Product photography
Product photography is a one stop solution for manufacturers, advertising companies, sales and distribution companies who want to get their product line up profile photographed in a high quality professional setup with in their budget and quantity. Products and models are the two cornerstones of commercial advertising, but while there is a great deal of understanding of how fashion photography affects us as viewers, the way we absorb a product is less widely discussed The quality of light, the colours used, and the choice of props and backgrounds all subtly communicate an idea about the item, brand, or company.
Product photography can be a fickle subject because it demands a strong understanding of light’s behaviour and how to control it effectively. Extreme attention to detail must be used to identify problems which appear small in the studio but can become huge in the final image, and it takes a lot of creativity to solve the various lighting problems you’ll run in to. Product photography can be done with simple equipment.
The Role of Product Photography in Business
In 2011 , e bay has US$ 11.651 billion revenue and US$ 3.229 billian net income while Amazon.com US$ 48.07 billion revenue and US$ 631 million net income. eBay.com is an online auction and shopping website while Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer.
On these two websites, there are multiple of product models available for one type of item. Say for example, you are trying to search for a ‘product photography lighting’ on eBay; there are about 20 items will come out on the search result.
In this case, the best product photo has the highest chance to be clicked. If the it is supported with reasonable price and good description, the item will have the chance to be purchased.
This means that to have product photo is not enough. It should be GOOD photo that shouts, “Buy me!”
A Good Photography can offer more lets make a list: On these two websites, there are multiple of product models available for one type of item. Say for example, you are trying to search for a ‘product photography lighting’ on eBay; there are about 20 items will come out on the search result.
In this case, the best product photo has the highest chance to be clicked. If the it is supported with reasonable price and good description, the item will have the chance to be purchased.
This means that to have product photo is not enough. It should be GOOD photo that shouts, “Buy me!”
• It captures attention.
• It builds a good impression for the product.
• It suggests better quality.
• It overpowers the necessity of explanation.
• It develops strong brand.
• It delivers a lasting message.
• It sells products.
Product photographs are being used online and offline sell products. No arguments on that. Come in different styles and presentation, they are found if different marketing materials like brochure, poster, flier, quotation, catalogue, banner, restaurant menu, website and more.
Tips for Product Photography
Since you now know the importance and usage of product photography, let me share with you some tips to produce good product photographs.
1. Minimize or eliminate distractions.
Identify and remove any distractions that may be found in the background.
Like for example when shooting a car in a street setting, identify any distractive elements like other cars and dogs then determine how these destructions will be removed from the final picture.
2. Zoom in to frame the unique features of the product.
It is not in all cases that all parts of the vehicle are seen in the picture. Decide on a particular area of the vehicle that you would wish to focus on. Better yet, ask the person whom hired you or your client which part of the product does her or she need to have a close-up shot.
This is possibly the product’s area of strength that makes it stand out from the rest.
. Use props and models to boost the USP – not to divert attention.
Props and models are great rivals of the product when it comes to getting the attention of the viewer. They can make or break the salability of the product.
One of your goals as product photographer is to know the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of the product and use props and models to showcase this advantage into visual representation, the photo
Some of the techniques being used to achieve this purpose are:
• Putting the props out-of-focus,
• Using less props (2 or 3 items),
• Directing models’ eyes to the product,
• Putting product at the eye-level of the model (for close-up shots),
• Using subdued colors for costume in case of non-fashion products, and
• Subdued make-up for fashion items.
Achieve a perfect white for a seamless white background shot.
This is very important for photos that will be used for websites and 360° rotational product images
The white balance setting of your camera and the background play an important role on this part, but if you find it so difficult to achieve a perfect white, which is I think impossible to achieve using mere camera setting, you have touch the photo on an image editing application like Photoshop.
Do not start unless everything is ready.
I am sure that you that the first step in undertaking any photography session requires the presence of the principal object. Yes, because you cannot start a car photography session without the car itself.
The appropriate equipment and accessories are also important to achieve better photos – like macro lens for jewelry and tent for reflective products like stainless steel ware
Types Of Product Photography
1. Group Shot
Obviously this is the type of shot intended for a group of products, composed of two items and above. Though there are marketers who discourage taking photos of products in group because it lessens the value as what they said, this type of shot is still useful for a set of products like porcelain tea set, dinner set, cutlery set and other similar items. Example, the 1 liter, 500ml, 350ml, 50ml and a sachet of an anti-dandruff shampoo can be photograph as one group if the purpose is to show the available range of product..
2. Individual Shot
One item is shoot at a time. This the opposite of the group shot. Individual shot is done to give emphasis to every item or if the items are be priced or promoted individually.
promoted individually.
3. Components Shot
This is done for the components of a certain product. Say for example the product is a 3-in-1 food processor (blender, mixer, dough-maker), after taking the photo of the whole product, you also need to shoot its components like the blades, mixing bowl and the dough maker.
4. Series Shot
It is done for 360 degrees rotational or for animated products photos used online or on html presentation. The product is shot in series position and the photos are arranged in image processing software, usually Adobe Photoshop. When the animation is set, the image is saved in GIF file format. Instead of using GIF, some company use flash for the animation
5. Detail Shot
It is the close-up of some parts or the features of the product such as an ergonomic button, detail of the fiber of fabric, the label, a unique design, patented part of the item and the carving the body of the item.
6. Teaser Shot
It is often done with artistic appeal. The purpose of this shot is to get the interest of the viewer. This type of shot is often used as brochure cover, catalogue category divider and packaging graphic design. Teaser shot is usually done with props and is set up to suggest usage of the product and the lifestyle that the product fits into.
.More important than the type of key lights you use are light modifiers. These are just a few things you’d need on a typical product shoot:
• Reflectors - They can be as small as a piece of cardboard or as large as a wall, and are used to bounce light back into the frame. They can come in white, silver, gold, or any colour that you want to reflect onto your subject.
• Scrims – This is any translucent material that is used to diffuse light. And uses a large scrim to soften the two key lights –its called a “trace” because it’s made of tracing paper, but other materials can be used as well. It is often called a “silk” because that fabric is commonly used for the purpose
• Gobo - Short for “go-between”, these are black cards that block light from shining in any direction. its a “flag”.
when shooting products is to set your camera up on a tripod and arrange your product within the frame, checking the viewfinder and making test shots and minute adjustments as you add to (or subtract from) your composition until it is just the way you want it.
Techniques
· Beat Camera Auto-focus Problems
· Different Types of Lens and Their Uses·
Digital camera Exposure Settings – Where to Star
Digital Photography and the Rule of thirds
Five Tips for Photography without clutter
1) Framing : This is the surrounds of the subject, particularly the edges. While photographers concentrate their attention towards the centre of an image and the subject, it is easy to miss distracting objects at the edges. So pay attention to the edges and position the camera accordingly.
2) Telephoto and Zoom Lenses : Choosing the right focal length is a variation of the framing technique. As the focal length of a lens increases, the angle of view narrows. This makes the framing of the scene a consideration when choosing the focal length. This is important in situations where it is difficult to move the camera to achieve the desired framing.
The
foreshortening effect of telephoto lenses may draw undue attention to
background objects by making them seem closer the subject than they really are.
This works in reverse for wide-angle lenses.
3) Depth of Field : The combination of longer focal length lenses and wide
apertures (small f number) places distracting objects in the background out of
focus, reducing their visual impact. This works better on larger sensor cameras
such as DSLRs and medium format cameras
4) Shooting Angle: Foreground clutter may
appear inconsequential but it achieves greater impact in the image than when
viewing the scene. For example, microphone stands used by stage performers In the example photo to achieve a clear shot of the performer’s face required careful positioning and timing as performers move around the stage.
5) Lighting : The principal tool for most
photographers here is electronic flash. Similarly, to the depth of field,
photographers can utilise the limited range of these devices to light the area
of interest properly while leaving the background dark
Aperture
is the main camera control to influence flash exposure of the main subject,
while shutter speed influences the brightness of the background. Choosing a
faster shutter speed helps black out the background
Photoshop
When
all else fails there is always editing tools in Photoshop to remove objects but
getting it right when making the original image saves tedious work with photo
software.
Avoid
dust Spots on Digital Photograph
Dirt on your DSLR’s sensor appears as an annoying dark mark in the same spot on all your photos. It is more apparent in light coloured parts of the image, such as blue sky or a white dress.
Try not to let dust in, so change lenses in a clean dust free environment and shelter the camera from any wind. Inevitably some dust will get inside the sensor chamber while the shutter operates
Cleaning Camera Sensors
Change
the lens indoors, where dust is less likely to get into the camera, and hold it
with the lens throat pointing down and give the inside a quick blow with a hand
operated blower. These blowers are readily available from photographic
suppliers. They are the shape of a rubber bulb that you squeeze to create a
gentle puff of air. Pressure packs of compressed air can be a bit too powerful
for the insides of a camera.
Stubborn Spots
If
there are stubborn spots then you need to consider professional cleaning, as
the next step requires a degree of skill and care. Use only solvents and
cleaning swabs made specifically for digital photographic sensors. The solvents
are manufactured to a high level of purity and are designed to evaporate
completely, leaving no residue on the sensor. Then there are specialist
applicators, or swabs, these come in individual sealed plastic bags to ensure
that they are completely dust free. They come in sizes to suit different sizes
and shapes of sensors. Naturally, read and follow the manufacturer’s usage
instructions.
Clone
Tool
This is a common tool in photo
editing software for removing unwanted spots and blemishes. This article goes
into its use in more detail Clone Tool Basics
- Deal with Blown out Highlights in Digital Photos
- Highlights in Digital Photos : A common problem facing photographers is the loss of fine detail in lighter areas of photographs taken in bright light
- Although the impact of overexposed areas in a photo is often subtle, the preservation of highlights and shadows is an indication of the attention detail typical of an experienced photographer.
The
photo of apple blossoms against a dark background is starting to lose
detail in the white petals as automatic processing strives for a good average
exposure of the whole scene.
In
the comparison versions of the photo show the difference in the amount of fine
detail visible.
Film and Digital
Photographic
techniques
Graduated
neutral density filters
These go in front of the lens and reduce the amount of light in the top part the image. The effect varies for a smooth transition to normal exposure for the rest of the image. These work best when the scene is divide into neat horizontal layers.
These go in front of the lens and reduce the amount of light in the top part the image. The effect varies for a smooth transition to normal exposure for the rest of the image. These work best when the scene is divide into neat horizontal layers.
Polarising filter
This sometimes reduce reflections from shiny surfaces and give a more even exposure photos.
This sometimes reduce reflections from shiny surfaces and give a more even exposure photos.
Spot metering.
This ensures the main subject is exposed correctly but the surrounding areas may be over or underexposed.
This ensures the main subject is exposed correctly but the surrounding areas may be over or underexposed.
Exposure compensation
This produces similar results to spot metering in ensuring the main subject is correctly exposed at the expense of unimportant peripheral ares of the photo.
This produces similar results to spot metering in ensuring the main subject is correctly exposed at the expense of unimportant peripheral ares of the photo.
Fill Flash
It may seem strange to add extra light when bright light is the problem. However, by setting the basic exposure for the bright areas the flash provides enough light to reduce the dark shadows created by bright sunlight. This photographic technique is often used for outdoor portraits.
It may seem strange to add extra light when bright light is the problem. However, by setting the basic exposure for the bright areas the flash provides enough light to reduce the dark shadows created by bright sunlight. This photographic technique is often used for outdoor portraits.
Processing
Dodge and Burn
These techniques originated in the film darkroom for lightening or darkening selected areas of a photograph in the printing process. The techniques and names carry over to the digital processing environment.
These techniques originated in the film darkroom for lightening or darkening selected areas of a photograph in the printing process. The techniques and names carry over to the digital processing environment.
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