I flip open my super old A3 pad, wedge the pages between the CD player and the bin, secure them with my camera battery charger, then decide on where to place my product. A plain A3 pad is one of the best and cheapest backgrounds for product photography you could ever use - mine was 99p from The Works!
Next up, I position my reflectors to dim shadows and reflect light from the window (or flash, depending what time it is) back on to the product. I don't always use reflectors, they're not absolutely necessary, so if you don't own any there's no rush to buy some! However, they are pretty cheap from eBay though, if you fancy trying them out.
Choose camera settings, compose, adjust focus, shoot. Re-adjust settings, shoot and repeat until I'm happy with the outcome!
What's your photography area like? What do you use as a background? If you're not so confident on your camera skills, check out my Beauty Blog Photography 101 post!
awesome! i never thought of using an sketch book before!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really helpful post! I usually take my photos right next to the window to get the best light :) Do you think reflectors are necessary for just a normal digital camera? (not a fancy schmancy one?) xx
ReplyDeleteI had an Alpha-H skin care box which was A4 size so I used to use that for my product shots. Never thought of an A3 pad! Now I just use the table or even take pictures from my doorstep as the light is a lot better outside. xo
ReplyDeletefab idea for a post... really helpful & informative!! always wondered how your pic were so perfect x
ReplyDeleteooh that's a really smart way of doing it!
ReplyDeleteI use the Notice's infinity effect method:
http://thenotice.net/2011/05/infinity-effect-how-to/
of course, mine is on a smaller scale due to improvising with what I have but it still does the trick, only sometimes I accidentally photograph a bit of the cardboard in the corner but the smudge tool in Photoshop sorts that out! xx
Think I need to get myself some cheap reflectors! Hate having shadows in my images :) xx
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post, I try to take my photos against a white background (white paper stuck to the kitchen wall and more white paper on top of a book on top of the bread bin) but I always seem to end up with a blue cast... :( I have my mobile phone camera and nothing else though.
ReplyDeleteGenius! I might start doing that. =) Thanks for the idea. Usually I just take pictures of my makeup on my couch
ReplyDelete@ irishenchantment, they're the perfect backgrounds!
ReplyDelete@ Sarah, I don't think reflectors are necessary in general unless you're a pro photographer. They're definitely helpful though, whatever camera you use.
@ Halima, pads, boxes, doorsteps, whatever works!
@ Jade, thank you! Aw, I'm still not 100% satisfied with my product pics but they're fine and dandy for blog pics!
@ Nats, ooh, I used that method for photographing my 3D work in art! Her little cut out box thing is a brilliant idea, though, I just taped the paper between a wall and the desk :S
@ Katy, they take some placing with to get used to, but they're saviours sometimes!
@ Ms Red, you could use a programme like Photoscape to correct the white balance in your photos (should remove the blue cast). That might help!
@ D. Sadie, thanks! Hope it works out for you :)
My setup is similar to yours, only I use a piece of poster board as my back drop and a hot flash with the light bounced off of the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteI use a sketchbook for my backgrounds, I also use another white sheet of card in place of a reflector, works pretty well for me, though I've never used a traditional reflector
ReplyDeletex
This was so helpful, I struggle to find the best light for my photos but will give this a try. :-) x
ReplyDeleteGood stuff! It's also great to photograph outside on an overcast day cause it acts like a natural lightbox.
ReplyDeleteSo helpful! As is the post on photography 101 post as I feel like the quality of my photos really lets my blog down. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSteph x
@ Leticia, sounds like a great method you have going on!
ReplyDelete@ Hollie, white cardboard does work very well as a quick fix (I used it before I got 'proper' reflectors).
@ Princesselfy, natural light is always best if you can find a decent place in your home with it :) I know quite a few bloggers take pics in the garden, though!
@ Jess, true! Direct sunlight is a pain when photographing outside. Clouds are almost like natural diffusers!
@ Steph, thank you! I'm glad you found the posts helpful :D
An helpful post, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I was looking at table top studios but they are expensive.
ReplyDeleteI just took a sheet of white poster paper and put it under my window but the lighting can be a pain (and at night it doesn't work). I'll have to do this, thanks so must for posting it! :)
Interesting read! when I take photos in the bathroom I just use my large, white window cill. When I have more time to take proper photos I take pictures using some old white material. x
ReplyDeleteGREAT info! I shared with my twitter followers. This will be a great help especially to those who are new to blogging and floundering around trying to find our way. Thnx for sharing.
ReplyDeletethis post is so inspiring. i must get one of these sketch book too. brilliant idea. oh dear, you dont want to know about my photography area. this should have been a tag, a brilliant one indeed. love to see the behind of the scenes of each blogger. I want to see a photo of the windowsill where charlotte takes her legendary photos but she will never photograph it haha xx
ReplyDeleteoo helpful ideas!
ReplyDeleteThe A3 pad is an excellent idea. I general use manual mode on my DSLR to blur the background (in case it's messy) and take photos on my coffee table.
ReplyDeleteGreat Ideas to take Product photography!
ReplyDelete