Product photography.

[IATM]

Hi all.

I have an online business and need some advise on where I can get some excellent pictures taken of my products. I need them to of course look very professional and for any editing to be done on them to get the finished article to me.

Does anyone do that on here - if so please pm me
Or happy to take recommendations for any companies that can do this that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Thanks.

[kman]

Sent you a message.

[CubanPete]

What is the product?

You can make a light box very cheaply and edit using gimp (free). You'll be able to produce some great pictures with a bit of practice.

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Knowing what the product is would help, and also how many of them you need to shoot.

I would normally charge an arm and a leg, but catch me on a quiet week and I might consider just part of a limb.

[Boro]

I've just bought some cheap Lencarta studio lights with softboxes and a lighbtbox. Still figuring out the best setup but quite happy with the results so far.

It's not as difficult as I thought but I'm not expecting expensive professional images, just something good enough for my website.

Is it something you could do yourself?

[IATM]

Hi all.

Thanks for the replies and the pm's from everyone. I will reply to all.

The product is only a footcare product: specifically a pair of insoles.

I have dabbled in getting a photo box and setting it up however I just can't get it the way I like it however I do want excellent photos.

I think for me to be happy I would need to spend quite a bit of money on the equipment but more of the issue is the clean up of the photo after it's been taken such as sorting out lighting taking away any specs of lint/dust you can see on the product sometimes.

Are these new style all in one boxes any good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L-Box-MAX-PHOTO-BOX-All-...

Edited by IATM on Sunday 9th March 00:10

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Inconveniently, the reason why professional studio photography looks like it does is not because someone has spent £139 on an all-in-one studio kit.

If you want pictures that differentiate your stuff from the competition, you'll need to do something that they're not.

Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Monday 10th March 01:02

[Boro]

I guess if you're going to do it and you want really professional images then you need to either buy all the equipment and then learn how to take the photos yourself or pay someone with the equipment and knowledge.

Or, the route we have taken. We couldn't afford dozens of professional images, so bought some basic professional equipment, took a basic photography course and tried our hand at it ourselves. I enjoy it too!

I'm quite happy with the results so far and removing specs of dust is so simple it hurts, you can even use http://pixlr.com/express/ to do it, just use the Heal tool. Photoshop has a similar tool but Pixlr is online and free.

I think we've spent around £400 on equipment, not including the camera.

[peter tdci]

If you do go down the DIY route, I'd recommend looking at the Strobist website for tips and advice about off camera lighting in general

For a more scientific explanation, with lots of examples about how to photograph different materials, this is a great book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Science-Magic-Introd...

[IATM]

Boro said:

I guess if you're going to do it and you want really professional images then you need to either buy all the equipment and then learn how to take the photos yourself or pay someone with the equipment and knowledge.

Or, the route we have taken. We couldn't afford dozens of professional images, so bought some basic professional equipment, took a basic photography course and tried our hand at it ourselves. I enjoy it too!

I'm quite happy with the results so far and removing specs of dust is so simple it hurts, you can even use http://pixlr.com/express/ to do it, just use the Heal tool. Photoshop has a similar tool but Pixlr is online and free.

I think we've spent around £400 on equipment, not including the camera.

Hi,

I feel your pair. I generally really like photography and always have done. I have always wanted to do more however due to time commitments required for a hobby its not something I have been able to fully do.

If you don't mind me asking what equipment did you buy. For me the main issue in the past was the background and getting the lighting on the right area etc

Do you use a DLSR or are you using a bridge camera?

Thanks

[Boro]

I did use a bridge camera until recently, which wasn't very successful on it's own using a lightbox, the lighting was the main issue.

Now use a Nikon D7000, a small white fabric lightbox (2ft x 2ft x 2ft) and a Lencarta SmartFlash 200 Kit.

Comes with two stands, two light units (model lights and flash) and two softboxes.

Same as these >>> http://lencarta.com/lighting-store/studio-lighting...

So far getting some good results for a DIY setup and as I'll be taking photos regularly it was worth the investment. If you just need one photo or a small set of photos from one session it might be worth paying someone to take them for you.

[Boro]

Here's one I took this morning, just to give you an idea. I'm no photographer and it's unedited apart from removing specs of dust. I'm sure it could be alot better but on a budget I think it's good enough for a web image.

[Simpo Two]

It's funny; when someone posts wanting to take his own photos he'd told to get a pro in. When someone posts looking to get a pro in he's told to buy a light tent

Would something like the photos you see here be suitable for insoles?

www.alloypaints.com

Happy to match any existing house style or background. White is a speciality though I prefer not to have white products on it!

[Boro]

Quite pleased with how this one turned out... for someone who has little photography skill haha