Photographing objects for a website

[bigpuddin43]

First off I am pretty new to this and have just started getting serious about this hobby. My buddy that makes custom duck and goose calls asked if I would try to take some good shots of some of his calls for his website. I do mostly nature shots just as a hobby and won't be paid for this as he can't afford to for just his side business. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice. I am shooting a canon rebel eos and have a canon 18-55 lens and a 100-300 lens. Here are some pics that he takes with his phone so you can see what I will be shooting. I think the big thing will be reducing glare on them so it doesn't distract from the colors and grain of the wood. Any advice would be helpful just trying to help a buddy out.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

24" Photo Cube Studio Light Tent Box Kit - TheLAShop

something along the lines of this

This is the one I have. It's a tad bit on the high side, but it works well and is very portable:

Amazon.com : ProMaster Tabletop Light Cube Kit : Photo Studio Shooting Tents : Camera & Photo

Or you can google how to make one

 

[TWright33]

How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent - DIY - Digital Photography School

 

[astroNikon]

This is on the humerous side, but you can get alot of inexpensive tips from it

 

[bigpuddin43]

Yeah we had been discussing him buying one of these and those prices aren't bad at all. I will show it to him today. Gonna take some sample pics and see what I can do with them but I agree one of these will be needed to get the best pictures.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Yeah we had been discussing him buying one of these and those prices aren't bad at all. I will show it to him today. Gonna take some sample pics and see what I can do with them but I agree one of these will be needed to get the best pictures.

Best part is that you don't even really have to have a nice DSLR setup to do product photography. Most modern PAS and phone cameras can do it just fine.

 

[bigpuddin43]

Yeah he does pics with his phone and posts on Facebook which is how he sells most of his calls but wants some really good ones for his website as he doesn't change them very often

 

[Designer]

May I suggest a better background for the good shots? A light tent (or diffused lighting of some sort) and better backgrounds. Use some imagination for the shots. Something like boating items, camouflage items, shotgun shells, but make sure the calls are displayed prominently in the scene. Maybe a duck, if you have one. Pose the call on something plain, neutral color, in good light. Leave some room for turning the frame, cropping, etc. Maybe not all looking down from above. An inexpensive light tent and lights should work, because nothing is moving, so you can support your camera on a tripod. Be sure to get the correct white balance.

 

[bigpuddin43]

Thanks yeah these are just pics he sends me when he finishes up a call he has some old barn wood stands that he does a lot of pics on. I guess my main thing will be getting a light tent.

 

[Designer]

Yes, an old plank of barn wood is perfect!

 

[bigpuddin43]

Here are some done on the old barn wood background that he took with his phone. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Yeah we had been discussing him buying one of these and those prices aren't bad at all. I will show it to him today. Gonna take some sample pics and see what I can do with them but I agree one of these will be needed to get the best pictures.

Best part is that you don't even really have to have a nice DSLR setup to do product photography. Most modern PAS and phone cameras can do it just fine.

Can we please differentiate between quality product photography and cheap light tent shots? It makes me cringe.

 

[Scatterbrained]

BTW, no need for a light tent. Put the product on whatever surface you want to shoot it on, take a large sheet of tracing paper and hang it over the background, coming down to the table at an angle, put product on background, put light behind paper. Simple. Need some fill in the front? Easy, just get a piece of white foam poster board.

 

[Msteelio91]

Might I suggest a background that offers more contrast?

 

[minicoop1985]

24" Photo Cube Studio Light Tent Box Kit - TheLAShop

something along the lines of this

This is the one I have. It's a tad bit on the high side, but it works well and is very portable:

Amazon.com : ProMaster Tabletop Light Cube Kit : Photo Studio Shooting Tents : Camera & Photo

Or you can google how to make one

I have something very similar. Was much easier than dragging a full on studio 180+ miles... It's a great place to start, and frankly, you may not need anything more than that. What I noticed about your photos, mainly, is the background is distracting. Something like this will allow you to control your background very easily.

If you WANT to make a full on product studio, that's not too difficult to set up, but not the most portable thing on earth.