trying to take product photography but keep failing to nail the picture I want

[ph0toe]

I attached a few pic here:

so the problem i have is that i have the aperture 120d || with the cover on. it is angled above and shining directly on the product bag. it was dark even though i have my exposure meter in the middle. iso kept relatively low around 800 -1600 and shutter slow at around 1/30 and my aperture at f/11

the second pic is my chair where i left the same setting and i tilt the light on it and it is much darker.

why am i unable to get sharp photos as i would probably get with an iphone? is my setting off? what are the issues you see with the pic? are you seeing what I'm seeing?

 

[Strodav]

I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish. All I can do is tell you what I see. First, you've got a HDR (high dynamic range) situation with the reflection off the bag blown out and the part of the product closest to the camera is in buried shadow and sitting on a black surface partially in buried shadow. You need to reposition the product and soften the lighting to avoid reflections and decrease the scene's dynamic range. You want to run at base ISO, f/8 or f/11 (don't go smaller to avoid refraction). You want your camera's base ISO because that provides for the best dynamic range the camera is capable of. If you can't get the whole product in focus with one shot, go to focus stacking. If you can't get the DR down enough, bracket and fix in post. Also, you want to shoot in live view mode (dslr) for best possible focus. The shutter speed can go as low as needed as this is a still shot. Next, I'm not sure what the product is I'm looking at. Is that a purse or a briefcase? I know I'd want to see the top openings and zippers if any, so the composition needs work. You might add an item to help demonstrate the size of the product.

 

[ph0toe]

Hi Strodav, Thank you for your response. I am not sure I understand what you mean by high dynamic range? are yyou saying the lighting is too high/harsh causing shadows on one side and the glitter/sparking material to blow out?

I can decrease the light setting on the lighting, but can you explain why a lower iso causes a better dynamic range?
I have a full frame camera and I currently have a zoom lens on and in order to focus i have to play with the zoom lens to get it to focus, so it will never be fully zoom in (as it won't focus), but when I twist it to a decent medium it will focus.

how do I do focus stacking? just take bits and pieces of the product and then connect then in post production? That seems too much work


this is a clutch bag/purse. Yes, i will definitely include more picture, but I want to be able to nailed at least one pic

 

[Strodav]

Hi Strodav, Thank you for your response. I am not sure I understand what you mean by high dynamic range? are yyou saying the lighting is too high/harsh causing shadows on one side and the glitter/sparking material to blow out?

I can decrease the light setting on the lighting, but can you explain why a lower iso causes a better dynamic range?
I have a full frame camera and I currently have a zoom lens on and in order to focus i have to play with the zoom lens to get it to focus, so it will never be fully zoom in (as it won't focus), but when I twist it to a decent medium it will focus.

how do I do focus stacking? just take bits and pieces of the product and then connect then in post production? That seems too much work


this is a clutch bag/purse. Yes, i will definitely include more picture, but I want to be able to nailed at least one pic

A property of any scene is dynamic range, i.e., the difference between the lightest and darkest reflected light coming off the scene and into the camera lens. It is usually measured in stops where one stop difference is twice the amount of light. Many cameras have a dynamic range of 10 to 12, maybe 14 at base ISO, but that drops quickly as ISO goes up, hence, use the lowest ISO you can for the camera's best dynamic range.

You got it right in that the light is high/harsh causing the dynamic range larger than your camera can capture. Try moving the light back or decrease the output if possible. You can use your camera's spot metering function to find the difference in dynamic range of your scene to help set up the shot, but there's an easier way. Most modern cameras can display the histogram of your scene. [Actually, even if shooting raw, it displays the histogram of the jpg image shown on the camera's lcd display.] You do not want the histogram to hit either the left or right side of the graph. If it's to the left, you have buried shadows. If it's to the right, you have blown out highlights. In live view mode, you can see the histogram in real time. You can adjust the lighting so the histogram covers most of the graph without banging on one side or the other. That should give you a good exposure.

Composition is more of an art than science, but I would suggest you look at pictures of clutch bags on Amazon.com or jcpenny.com to get ideas on positioning the product.

While a prime around 50mm or 85mm would be ideal a zoom will work fine. It will focus closest at the smallest zoom factor, but you can always back the camera further away to achieve focus. Just make sure to avoid the close focus limit. Always give yourself a bit of breathing room., i.e, find your closest focus distance to the nearest part of your subject, then back off 6" or so.

Focus stacking and bracketing are more advanced techniques we should leave for a later time.

Final comment. Modern cell phone cameras are pretty good for this type of photography.

 

[weepete]

Are you far enough away? A common error is to shoot closer than the minimum focal distance of your lens, and if you are closer than that it won't focus.

Did you use a tripod and timer or remote release? if so shutter speed should not be a problem. Also, there's nothing moving in that shot, so you should be able to trade a longer Tv for lower ISO.

How did you focus? using a single AF point and your dof should extend 1/3rd in front and 2/3rds behind your lens.

The pic you've posted is a bit small, so I can't really make out any detail.

 

[Rickbb]

You are shooting a dark object on a dark background, unlikely to work and will be flat. Use a light background, white to 20% gray. Or even a light tan because the object is brown.

As others have said, too much light making a white blotch on the top left corner.

Set up the lighting for very diffuse, non-directional light first, enough to get a good exposure, then experiment with some low power spot to make some highlights or contrasts in texture.