small product shots

[findtim]

this is a GREAT idea and just had to share
http://screencast.com/t/Dtm6A1GE
get online, find an image, put the small product on your laptop and SHOOT !
i love simple stuff like this
personally i would have put a white card on the right just to ease out the shadow, and distance from subject + angle of reflective light source will allow you to get it balanced, but all in all a great idea for small products.
great images help sell your products especially on ebay.
to extend on this what about your big screen tv ! for larger products?
using my

https://www.google.com.au/chrome/devices/chromecast/

device i can feed my laptop to my tv, but i'm sure many of you have internet on tv anyway?
tim

 

[Ash]

Nice find Tim.
What advice can you give someone taking photos of drawings? I have a new website called I Can Draw That (.com) and I'm just taking photos of the drawings on my phone.

 

[findtim]

Nice find Tim.
What advice can you give someone taking photos of drawings? I have a new website called I Can Draw That (.com) and I'm just taking photos of the drawings on my phone.

i'm going to guess the drawings are A4? A3? but this system can be used for A2 and A1
A4/3 place it on the floor, A2/1 stick it to a wall.
lighting is EVERYTHING, you should have NO AMBIENT light as that will not be consistant over time as some days are cloudy, other sunny.
45degrees is the angle you want the lights at, one either side, camera on tripod as the exposure may be a few seconds.
so A4/3 just use bedside lamps, whats better if you are going to do it often is a 500wt lamp from bunnings @ $20 each
"arlec 500wt halogen worklight" http://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-500w-portable-halogen-worklight_p7070598
here's a crude mockup of a setup http://screencast.com/t/xMJV2yYSt
you see the camera and the picture, the lights at 45degrees and it would be best to place a diffuser in front of the light, ( awhite sheet is good, use this formula.......... light then 3rd distance to diffuser and then 2 3rds to object, the light should soften nicely.
the 45degrees is so you do not get a reflection as the light bounces away from the camera.
if you get a reflection get a black card and cut a lens whole in it, this way the reflection is matt black.
tim

 

[snoopy]

Yes good idea, I used to set up white paper etc as a background, then try and get the right lighting. Worth going for professional photos if you end up selling a lot of a product (think it cost around $15 a photo to be professionally done). I still do homemade ones though for items that hasn't sold much.

 

[Data Glasses]

My StickMan Comic used to be via a photo, then the penny dropped ....... a scanner!

 

[findtim]

just talking today to a pro photographer mate, his rates for a "product shot" are
1-5 products $95 each
5-20 $75 each
20+ $50 each
if the product moves or shakes or needs "styling" then he changes it to a day rate and says " whatever you can do in a day " , thus if the client stuffs around "fluffing" things he just sits there.

tim

 

[Ash]

Thanks Tim, I'm going to try it out with my next drawing... it will probably just be one desk lamp until I can get down to buy another one. Appreciate the diagram to show set up - will let you know how I go!

Hey Spacey, I have considered scanning it but I do like the photographed look - seems to add depth to it.

 

[findtim]

1 lap won't work well for you, if thats you opinion then place a piece of white card larger then the drawing on the other side, this will at least give you some bounce light, get it as close as possible.
if its A4 i usually use a can of tomatoes to hold up the card !
if you don't have white card sticky an A4 piece of paper to a cereal box
tim