Product Photos

[Tigris]

Quick question for those running an ecommerce website.

Do you find a modern smart phone is enough to get good product images for your website stock?

I was big into photography and sold all my equipment a few years back. I'm now using a Samsung S20 but the focus isn't always great when capturing the photos and wondering if a mirrorless camera would perform a lot better?

Wondering if to invest and get a mirrorless camera (I used to have a Canon 6D). Always wanted to try mirrorless and liked the look of the Sony stuff but it would be an older camera Sony A7II (maybe wait and stretch to the A7III). Or possibly just upgrade my mobile phone?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ozzy]

I'd say it depends the products, especially perhaps the size of the products.

My wife purchased a light box from Amazon and used an iPhone for the photos and with some creativity (use of logs from our fireplace, etc) created what I'd say were some really impressive and good quality product photos.
The light box made the biggest difference, web photo's are pretty low quality compared to what is needed for print.

 

[Fagin2021]

Quick question for those running an ecommerce website.

Do you find a modern smart phone is enough to get good product images for your website stock?

I was big into photography and sold all my equipment a few years back. I'm now using a Samsung S20 but the focus isn't always great when capturing the photos and wondering if a mirrorless camera would perform a lot better?

Wondering if to invest and get a mirrorless camera (I used to have a Canon 6D). Always wanted to try mirrorless and liked the look of the Sony stuff but it would be an older camera Sony A7II (maybe wait and stretch to the A7III).

Thanks in advance.

The answer - as always, is 'it depends'. For many products, eg. a garden hose, a smart phone camera is perfectly adequate. For others, eg. an expensive diamond ring, it isn't.

Having said that, the skill of the photographer, the background/setting and especially the lighting, is more important than the actual camera - unless you need to do smart things with lenses, focus etc.

 

[Tigris]

I'd say it depends the products, especially perhaps the size of the products.

My wife purchased a light box from Amazon and used an iPhone for the photos and with some creativity (use of logs from our fireplace, etc) created what I'd say were some really impressive and good quality product photos.
The light box made the biggest difference, web photo's are pretty low quality compared to what is needed for print.

The answer - as always, is 'it depends'. For many products, eg. a garden hose, a smart phone camera is perfectly adequate. For others, eg. an expensive diamond ring, it isn't.

Having said that, the skill of the photographer, the background/setting and especially the lighting, is more important than the actual camera - unless you need to do smart things with lenses, focus etc.

Thank you. It would be for computer equipment mainly. We do have a 2 year old dog which would also get photographed but I am not spending the money for that reason as it will probably get used 2-3x a year (Hence the reason I sold my DSLR before, I also got sick of lugging a full frame setup around).

 

[Ozzy]

@Tigris my wife's website is no longer online, and Instagram does down scale; but here are some examples of product photo's taken with a mobile in a light box if it helps;

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍"

11 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 25, 2020: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95"

10 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 13, 2021: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the s

5 likes, 1 comments - thefairyretreat on October 2, 2021: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the stars of the show...

www.instagram.com

 

[Fagin2021]

Here's how I did some product photography with a smart phone...

1. Bought a couple of cheap light stands from Amazon (essential).
2. Put product on a table and the smart phone in a stable holder in front.
3. Behind the product placed a small portable projection screen draped with a smooth green cloth (to create a green screen).
4. Played around with the lighting until satisfactory.
4. Used an app' to release shutter (no shake).
5. Used Photoshop to remove green screen and put in desired background.

Result - perfectly adequate for e-commerce.

 

[Tigris]

@Tigris my wife's website is no longer online, and Instagram does down scale; but here are some examples of product photo's taken with a mobile in a light box if it helps;

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍"

11 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 25, 2020: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95"

10 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 13, 2021: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the s

5 likes, 1 comments - thefairyretreat on October 2, 2021: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the stars of the show...

www.instagram.com

Brilliant photos

Tempted to put the money towards a new phone. Mirrorless setup with a lens is going to be close to a £1000. Then ile probably want 2 or 3 lenses. One for product photos, zoom for the dog and maybe another.

 

[DontAsk]

Quick question for those running an ecommerce website.

Do you find a modern smart phone is enough to get good product images for your website stock?

Yes.

Products are quite small (say 10cm max). I don't try to fill the frame but shoot from a bit further out where the focus is much more reliable.

I then use GIMP to replace the background with transparency so all images are against the same background when displayed.

With a 4K image, there's plenty of scope for cropping and still have more than adequate resolution. Quality is good enough for print.

 

[AlanJ1]

For us everything is professionally shot from brands, if it's not or it's something we buy in, we have it shot in-house with a large lightbox set-up with a proper camera.

 

[antropy]

@Tigris my wife's website is no longer online, and Instagram does down scale; but here are some examples of product photo's taken with a mobile in a light box if it helps;

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍"

11 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 25, 2020: "Pewter keepsake gifts now available on our website 🥰 With Christmas arriving closer these gifts would be perfect for a loved one. Or why not treat yourself? Such a variety and would suit anyone😍".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95"

10 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 13, 2021: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans🍰🥮🥧 £10.95".

www.instagram.com

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the s

5 likes, 1 comments - thefairyretreat on October 2, 2021: "Feeling anxious, irritable or tense? If your emotions are starting to overwhelm you, then treat yourself to our calming Mind Spa range, a true at-home spa experience where eucalyptus, patchouli and bergamot are the stars of the show...

www.instagram.com

Not bad but this one definitely needs some post-processing in Photoshop or similar as it looks a bit dull:

The Fairy Boutique on Instagram: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans??? £10.95"

10 likes, 0 comments - thefairyretreat on October 13, 2021: "Hot off the press for all you Bake Off fans??? £10.95"

www.instagram.com

Paul.