Product Photography Help!

[zkogut]

Hi Everybody,

I recently started an Etsy shop to sell my custom bow wrist slings. I've never done product photography before and figured I'd see what your guys thoughts were on these images. I've post a few pics below but if you want to see them on my Etsy shop I've posted the link below. Any pointers would be appreciated!

-Zak

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BuckSlings?ref=hdr_shop_menu


Photo #1


Photo #2


Photo #3


Photo #4

[Mike Buckley]

Those are better than a lot of product photos made to sell product.

The most important suggestion I can make is to make the shadows softer (with less of a defined edge). You can do that by moving your light source as close as possible to the subject and/or placing diffusion material between the light source and the subject.

The compositions on your website that have less negative space above the subject are more appealing to my eye. Even so, consider cropping to display as little negative space as possible in all of the photos.

This is an example of both soft shadows and less negative space.

It's important to render the colors accurately so you don't have any complaints from customers after receiving the product that it's a different color than as advertised. You could use this product to help ensure color accuracy. I haven't ever had a need to use it but its reputation is excellent.

[zkogut]

Those are better than a lot of product photos made to sell product.

The most important suggestion I can make is to make the shadows softer (with less of a defined edge). You can do that by moving your light source as close as possible to the subject and/or placing diffusion material between the light source and the subject.

The compositions on your website that have less negative space above the subject are more appealing to my eye. Even so, consider cropping to display as little negative space as possible in all of the photos.

This is an example of both soft shadows and less negative space.

Thanks for the pointer and suggestions!! I really appreciate it. Right now I have a ghetto setup but I'll try to diffuse my light a little bit better and get rid of some negative space. This is my current setup.

Setup

[Mike Buckley]

I edited my post to add the last paragraph that you might want to read.

Yes, definitely move that flash as close as possible to the subject. If you want to retain the same relationship between the flash and the subject, simply move the subject closer to the edge of the tabletop and significantly lower the flash. Placing anything translucent over the flash head such as a tissue will nicely diffuse the light, though simply moving the flash close to the subject may be all you need to do.

[Manfred M]

+1 to what Mike has written. When it comes to lighting there are two things to remember:

1. The closer the light source is to the subject, the softer the light; and

2. The larger the light source, the softer the light.

In a lot of the lighting I do, my light source is sitting just outside the camera frame. Every so often I blow it and the edge of a light modifier sneaks in and I have to retouch it out.

[Mike Buckley]

2. The larger the light source, the softer the light.

It might be helpful to clarify that for others, as I'm certain Manfred already knows it. It's actually not the size of the light source that is important; it's the relative size that matters. As an example, the sun is most definitely our largest light source. However, it is so far away that it is relatively quite small. That explains why the shadows it produces are quite hard with well-defined edges unless clouds have naturally diffused the sunlight or unless the sunlight, as just one example, is diffused by translucent curtains over a window. To demonstrate the point in a different way, when your flash is very close to the subject, it is relatively larger than the sun.

[Manfred M]

Correct Mike - both statements are relative to the subject, and I should have been more clear in what I wrote.

A light source that appears to be large in macro work or in photographing a relatively small object, like these bow wrist slings, is going to be a small light source for shooting a portrait.

The same thing can be said for the distance. A rule of thumb I was taught is that the light source will be soft so long as it is no further away from the subject that approximately twice the diagonal of the light source or twice the diameter in the case of round light sources. My own experience suggests that this rule of thumb is pretty good.

[Mike Buckley]

A rule of thumb I was taught is that the light source will be soft so long as it is no further away from the subject that approximately twice the diagonal of the light source or twice the diameter in the case of round light sources.

I had never heard that. That context makes it a lot easier for people to understand who have never moved a light source toward and away from a subject to appreciate how the change of distance so dramatically affects the quality of the shadows.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Could a totally rank amateur make a suggestion?

I've had fun using ambient lighting and long exposure time while using an LED flashlight to add highlights during exposure to photograph some of my camera bodies. Since the subject isn't moving it's pretty easy to try multiple times with differing settings.

Just a thought.

[Manfred M]

I had never heard that. That context makes it a lot easier for people to understand who have never moved a light source toward and away from a subject to appreciate how the change of distance so dramatically affects the quality of the shadows.

The other side effect of being in close is, of course, the effects of the inverse square law are most noticeable as the light drop-off when viewed as a percentage, is going to affect the subject the most.

[Mike Buckley]

I've had fun using ambient lighting and long exposure time while using an LED flashlight to add highlights during exposure to photograph some of my camera bodies.

Great timing, Alan! I've had a mind lately to do the same. The only thing to be concerned about is when color accuracy is important and when the LED light has a different color cast than the rest of the light. That reminds me that I need to test whatever differences there are between my LED light sources (not rated for Kelvin temperature) and my other light sources rated 5500K. In my situation when color accuracy is unimportant, it doesn't matter whether the color cast is different but it can be helpful for me to know whether it is different and, if so, how much.

[Mike Buckley]

It just occurred to me that I would recommend to Zak that he not use the method of hand holding an LED flashlight. That's because he probably wants all of his photos to appear relatively uniformly the same when displayed on his website. The more he uses a controlled, measurable setup that can be easily replicated, the more he can ensure uniformity among all of his product photos.

That also reminds me that Zak should consider using the same composition for every product so long as size and shape are the same.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I like Zak's pictures, but I find the stark white of the background a little hard. If he could get the shadows under control to make it look as it the wrist slings were 'floating' in mid air they'd do the trick.

[Mike Buckley]

I find the stark white of the background a little hard.

That's also not pleasing to me as an aesthetic about the photograph itself. However, these photographs are being made to sell the product. A lot of websites use a stark white with no tonal variation in the tabletop and background because doing so places more emphasis on the product being marketed. I assume that method results in higher sales but I really don't know.

If he could get the shadows under control to make it look as it the wrist slings were 'floating' in mid air they'd do the trick.

The way to do that would be to either use a second light source to eliminate the shadows or to eliminate them during post-processing. The former method would probably be easiest if he has a second light source.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I understand the need to emphasize the product, but, I wonder what they'd look like if photographed on a camo background?
Something that would relate to where/how the product is used.

[rpcrowe]

Your images certainly show what the wrist straps look like but, IMO somehow the white background is kind of sterile. Of course, you might have chosen the white BG for reasons...

If I were going to sell these straps, I would want an image of them in action. One way to ensure that guys will pay attention is to have an attractive female modeling the straps...

I have often used a "light tent" for product photography. While not ideal for every product, it is a "quick and dirty" solution for many products - especially when you have a large number of different products that you want to shoot fast.

I will be shooting, in the next couple of days a wide range of photography and fishing gear that I will be selling on eBay and other Internet sites and I will post some of those images...

[Dave Humphries]

One disadvantage of a softer light source might be, unless careful attention is paid*, the reduction of defined texture in the bucks head embossing.

* Try experimenting with 'glancing' the edge of the light across that face, so it is still revealed (also crank up Clarity in PP).
You may also want to place a reflector card opposite the light source to fill the shadows which will help with the 'increased inverse square law effect' caused by moving the source so close to the subject.

I use a "mini softbox" attachment on my similar flash for macro shooting, they're only a few dollars/pounds.
The best one I have is about 5 by 8 inches (or 125 x 200mm), this will allow you to use the flash a bit further away and avoid it getting in to the shot

My 'best' one has flexible sides and squishes flat and fits in my camera bag nicely and attaches quickly via a stretchy elastic+velcro strap.
I also bought another, with card sides, but that, even though smaller, won't fold flat without unthreading the velcro strap, so is a nuisance and easily damaged in transit/storage.

[Mike Buckley]

Dave mentioned the embossing of the buck heads. Notice that one of the above photos displays it better than the other. That's because the angle of that part of the product relative to the flash and camera is not exactly the same in both scenes; one angle displays the embossing better than the other.

[zkogut]

Dave mentioned the embossing of the buck heads. Notice that one of the above photos displays it better than the other. That's because the angle of that part of the product relative to the flash and camera is not exactly the same in both scenes; one angle displays the embossing better than the other.

Yeah, I'm getting better at staging the slings but it's hard to find the perfect distance from the sling to take the photos from. I think Dave is right about trying to capture the buck heads on the yoke since it helps make the photo look good. I just need to practice and find the best angle for the photos and then recreate that stage every time.

[Shanghai Steve]

I second the suggestion to change the background. White backgrounds are inexplicable to me. Especially with a product which pertains to a more natural pursuit, I suggest something more neutral, such as moss green velvet or whatever. Those who know what the product is will certainly not need a demonstration, but a close-up of the product in-situ using natural light would be good, using a wide aperture to blur a natural background.