Photography for an online clothing boutique....

stringmusic24 · Apr 12, 2013

My wife and I recently opened a clothing boutique and now have aspirations of taking our business online. Unfortunately, neither of us has the first clue about taking good pictures. We might have to hire a professional to help us for a while, but we eventually want to bring the photography in house and I'm willing to put in the work to learn how to take adequate fashion photographs.

These are the style of images we are after:

Per TPF FAQ please do not post images to which you do not hold rights. You may post links.

If anyone would be so kind as to offer some advice on how to achieve photos like this or could direct me to a resource with that information, I would be most appreciative. I'm looking for info on everything (lights, cameras, backdrops, editing software, etc.). We don't have a ton of money to throw at this so we want to make sure we spend wisely. Thanks so much for your time.

nycphotography · Apr 12, 2013

(You didn't say where you are located.... It could make a big difference in being able to rent or borrow equipment or studio space and find mentors to help you.)

The bad news is that photography is an acquired skill that's built on an artistic eye... it can be very hard to "just get up to speed" so to speak.

The good news is that you have the luxury of knowing exactly what you want to achieve, so you are starting w/ something of an "eye" towards what you want to produce, and you can be laser focused in your learning.

You will need some studio space, specialized equipment, plus a decent camera. You will then need to learn to use the specialized equipment and to interact w/ the models to produce the result you want... and that will ultimately be the hard part.

I'd recommend working to achieve the look you want using each other as models first. Then eventually, when you are close but just not quite there, hire a pro to come do a shoot where you can observe and learn how he "perfects" your work in progress.

You will need (at a minimum)
a 15 x 15 studio space, preferably w/ a 10ft or 12ft ceiling
seamless white background paper
background stand
one medium to high power monolight with stand with softbox (for the main light)
additional medium power monolight with stand w/ softbox or grid for background light
one white bounce card (you can cut up a 4x8 sheet of foamcore into a 4x4, and two 4x2 bounce cards. w/ a bounce stand

You may also want:
possibly one or two more monolights w/ stands and softboxes and/or grids for fill lights, hair lights, accent lights etc.
a box full of props and accessories and shoes for styling the shoots
a big ol box of makeup and hair stuff
a WELL LIT makeup table and chair and enough space to put it.

Excepting for the studio space, you can probably get most of this for under $1500 and definitely for under $2500.

A GOOD (fixed f2.8 preferred) zoom lens in an appropriate focal length for your studio space. Longer lenses are better (you really don't want to shoot catalog at less than a 85mm equivalent), but longer lenses require a deeper shooting space so compromise will likely have to be made. The lens may cost between $500 and $2000 depending on your camera, new vs used, and the focal lengths you end up with.

And LOTS of time spen tpracticing and shooting and reviewing and researching and practicing and shooting and reviewing and researching and practicing and shooting and reviewing and researching and practicing and shooting and reviewing and researching and...

Big Mike · Apr 12, 2013

Welcome aboard.

I'm glad that you mentioned hiring a professional, that is probably your best bet.

It's not all that complicated to set up your own studio space for getting something specific like this, but getting good quality shots will require skills & knowledge that may take years to build.

Derrel · Apr 12, 2013

I think you might wish to read the Zack Arias on-line tutorial about white background shooting methods.

nycphotography · Apr 12, 2013

To really learn to do this "right" you'll need a light / flash meter.

But you can also work using your digital as a polaroid, balancing the lighting through trial and error. The catch with this approach is that many cameras "try to optimize" the image for display, meaning you may not notice under exposure until you get it in post and it's too late.

If you don't have a light meter... it will be essential to learn to use the histogram in your camera.

nycphotography · Apr 12, 2013

Oh... and you can use the boutique as a draw for other photographers to come "mentor you" as they get the experience and material for their portfolio.

Be honest and up front about what you are looking for (learning and training)... but photographers will often come shoot just for access to the wardrobe and models (which you can find on the modeling sites either cheap or TFP).

Steve5D · Apr 12, 2013

A lot of online clothing retailers don't use models at all, and there's no mention of models in the OP.

I have a friend who owns a guitar store up in Canada, and he takes some pretty impressive photos of guitars using a walk-in closet as his "studio". He's got a couple of lights with diffusers, and some reflectors. His total investment in "studio equipment" was probably less than $600.00...

The_Traveler · Apr 12, 2013

Have a look at these galleries done by a guitar-maker using a P&S and a little artistry.
William's GUITARS

nycphotography · Apr 12, 2013

Steve5D said:
A lot of online clothing retailers don't use models at all, and there's no mention of models in the OP.

I have a friend who owns a guitar store up in Canada, and he takes some pretty impressive photos of guitars using a walk-in closet as his "studio". He's got a couple of lights with diffusers, and some reflectors. His total investment in "studio equipment" was probably less than $600.00...

The OP had two pictures with models as the "desired result", and working with models takes considerably more room than working in the flat.

stringmusic24 · Apr 14, 2013

I REALLY appreciate the replies from you all. What a great resource y'all have here.....

How much should I expect to spend on a DSLR camera that could achieve these types of photos? Are there preferred brands/models that won't break the bank?
Also, any recommendations for softboxes? Lighting thus far has been a bigger hurdle than I could have predicted, tough I'm guessing that could also be attributed to a deficiency in our camera equipment.

vintagesnaps · Apr 14, 2013

You said you and your wife don't have a clue about taking good pictures... don't you think you're going to need professional quality photos to have your website look professional? In time you might be able to develop your photography skills to the point of being able to do your own photos for your site, but starting out I think using amateur quality photos could make your boutique business look less than professional.

KmH · Apr 14, 2013

It is the photographer's skill and knowledge that ultimately determines image quality.

For products, lighting is so very important. When shooting products, sometimes 'lighting' means subtracting light.

An often recommended product photographer's lighting bible is the first 2/3 of this inexpensive book - Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
The last 1/3 of the book covers the fundamentals of portrait lighting.

Once you have the lighting down, a basic entry-level DSLR will be sufficient. Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only)

Designer · Apr 14, 2013

stringmusic24; whether you learn enough quickly enough to take your own pictures, I think you should try to learn as much as you can, even if it is only to be able to judge the quality of a professional's idea of product photography.

You should be able to tell the difference between really good and ho-hum. I'm assuming that you would prefer the really good.

If the professional that you interview can't do any better than you can just starting out, then at least you know you're on the right track.