Professional quality product shots from home.

August 15, 2009 9:31 AM

Home photography filter: Tips/tricks on taking/editing professional-looking self-modeled product shots for my clothing web store.

Hi all,

I've been making funky costumes/outfits/clubwear for years it's time I try my hand at a real webstore. I have a brand name, a domain and a line in progress. How do I take awesome/cute/sexy/fun product shots of my clothes? Difficulty - I want to model them.

Here's what I have...

Panasonic Lumix DMZ-28
Tripod
Some white sheets and lots of colored fabric
My apartment
An industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn

What do you recommend? What are your tips for professional-looking self-modeled product shots with no budget and incredibly amateur tools? I'm looking for everything from modeling/location tips to how to achieve optimal lighting, to camera settings, to post processing tips. Do you think white backgrounds are best, or should I shoot at different locations - or does that just depend on my personal aesthetic?

Let's assume I'm fairly competent with my camera and I'm a quick learner of new skills. I'm also open to great books or super helpful web links (my Googling results have been mediocre so far).

Thank you!!

posted by infinityjinx to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

It's all in the lighting -- everything else is really secondary. If you can get some studio lighting, that can work wonders. I have a cheap set from Alien Bees that have worked out really well, or you can rent them from some photography shops by the day. Barring that, with a reflector/tin sheets/white blanket you can also reflect sunlight in a way that can give some remarkably warm lighting (but never take a photo in direct sunlight).

Specifically: do anything possible to turn off the camera flash. If you're using studio lighting, you can buy little attachments for your flash shoe that trip off a slave unit; if your camera doesn't even have that then you'll turn your flash down as far as it'll go -- you want the light on the model to be coming from somewhere other than your camera.

It helps if you have some vision in your mind of the photos that you want to take. Go to a bookstore and browse through the photography books, especially the ones that tell you exactly how they set up the shot.

If there are sample photos you can point to on the web you should link them and we can probably give you an idea of how to approach it.
posted by brool at 9:56 AM on August 15

And, secondly, consider your backgrounds. Distracting backgrounds can destroy a shot. Your pictures need to show your products in a way that focuses attention on the products and also complements them. Clean up the backgrounds and find complimentary background colors that accent your product.
posted by msbrauer at 1:23 PM on August 15

Oh hell yes, do not use the camera flash. If you have to, tape over it. But you should be able to set the camera to no flash. A bounce flash can work if you know how to use it - generally, direct flash lighting is a bad thing. It will blow out the highlights to high heaven, and destroy darker colors, and won't help midtone either. It can also cause skin to look greasy if there's any sweat or if it hits the makeup right. Instead, do whatever you can to get good lighting, renting studio lights if you need to. You want good light that doesn't throw hard shadows.

Also, if you don't have a remote, learn to use the self-timer. This lets you not only get into the shots you want to be in, but it also eliminates camera shake. If your camera lets you choose ISO settings, pick the lowest possible since you will be using a tripod. Higher ISO settings will let the camera pick up more light, but the digital grain can start getting noticeable above 200 on lower light shots. If this grain shows up, the photos won't reproduce nearly as well.

Good luck!
posted by azpenguin at 3:49 PM on August 15

Thanks much - the parts about ISO and turning off flash are particularly helpful. No further tips, mefites?! Should product shot lighting be completely artificial, or is natural light a good thing?
posted by infinityjinx at 6:29 PM on August 15

I recall an article a while ago maybe on LifeHacker that discussed building a simple little light box for doing product shots for ebay and craigslist.

Basically, you build a little box frame out of pvc pipe and cover all but one side with translucent material; probably white. Then light through the white sides and the top. The translucent materials eliminate hard shadows, the all-white background eliminates distractions, and you can use standard lightbulbs because you can correct the color [if you camera's auto-white-balance doesn't already do it for you] in Photoshop or whatever.

Here's one made from a Corona box.

Another version.

Another.

I think this might be the one I was originally thinking of.
posted by chazlarson at 9:38 PM on August 15

Model Portfolio: Guerrilla Style!

I think you could do some really interesting fashion photography in an industrial area very early or late in the day using natural light, a big white reflector and flash fill.

A tutorial on using fill flash at sunset at Lighting Essentials

Shoot tons of pictures.
posted by Fins at 10:22 PM on August 15

Working with artificial lighting is more difficult than making use of natural light. But when working with natural light you should first get a feel for the kinds of lighting which will be flattering for your products. Soft lighting (early morning, late afternoon, slightly overcast) is generally visually pleasant and easy to work with.

If you are unfamiliar with artificial lighting I'd suggest sticking to soft natural lighting and perhaps acquainting yourself with the use of a reflector and fill flash techniques. Reflectors and fill flash are some basic things you can use to control harsh light.

Find examples where others have photographed with similar products, backgrounds or lighting and try to emulate these photos. Search magazines and sites like Flickr. The flickr community or other photography forums are great places to seek specific help once you have decided how you want the photos to look.

Unless you have the lighting down pat and great technical skills with the camera and photoshop I think you should go outside to take your photos. White/coloured sheets can be a little boring without proper art direction and technical skills. Make sure your location works with your product and doesn't overwhelm it.

On the other hand, ignore what i've written if you have some very well prepared and set ideas. The world is full of people taking the same photos over and over. If you think you're up to it, try something different.
posted by quosimosaur at 11:55 PM on August 15

Agreeing with good light; getting good light is the the simplest way to get good photos. Either outside in the shade with reflectors (white cardboard, those round car sunshades) or inside with cheap lights, such as a few automotive clamp lights (make sure the bulbs match!) against a sheet.

Also, take more shots than you think you'll need. They always look great on the screen on the back of the camera. It's not until you can view them on your computer that you can be sure they're good.
posted by caphector at 12:55 PM on August 16