Shooting Interior Pantries and Closets

mollybrown

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Hi all. I'm new here. I'm still a beginner even though I've been trying to figure out my camera for years!

I'm curious if you all can help me figure out how to take decent photos of interior pantries and closets for business I'm starting. I won't be able to set up a bunch of lights or anything. I'll need to take quick photos but I can't seem to get the lighting right.

I'd like to take photos that looks similar to the ones on this site: PORTFOLIO

Just nice well lit crisp photos without a bunch of shadows. With an easy setup. Too much to ask?

Can anyone share some ideas? Thanks in advance!
 
...Just nice well lit crisp photos without a bunch of shadows. With an easy setup. Too much to ask?
Probably, yes. Photography is like make up. A lot of time, effort and experience goes into a project to make it look like nothing was done at all. In the examples to which you've linked, many appear to have been lit by two light sources, probably fairly close and probably quite diffused (relatively large modifiers). You don't indicate what, if any lighting gear you have, but you will need, at a MINIMUM, one strobe (an inexpensive speedlight will do), a large modifier (32 - 40" shoot-through umbrella would work), a light stand and trigger. Ideally two or more lights, but you could do kit reasonably with one. The key will be to have the source as close as practical to the subject, and to use as large a diffuser as possible.
 
TWO equally-powerful light sources if used not quite properly, can create unappealing, odd-looking, conflicting shadows, one shadow on one side of say a spray cooking oil can, and another shadow on the opposite side...that is the biggest danger of using two lights for a person who places two lights in a simple "45-degree equal" type setup or who does not know how to light with a main and a fill-light.

I looked at several of the linked images...most are diffused light, flash most likely, but it doesn't have to be flash lighting...some have good balance with light fixtures, so, likely tripod-mouinted camera, well-aligned camera, back of camera parallell to back wall, etc.etc.. DIFFUSED lighting in most cases; the density of the sahdows and the crispness of the shadows varies; some were shot with a large, well-diffused light source, others a smaller source. With timed exposures, an LED light and a diffusing material could be used.

A flat-faced, recessed face softbox, made in China model, and a flash unit and a light stand would be the basics, plus a camera and lens. Other options would be a PVC pipe frame, fitted with a tightly-stretched piece of white, semi-transparent ripstop nylon cloth from a fabric store, about a 30 x 30 in ch frame, or an even bigger frame, like 42 x 42 inches, a way to hold that in place, and a way to fire a flash unit through that PVC-and-cloth-fabric diffusing panel.

You want mostly-diffused flash illumnination...not hard-edged shadows, but shadows that are somewhat soft, yet which exist, to show the shape and texture of objects....a smallish 24 x 24 inch softbox will be adequate at diffusing at closet-type distances I think. Softboxes: easier to get into smaller areas; umbrellas; curved surface can make reflection control tough for the beginning shooter, and are fairly large and hard to cram into some small areas.

The MOST-basic option could be a smallish mini-softbox, like a 10 x10 incher, a TTL remote strobe connecting cord (like the Nikon SC-28 for one example or a generic for your camera), a $79 Neewer brand speedlight flash, and aiming that flash at the closet/pantry, and getting moderately-diffused light that has "some" soft shadowing, which will show the shapes of shoes/cans/bottles, etc. Hold flash and small mini-softbox in left hand, aim flash at scene, shoot with right hand, all done single-handedly...

As always--research/learning/videos/how-to articles/photographer education, all can be helpful. Learning about light and lighting is the key to this genre; it's NOT high-end lighting, mostly just diffused light, and good, leveled-up, not-crooked camera work.

You might be able to hack-rig some other diffusing stuff....like a flash + a gallon milk jug, or a flash + waxed paper sheeting, or a larger Tupperware contained with the flash tucked under it,etc..

You could do much work in this closet/panty genre with just ONE, decently-diffused, nice light source!
 
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I won't be able to set up a bunch of lights or anything. I'll need to take quick photos but I can't seem to get the lighting right.
Then you'll have to make one or two lights do wonders.

1. Get it (them) off your camera.

2. Diffuse the light.

3. Make correct exposures, including the amount of light and the white balance.
 

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