As our retailer partners find the lure of the Internet an impossible thing to resist, they face two choices with photography; use our image or take their own. Using ours is fine, but your site risks looking the same as all our other retail partners. Taking your own, well that can be just daunting. When I look back on our early product photography, well, it’s sad. Over the years we have improved tremendously, pushed in part by online partners with rigorous standards who simply would not accept the quality we presented. Getting to where we are now involved experimenting with different photography setups and taking some classes in Photoshop. Yes we tried going the professional photographer route, but between cost and more importantly the time delays, it just wasn’t a practical solution for us. In this article I hope to get you past some of the mistakes we made and share the key ingredients to a good product shot.

• Product Photography On A Budget Template
• Product Photography On A Budget
• Product Photography On A Budget
• How To Master Product Photography On A Tight Budget

Before we get practical – a few basic questions we get asked:

Why is the background always white?
We didn’t start this way. When we first started we used artsy backgrounds, included props and where possible some green from nature, but we soon found that as we connected with larger online retailers there was a standard and our cute artsy photos didn’t meet it. When we take a photo we are taking it for multiple sites and while smaller independent sites may love the cool artsy backgrounds the larger sites do not. In order to create a workflow and know that the photo would work everywhere we set an internal standard – 1500 pixels by 1500 pixels – on a white background. Boring maybe, practical yes. It’s also fair to assume that the larger sites have done the work and know that white images ultimately work better. Whatever you decide, you do need some uniform standards. Once you have some, you are happy with, document your standards and stick to them.

Product Photography On A Budget Template

1. Innovative product photography on a budget – Diver’s Chronograph June 18, 2014 Neil vN 16 Comments Tilo Gockel’s photography on his website and in the Strobist FB group, always impresses.
2. Product photography is the use of specific techniques to showcase products in an attractive way in order to entice potential buyers to take the leap of faith. It’s an essential part of both offline and online marketing for successful brochures, catalogs, billboards, magazine ads, specifically when selling products directly to the consumer.
3. Here are the steps to create great product photography on a budget: Step 1: Prepare the studio. Nope, we are not talking about a real studio. You can turn your kitchen into a studio. What you need to prepare is the product, and make sure that the entire place is clean, and that your background is white.
4. You also want to play with angles instead of just photographing the product from the front or above. Play with the angles and you might find something that works a lot better. Remember to also take your time with the photos. You might want to take a day off just to practice photography, read some online tips and just snap as many photos as you can.

What size should finished images be?
If they are for your website, something like 650 pixels by 650 pixels will probably do. We have partners who demand 1500 x 1500. You will find that as the years progress, technology is able to handle bigger images and consumers expect more detail. I would suggest 1500 by 1500 as a good standard size.

As I’m fairly new to photography as a whole, I’d like to dedicate this piece not to the common PL reader who is already more than knowledgeable, but rather to someone who is only getting interested in this amazing passion that is photography, specifically on how to approach it even with limited experience and budget.

Why are your images always square?
We always produce square images. With white backgrounds this blends into most websites, but the consistency in size and shape means that our images always align on a website. I strongly recommend making a square image part of your standard.

Okay so you have your standards set, let’s talk equipment.

To get a good image you do need some basic equipment, ironically an expensive camera is not one of them. Modern digital cameras are pretty much all great for what we want. Try to find one with a decent macro feature for real closeups and as high a resolution as you get get for your money. We use one of the cheapest Nikon CoolPix – as of writing this you can get a better version than our 5 year old one for $69.99. One thing to watch for is the tripod connectivity, not all cameras have the threaded hole to mount on a tripod and for product photography a good tripod is probably more important than the camera. The other determining factor is the Macro capability, which most if not all digital cameras have these days.

A tripod is essential. We got a used one handed down from a family member, but new tripods start at under $20 on eBay. I am sure the lowest cost ones are also likely not to last long, but its not like you are going to move it much. Mac os high sierra boot camp issuesfakeyellow. Ours sits next to the photo setup and never leaves the room.

Lighting is one of the more daunting purchases you will make. We tried several setups over the years but have settled on a 2000W Photo Studio Video Photography Softbox Light Stand Continuous Lighting Kit – available from multiple sellers on eBay for around $85. These are versatile enough for a small jewelry up to people shots. We have over the years tried various light boxes but found that we really don’t need one even for jewelry.

The Setup. In order to get a white background image you need a white background. We started using poster boards but have found it much easier and cheaper over time to maintain a permanent setup using a roll of photo background paper (around $25), a 10Ft Adjustable Background Support Stand (eBay $25), and a table. Using a roll eliminates any corners you will get using flat poster boards or card. We also have a few home made pieces for props such as our earring rack, made from 2 shelf brackets and some tooth floss. Tooth floss is great as it vanishes on white backgrounds. Keep some poster board or small pieces of mirror around to deal with reflecting pesky shadows, especially a problem on silver jewelry.

This image is of our simple setup. We also have a wall with a large piece of white backdrop so we can shift to wall art or bigger pieces. If we need a lifestyle image we tend to take things home and shoot them in a setting or on a table top, a great excuse to buy some cool ethnic furniture.

Earring Dental Floss Fixture

The video below shows the use of light and some reflective card with single defuser light – (jump to 5 min in) – YouTube is a great source of tutorials for product photography. This is just one of many I found to demonstrate the setup.

The goal is to get your image perfect but let’s be honest it rarely is. But don’t worry, that’s where Photoshop comes in. In the next video we will take a decent image and turn it into a great image using a very old version of Photoshop CS2, you can also use GIMP https://www.gimp.org which is free. If you are using Gimp or a newer version of Photoshop the features demonstrated will exist but may be in different locations.

But What About Lifestyle Images?

Needless to say, while a white background is practical if the image is going to potentially meet the needs of a lot of different websites, you may want the images to present your sense of style. We asked Priscilla Schleigh, owner of Giraffe, how she goes about getting such stunning images for her site.

“I took most of the photos with my iPhone with natural light on the front porch of my old location,” Priscilla wrote. “Now I am not sure I know where to take the photos as the new place has no front porch. Over that last 10 years I have worked with so many website folks and spent lots of money on people that have told me to use the tents and different ways to photo things.

“Several years ago I just started taking photos on the porch in natural light and liked the results better. (it was on the advise of my niece who was in in graphic design school at the time. She was right.) Consistency is the main thing on a website, and with the new phones you can take all photo in the square size and they usually work for websites.”

While perfection is never possible and we are certainly not professional photographers, we hope these tips get you up and running and save you some time, heartache and cash.

Owning a studio to do your product photography must have been on your bucket-list but you possibly postponed it due to expenses involved. We can tell you it is not out of your reach. If you are dreaming of setting up a bootstrapped studio at home or even a factory, you just need little but right investments.

Contents

1. Basic equipment for a home studio
   • Smartphone
   • Lighting
   • White paper backdrop
   • Cardboard foam
   • Pins and Duct tape
   • Furniture
   • Tripod
   • Editing Software
2. Set up for a studioonabudget
   • Position the table near the light source
   • Set the backdrop
   • Bring in the main hero
   • Fix the reflector
   • Clamp the phone in tripod and click
3. The parting tips

Basic equipment for a home studio

We are not talking about the technical lights and reflectors that you usually see in professional set-ups. We promised to help you create a budget-friendly photo studio in your space, so here we begin with a list of basic equipment that you essentially need, common to all kinds of product photography.

Smartphone

The first obvious thing for taking product photographs is having a great camera. By great, we don’t mean the most expensive one. The camera installed at the back of your smartphone is just enough to capture your products in all its glory. With features like “Grids” to create better focus on your subject and adjustments like ISO, white balance and contrast to name a few, you can achieve a good-quality image in seconds. You can always go for the fancy DSLRs but all you really need is a high-number megapixel (> 12 megapixel) camera that can achieve excellent results without spending a fortune.

If you are still willing to get the best of the lot, here is a list of smartphones boasting the best cameras out there.

Lighting

The one thing that can really affect a photograph is lighting. Ask the experts and they still prefer natural lighting while taking photographs. The reason is simple – natural light is easily attainable and there is so much you can do during editing stages any way. It creates a natural effect of composition and shadows, contrast and illumination that accentuates the beauty of your product. Another good thing about it is – you get it for free. Just having a generous window in your house can help you achieve great shots within no time. Placing your product near a big source of natural light is all the light that you require for a dramatic touch.

White paper backdrop

You need a backdrop for your product photography set up and investing in a white sheet roll is one good buy. White background is proven to be the best as it really brings out the natural colors of your product and doesn’t steal away the limelight. Going for a giant roll helps you achieve a flowy background that covers the frame completely and is not creased. Also, remember that the white paper board needs to be bigger than the product itself to prevent the paper sides from being visible in your photographs.

Give a read if you wish to know more about photography backdrops.

Cardboard foam

When working at home, you can’t go for hi-fi reflectors and all the gadgets found in a photographer’s bunker. But that doesn’t stop you from getting a great shot. Go for a cardboard foam or white foam-board and use it as a reflector. The right way to do it placing the product between the light source and the foamboard. The board bounces the light and eliminates harsh shadows, creating an evenly lit product photograph. It is handy and comes in various thicknesses to suit your needs.

Click here to build a DIY reflector that works just like a professional one.

Pins and Duct tape

Clamping pins, glues and duct tapes come in handy to keep the product background at place. This needs to be done to avoid any movement during photoshoot. You might also require masking tapes for holding reflectors in place or keeping the product in standing position. These are inevitable especially when you are working single handed while taking photographs.

Product Photography On A Budget

Furniture

A piece of furniture like a table or desktop found in your home or even a kitchen top is great for placing your product. One thing that you need to pay attention to is the right height. If your table is too high or too low, you may face difficulty in shooting multiple photographs. High chairs or stools can play a role in providing you different angles and perspectives while shooting. Homemr. macs class 2019 20.

Tripod

The one thing that we dread the most while taking photographs is getting a blurred one. In order to completely shake it off, invest in a tripod to hold your camera in place. No more worrying about shaking fingers or distorted images, just clean, sharp and stable photographs every single time. Tripods allow you to maintain the exact same position and distance from the product, building a consistent look for all your images. Just place the tripod stand with your camera and move products as much as you require to take sharp images without hassle.

Here are some tripods under 50$ that you should check out.

Editing Software

Even when you think that the photograph is good and ready to be uploaded to your website, it still needs some adjustments to make it look absolutely terrific. You need an editing software like photoshop to hide all the flaws of your image and if you don’t have the time, you can always seek an image editing service company to save your time and effort. But don’t miss this crucial step because the customers measure your professionalism on the basis of your product photographs.

Product Photography On A Budget

Set up for a bootstrap studio

Assembled the required equipment? Here is how to set-up you home studio and take amazing, professional photographs that will instantly win over your buyer’s hearts and get your sales running.

Position the table near the light source

Choose a good space (close to a 100 sq. ft. room) and begin by placing the furniture piece (table or a chair) right next to the window. Keep some distance between the table and the wall/window, you’ll need space to move around it. The window should be big enough to let in ample light and evenly brighten the product. Avoid the windows that get direct sunlight.

Set the backdrop

Take the white paper sweep or “roll” and unwind to create the backdrop of the set. The best way to do it is clamp or pin the white paper to a high table or a shelf or a wall to create a sweeping, curved look. Fix the paper well to avoid any movement during placing products or while shooting. If necessary, roll the sides and stick well and get rid of edges, keeping it steady and neat will save you ample of time and trouble later.

Bring in the main hero

Time to place the hero of this assembly – your product. Brush and clean your product properly before bringing it onstage. Place your product in the centre of the table over the white sheet. Your product should be in a standing position, rendering a stiff look. For instance, if you are photographing shoes, remember to hold the laces upright with making tapes. While shooting garments, pin them properly with needles or blue tac to eliminate a sluggish effect. Be creative and take some time to style the products to make them look appealing and professionally photographed.

Fix the reflector

Place your reflector which is the white foam board just opposite to the light source to diffuse the shadows and for bouncing light. If you are doing the photoshoot alone, you may use a supporter at the back of the foamboard to set the frame and keep it in position. The reflector should be of appropriate size to scatter light and glorify product details.

Clamp the phone in tripod and click

Now that the product is ready, affix your phone into the tripod stand. Place it in front of the product, maintain a good distance and begin shooting. There are numerous options for a budget friendly tripod that will help achieve a beguiling image. Let the tripod do its part and snap from as many angles as you wish. Set a good frame once and keep repeating the same for all products uniformly with the camera clasped to tripod.

The parting tips

Now that you are aware of setting up a DIY photo studio at home with bare minimum, we would love to share some tips on making your product images flawless and irresistible.

• If you can’t find natural source of light at home or your factory, then go for cheap lamps that extrude soft light. The lamps or LED light need not be more than 60 W.
• Avoid using zoom feature for photographs because it compromises the quality of the final photograph. Move your camera closer to the product if you seek a close-up image.
• Skip large tables and go for the smaller ones. They are easy to handle, are portable so you can move them easily round the studio and work well with a narrow paper backdrop.
• Shutter speeds of 1/6 are considered ideal for photographing products at home. Opt for lower ISO values while taking shots to produce good quality photographs.
• Eyes may not be able to catch defects but the camera speaks it all. After you are done with taking images, edit them. If you don’t possess the required technical knowledge and editing isn’t your cup of tea, let the pros handle this for you. You already managed to get great shots in minimal cost but taking the help of professionals in editing process is one ideal investment that can actually result in a head-turner photograph.

How To Master Product Photography On A Tight Budget

With this newly acquired knowledge and a few items that you already possess, you can create your own photo studio at home at bootstrapped budget to generate gorgeous product photographs.