Photography, no matter if it is artistic or product based, is an art that must be treated with the greatest respect. Taking an attractive, sharp and good-quality photo is a skill that not everyone can master.
Taking a good product photo requires practice, precision and appropriate equipment, which, contrary to appearances, does not have to cost a fortune.
How to start your adventure with product photography?
As is well known, a photographer must have equipment that enables him to work. Of course, it is not worth investing your life savings in the best cameras and lenses available on the market. A good product photo can be made using basic equipment that should only be expanded with new gear over time. Remember that common sense is essential.
Before starting your adventure with product photography , you should equip yourself with the necessary accessories.
- A properly prepared workplace - a shadowless tent and a shadowless table will be very useful.
- Source of light - if you do not have studio lighting, you can use a standard reporter's lamp to start with. However, it may quickly turn out that one lamp is not enough, and it certainly will not ensure work comfort.
- Light modifiers - light modifiers are also necessary - softboxes, reflectors and diffusers.
- Tripod - it will ensure a stable position of the camera and precise frame setting. This will make it possible to take a series of photos with different illumination of selected parts of the product (even with the use of one lamp) and post-production of the final photo.
- Main tools - camera and lenses. It is best to have a high resolution camera equipped with an appropriate lens, preferably a fixed focal length of 85 or 105 mm with a macro function. This combination of parameters will allow you to photograph even very small objects in high resolution, because thanks to the macro function we will be able to position the camera close to the photographed object.
Product photography is a very demanding field. Initial failures are an integral part of learning and unfortunately happen to everyone. In this aspect, experience and continuous practice are key, and the more photos are taken, the better quality they will be.
When dealing with product photography, you must know that the play with light is of key importance here. Thanks to the appropriate lighting, you can extract the maximum potential from the object, emphasize its texture, shape and the smallest details.