advice ...

[croxsons]

I need to take some relatively close up shots of some products that we sell for some brochures.

I am armed with a rather basic Canon EOS350d, 18-55mm lens and a basic light studio.

Any advice as to what settings I should be using, minimum ISO, aperature to match light meter setting?

What purchases can I make, on the cheap I'm afraid, to improve on the results?

TIA

[4hero]

hello, I'm not an expert on lighting, but a large white piece of card (a1) in size does good as a backdrop. I have done some basic shots using this setup with pretty good results.

Take this pic:



using the light at the side, you should get something like this..



Here's the settings for the shot above:

Camera: Canon EOS 350D Digital
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 24 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/2 EV
Flash: Flash fired
Exposure Program: Shutter priority

This shot had a light at either side:



and the exif:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash fired
Exposure Program: Manual

Depending on the size of the products, it could be worthwhile getting a close-up filter, this will get your 18-55 that little bit closer. I would recommend the B+W 58mm NL 4 Close Up HS Filter

Edited to say, a tripod would be useful also!

Edited by 4hero on Monday 28th April 17:10

[croxsons]

The things I normally take are glass bottles, jars, that sort of thing, but in this instance, I will be taking pictures of wine and spirit closures, both for extreme detail but also an arty look.

I will post the system I 'have' to work this for advice ... as I have never got excellent results from it, without severe photoshopping first.

[croxsons]

www.croxsons.com/setup.jpg is what we have ...

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

I'm not fishing for work (honest!), but might it be worth getting a pro in?

When you factor in the cost of your time and the benefits of using professional images, it could be an easier route.

[croxsons]

err ... yeah. Normally I have done fine, as bottles I can sort out, it is just this that I struggle with ...

Any advice though, particularly with the lighting side of things, would be very much appreciated ...

[Simpo Two]

If you do things 'on the cheap' they usually look cheap too. That's probably not a good idea for your company brochure.

[croxsons]

this is true of course, but sometimes, one has to do the best in the circumstances, and this is one of those moments. I would also feel let down if I couldn't produce satisfactory results.

No competitors use in-house design and graphics, so it is nice to be different!

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

croxsons said:

No competitors use in-house design and graphics

No matter - we're a friendly and helpful bunch here. Post a snap of the items you need to shoot, and ideally an example of your existing images or the style you'd like to achieve, and I'm sure we can offer some advice.

[croxsons]

I will when I get back to the office tomorrow.

edit: examples would be from this website: http://www.federfintech.it/en/prodotti.asp

Edited by croxsons on Monday 28th April 22:11

[Simpo Two]

croxsons said:

edit: examples would be from this website: http://www.federfintech.it/en/prodotti.asp

Tim, these are truly horrible!







By contrast (literally) here's one I did for another PHer's company:

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 28th April 23:22

[croxsons]

I know they are truely terrible ... I didn't do them (thankfully)!! I know, that given 5 minutes, I can do better ...

PM me if you like ... I am quite willing to look at alternatives ... investment in the future et al.

[Simpo Two]

croxsons said:

I know they are truely terrible ... I didn't do them (thankfully)!! I know, that given 5 minutes, I can do better ...

Well thank heavens for that - I thought you were using them as a goal to achieve! :mops brow:

croxsons said:

PM me if you like ... I am quite willing to look at alternatives ... investment in the future et al.

Have done! I've helped several PH small businesses with decent photos in the past - it's much cheaper than buying all the kit and then wondering why the backgrounds are all grey with shadows everywhere (and you lose focus on what you're supposed to be doing). For the same reason I don't try to print my own business cards with a potato, I go to a printer