Product Photography Beginner Set

[CygnusStudios]

My personal favorite is when a potential client will tell me what they are currently paying. My response is that if they were happy with the results that they were getting at that rate level we would not be having this conversation.

 

[epatsellis]

Ironically, I had that same conversation yesterday with a potential client. They thought my prices were too high, after all soandso shoots them for (get this) $25 an hour. This guy traveled 100 mile, shot 450 pictures and charged her $125. At my standard rate, in studio it's not unusual to spend alot of time with reflectors and flags, getting shadows and reflections just right and charge more than that for one product.

I asked her why we were even talking, her reply was she liked the price, but most of the pictures didn't look all that great.

 

[CygnusStudios]

There is a part of me that would love to accept one of these $25 shoots and show up with a Kodak disposable camera

 

[Dominantly]

IMHO, it doesnt really get any easier then small product photography.
People may THINK it's hard, or that they have some special touch that only 500 years of experience and the most expensive equipment can buy.... But the truth is, you can create damn good photos with materials you can find at your local arts and craft store. Sure you can spend alot more money on a setup from some company, but that's not really worth it unless you have the money to blow on it.

For the materials, white foam core boards, white bristol paper for the sweep, other colored/textured paper for different effects, clip on lights from a home improvement store (I use 4 of various sizes), and 100W Daylight bulbs.
Pretty simple.

 

[Christie Photo]

IMHO, it doesnt really get any easier then small product photography.
People may THINK it's hard, or that they have some special touch that only 500 years of experience and the most expensive equipment can buy.... But the truth is, you can create damn good photos with materials you can find at your local arts and craft store.

Well, crap. All these years I've been wasting my money when I should have going to Hobby Lobby.

Could you show us some of those "damn good photos" made with the Home Depot equipment?

Thanks!

-Pete

 

[Dominantly]

IMHO, it doesnt really get any easier then small product photography.
People may THINK it's hard, or that they have some special touch that only 500 years of experience and the most expensive equipment can buy.... But the truth is, you can create damn good photos with materials you can find at your local arts and craft store.

Well, crap. All these years I've been wasting my money when I should have going to Hobby Lobby.

Could you show us some of those "damn good photos" made with the Home Depot equipment?

Thanks!

-Pete

Well, that would depend.... Could you be the type of person that would be able to take the concept of how something manufactured works, and recreate it with your own labor and materials?

Well, here is the VERY FIRST photo taken in my VERY FIRST lightbox. Well, it was actually a Frito Lays cardboard box I had picked up when purchasing items at Costco. So this one wasn't a "Hobby Lobby" version. Maybe $10 in materials to make take this photo...

 

[Christie Photo]

Oh... I saw this one already. I was looking for an example of the "damn good" stuff.

-Pete

 

[Dominantly]

Oh... I saw this one already. I was looking for an example of the "damn good" stuff.

-Pete

Well, I browsed a link you have in your Sig, and have come to the conclusion, to get a "Damn Good" shot, we might need outside assistance.

:thumbup:


But while it is up, please do provide your expert diagnosis on the lighting:mrgreen:

 

[epatsellis]

Well Pete, at least the light has come on for one....

I might add that for somebody to think that having a few gadgets and a digital camera makes you a professional photographer, in contrast to those of us who have literally ate, slept and breathed photography for (alot) more than a few years is simply silly.

 

[Dominantly]

Well Pete, at least the light has come on for one....

I might add that for somebody to think that having a few gadgets and a digital camera makes you a professional photographer, in contrast to those of us who have literally ate, slept and breathed photography for (alot) more than a few years is simply silly.

Quick question, what would you use define a "Professional Photographer"?

 

[Christie Photo]

But while it is up, please do provide your expert diagnosis on the lighting

Well... your lighting is a pretty good start. You have a tough subject presenting a few challenges. There's the black drive with texture and embossed logo and the shiny bits of the swivel and clasp... plus the woven texture of the strap. You've done a fair job with the drive and kept the metal parts from clipping. Overall the lighting is on the flat side. The best way I can tell you to see this is simply squint at the image. There's not a whole lot "poppin'" aside from the printing on the strap.

More though... aside from the lighting... is the composition. I'm not certain what you're showing us here... the strap or the drive? I suspect both.

I like the angle of the drive. I'd bet we all know what a USB plug looks like, buy I think it should show in the view. I think there's a missed opportunity with the strap too. It's pretty much in a clump. Did you try some other positions?... something a bit more flowing? Perhaps creating some lines leading to the drive?

These are some things to think about.

But, getting back to the original thread, a product photographer has to be ready to consistently produce good (salable) images of all sorts of subjects, often with an art director standing behind you, looking over your shoulder. We've all make do at times with chewing gum and paper clips, but it's not a good plan to make it your regular, exclusive gear.

BTW... I do find your processing of your Bellwether shot interesting.

-Pete

 

[Christie Photo]

Quick question, what would you use define a "Professional Photographer"?

OH... I know this was aimed at epatsellis, but just let me get in first with the assertion that being a professional has NOTHING to do with getting paid. Whether its a professional electrician, heath professional, professional plumber... whatever. Its just NOT about being paid.

Whew! Got that out of my system.

-Pete

 

[epatsellis]

Well Pete, at least the light has come on for one....

I might add that for somebody to think that having a few gadgets and a digital camera makes you a professional photographer, in contrast to those of us who have literally ate, slept and breathed photography for (alot) more than a few years is simply silly.

Quick question, what would you use define a "Professional Photographer"?

A professional artist/photographer/?, in my mind, is somebody who:

1.) derives a significant portion of their income from their art/photography/?

2.) has the depth and breadth of skills to effectively and consistently produce images that are visually effective as well as knowing the limits of your skills and equipment. As Pete mentioned, being able to do this while several people both on your payroll (stylists, prop dressers, assistants, etc.) and those that are paying you (AD, Marketing Manger, CEO and the like) stand around and maintaining a professional attitude while the AD (who took maybe one course in photography) or the designer tell you why your composition is flawed and how THEY want it.

3.) possesses the tools to allow the "magic" to happen, on time, in budget and on demand, without fail. (No excuses are ever acceptable) For a wedding photographer, that would mean at least one backup of everything you use on a shoot,with fully charged batteries and loaded with cards/film. For a commercial shooter, that means access to (rent, beg, borrow or steal) or owning backup equipment including multiple packs, heads, tripods, bodies, lenses, etc. The last point is critical, you cannot be considered professional if you don't have a plan that deals with equipment failure and a seamless integration of that plan. Yes, it's expensive, but it's part of the cost of doing business.

 

[Dominantly]

But while it is up, please do provide your expert diagnosis on the lighting

Well... your lighting is a pretty good start. You have a tough subject presenting a few challenges. There's the black drive with texture and embossed logo and the shiny bits of the swivel and clasp... plus the woven texture of the strap. You've done a fair job with the drive and kept the metal parts from clipping. Overall the lighting is on the flat side. The best way I can tell you to see this is simply squint at the image. There's not a whole lot "poppin'" aside from the printing on the strap.

More though... aside from the lighting... is the composition. I'm not certain what you're showing us here... the strap or the drive? I suspect both.

I like the angle of the drive. I'd bet we all know what a USB plug looks like, buy I think it should show in the view. I think there's a missed opportunity with the strap too. It's pretty much in a clump. Did you try some other positions?... something a bit more flowing? Perhaps creating some lines leading to the drive?

These are some things to think about.

But, getting back to the original thread, a product photographer has to be ready to consistently produce good (salable) images of all sorts of subjects, often with an art director standing behind you, looking over your shoulder. We've all make do at times with chewing gum and paper clips, but it's not a good plan to make it your regular, exclusive gear.

BTW... I do find your processing of your Bellwether shot interesting.

-Pete

Ah, I think we have some confusion as to what the photos intent was. I had just finished turning the cardboard box into the lightbox and was eager to try it out, I was in the office and looked around for something with color on it to put in there. The USB was on the desk and I literally picked it up and just put it in the box. This wasn't intended to sell a product, it was just a test to see how well the lighting worked and how the sweep looked.
But Thanks for your input on how to pick a focal point and point attention to it:thumbup:
As far as the lighting goes, I am completely happy with it. It did what it was suppose to do and it lit almost the entire "product" with little to no shadow while not blowing out or causing harsh reflections on the metal. The Blue and yellow do pop in my opinion, much more so then in person in fact as the strap is fairly old, and the additional aspects of the shot can be credited to camera setup and post production.

Remember my original post was based on how you can spend very little on a box setup and achieve good results. I believe my photo (which many cant believe was taken in a Frito Lays box) shows it is possible to create a good alternative with ample lighting and a seamless sweep, product setup be damned.

Oh and I didn't receive a single comment on that photo. I figured people just opened it and were turned away by having to click the link.

 

[Dominantly]

Well Pete, at least the light has come on for one....

I might add that for somebody to think that having a few gadgets and a digital camera makes you a professional photographer, in contrast to those of us who have literally ate, slept and breathed photography for (alot) more than a few years is simply silly.

Quick question, what would you use define a "Professional Photographer"?

A professional artist/photographer/?, in my mind, is somebody who:

1.) derives a significant portion of their income from their art/photography/?

2.) has the depth and breadth of skills to effectively and consistently produce images that are visually effective as well as knowing the limits of your skills and equipment. As Pete mentioned, being able to do this while several people both on your payroll (stylists, prop dressers, assistants, etc.) and those that are paying you (AD, Marketing Manger, CEO and the like) stand around and maintaining a professional attitude while the AD (who took maybe one course in photography) or the designer tell you why your composition is flawed and how THEY want it.

3.) possesses the tools to allow the "magic" to happen, on time, in budget and on demand, without fail. (No excuses are ever acceptable) For a wedding photographer, that would mean at least one backup of everything you use on a shoot,with fully charged batteries and loaded with cards/film. For a commercial shooter, that means access to (rent, beg, borrow or steal) or owning backup equipment including multiple packs, heads, tripods, bodies, lenses, etc. The last point is critical, you cannot be considered professional if you don't have a plan that deals with equipment failure and a seamless integration of that plan. Yes, it's expensive, but it's part of the cost of doing business.

Do you ever browse around Ken Rockwells site? Interesting reads on there for sure, one that I read a while ago covering this very topic was rather interesting and gave me some facts I didn't know previously.

Here is the piece I am speaking of: How to Become a Professional Photographer

Some quotes I found interesting.
"[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Photography is not a profession. Anyone can call themselves a professional photographer. There are no licenses and not even a college degree required. See my page on Why Photography is Not a Profession."

"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]There are tens of millions of photographers. Photographs don't usually earn a business much money. Therefore there isn't much money there to employ photographers, and when there is, there are so many photographers who often will work for free that employers don't need to pay very much to fill the spot."

"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]If you want to make money in photography, it's probably not by doing photography."

"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]It's exactly like golf or surfing. Golf is fun, and it's almost impossible to get people to pay you to do it. Only one guy in ten million makes lots of money in surfing, photography or acting. Everyone else who makes the money does it in something allied to the field, like making or selling product or the dream."

"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]According to Education Portal in 2002, the average annual salary of people employed as photographers was $24,040."[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]If you want to photograph professionally you'll make less money, have to shoot the boring stuff in crappy locations for which you're hired, shoot it the way the client wants, and probably have to shoot everything as if it's some big emergency every time. You'll probably only be able to afford beat up old gear that's "good enough.""



While I do like your description, I do think it is a bit much. I think you were describing a production company.

[/FONT]