Product photography is a branch of photography that accurately and attractively presents a product. If you have products that you sell online on your own website or on an online auction website, you can photograph these products yourself in your own home or studio to successfully present them for sale. Here are some things that you can do to creatively present and photograph your products:
Product Photography Equipment: You will need a tripod for your camera and two or three spotlights on adjustable light stands so you can move and adjust them quickly and easily. You will also need a large clear plastic storage bin to use as a stage to hold your products as you shoot them with your camera. To create clear and uncomplicated backgrounds, buy several large pieces of foam core board in white, black, and gray, to frame your products, as well as several large pieces of white, black, and gray paper to use as backdrops. It is also handy to have several pieces of soft white, black, and gray fabric to place under your products.
Product Backlighting: If you have a blank wall in your home or studio, you can use is as a backdrop when you shoot photographs of your products. Cover a table with a large piece of paper that is the same color as your blank wall. Place your table a few feet in front of your blank wall and place your product on it. Shoot spotlights onto the blank wall so that they create two or three spots of diffused light on the wall. Shoot your product from several different angles to get a variety of product shots against the diffused spots of light.
Product in Front of Computer Screen: You can use your computer monitor to create a colorful background for photographing your products. Look for online colorful images of plants, landscape, water, and objects to use as a background. Once you find an image in appropriate colors, take it into an image-editing program such as Adobe Photoshop and completely blur the image so there are no discernible shapes or recognizable objects. Get a full-screen view of your blurred image and place a small box or stack of books in front of your computer screen. Cover your box or books with a piece of white or black cloth and place your product on top of this stage. Adjust your lighting to get rid of any shadows or reflections and take your product shots.
Product In a Large Clear Plastic Storage Bin: Remove the lid from a clear plastic storage bin and place it on its side on a table in front of a piece of foam core board in the color you wish to use as a background. This will be your photographic stage to shoot your product. Place a sheet of white, black, or gray paper in the storage bin so that it sits on the table and covers the bottom of your storage bin and seamlessly arches around to the top of the bin. Attach this sheet of paper to the top of the bin with tape or binder clips. This will create a seamless background in front of which you can place your product. Move your spotlights around so that your product is well lit with soft shadows and no discernible reflections.
Look at different product photographs to give you more ideas on how to light and shoot your products. Get creative and take several different shots of your products and choose the most effective ones. The more you photograph your products, the more creative you can be. Soon you will have product shots that look like they were taken by a professional photographer and you can be pleased and proud that you shot them yourself. If you're not confident in your skills, check out sites like Derekmfong.com for more information.
