops, an alternative is A1 sheets of card
4. you need to light the background separatally from the subject. the background is normally 2 stops brighter (over exposed) than the subject
5. I use a lot of sheets of perspex - available as offcuts from sign makers in various colurs. Opal White is the choice one. You can light it from underneath, or from above and create a great reflection. Black perspex is also brilliant for some jobs

6. Dont mix your lighting. If you use flash dont mix it with tungston or sunlight (unless you know what you are doing) you end up with colour casts you cant deal with. I.e. use all flash, or all tungston, or all halogen
7. find the "pre" or "measure" white balance option on your camera and learn to use it
8. invest in a tripod
9. Use the lowest ISO setting on your camera
10. take note sof the settings you use
11. remember - moving a light backwards will effectivley reduce its power (see point 4)

[Place of design]

see this:
http://www.lencarta.com/product-shot-solutions/pro007-black-white-reflective-riser-kit/index.php

Tutorials: http://www.lencarta.com/2008122852/tutorials/index.php

this is the minimum amount of lighting kit you will need: http://www.lencarta.com/smartflash-mains-powered-flash/fla0019-smartflash-3-head-umbrella/softbox-kit-with-background/index.php

Speak to Garry Edwards at Lencarta for a more accurate guide and advice on lighting - He does know what he is talking about, and ought to be able to compile you a list of exactly the right gear you need

[MrsPWN]

Hiya
I am talking to Jen (copock) about my website and she knows of a photographer to do the pics, and she is in Wrexham :D just incase you can't get the pics from supplier.

[aje]

Hi

I am a professional photographer and we are suffering from the DIY techniques applied today. Although, it makes sense to cut costs where you can and often the images are usable to good.
A couple of tips are to keep your products away from your background and try and build an even light all the way around unless you want to add some dimension to your shots, where you might want to add some black card(as previously mentioned by a poster). Different light sources produce different casts of light and each peripheral device has differing colour reproduction effects which is why it can be difficult to reproduce your whites unless all of your equipment is calibrated!
Costs for having your stuff shot in a professional studio varies depending on the size, type and quantity of products.
I have a studio in North London for just this kind of thing so please feel free to PM me if anyone wants a quote.