You hear it again and again in all the shop critiques and Storque posts. Pictures, pictures, pictures. "But I'm not a photographer," or so you say. Anyone can take a good product photo- for those without all the fancy gadgets, here's how to make the most of what you've got:
Lighting. Indirect, natural lighting is the easiest for a beginner to work with. Take a look at the photos on this blog. Some are infinitely better than others. They're all taken by the same person using the same camera (more or less). I assure you, the ones you find the most appealing were all taken in indirect, natural lighting. Direct sunlight leaves a glare, low lighting doesn't show enough detail, and artificial lighting wreaks havoc on color (which is impossible to fix after the fact unless you're a photoshop whiz). After playing around a bit, I found that the lighting on my front steps is the the most consistent. If you have to be out in bright sunlight, a cut milk jug makes a great photo box for small objects. (Google "milk jug light box tutorial" for instructions.) Good lighting also helps make sure your pictures are in sharp focus. Low lighting generally means slower shutter speeds (more chance to blur due to movement) and wider aperture (shallower depth of focus/less of your object in focus).
Background. Keep it simple. I know lots of folks tell you to "brand your store front" or whatever, but ultimately, you want folks to see your product. The eye is easily distracted, so if you're just starting out with photography, you don't need to use crazy props. Frame your object tightly enough to keep competing interests in the photo to a minimum. If you use a model, the general guidance is to scale the frame of the photo to the size of your object. What I mean is that if you're selling a puffy tutu and fairy wings, you can include a full body shot of a cute girl having fun... but if you're selling a ring, you should have a close up of the model's hand. If you use an artificial backdrop, pick a matte surface in a color that doesn't compete with your object. (You can do a google search for color wheel for help.)
Lighting. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) If you have to take photos indoors and can't be right next to a window during the day, use diffuse, pure white light. In most cases, this means the flash on your camera is useless because it's not diffuse enough when close up. If you have one of those flashes that attaches to the body of your SLR, you could get a flash diffuser. Another trick is to take a bright light and reflect it off of another surface (say, your ceiling- ever see those photo shoots with the upside down umbrellas?) For smaller objects, you can still use the cut milk jug as a table top photo box. Typically though, you want the lighting source to be off to one side behind you, the photographer. (Note that if you use a flash, the light source is between you and the subject.)
And what about photo editing software? Well, sure, it's useful... but in most cases I think it's easiest to start with a good photo instead of relying on software to try and "fix" things. It's also time consuming and frustrating (unless you're into that sort of thing, in which case your skills are probably too advanced for these particular tips).
Here's a great down and dirty video on how to set up for a jewelry shoot:
How to Photograph Jewelry: Digital Photography Tips | eHow.com
Care to share any of your cheap and easy photography tips?
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