What camera/equipment/lighting should I use for this?

[hyperforlife91]

Hi there I'm new and I know almost nothing about cameras, especially SLRs. I do know that I currently own a crappy compact camera by Insignia. But I really want to open an e-boutique as an outlet for my designs. I really want to know:

1) How people get such clear photos of merchandise for their stock pictures, etc.

2) What equipment or lightning conditions would I need other than the camera?

3) Which camera(s) would you recommend that is low-priced and works great for my needs?

Thank you!

 

[ghpham]

I suggest you to take up some reading to see if it's even worth your while to spend the money on a DSLR camera. Perhaps you could just pay for some photographers to take pictures of your merchandise. Might be cheaper in the long run.

 

[I am Ivar]

1) by perfecting their lighting and skills ;-) Or some people also do it by becoming really good in post processing...or a combination of both haha

2) knowledge is the best piece of gear you can get here ;-) if you know how to use the daylight, you're on the right path But you could also try looking at lighttents and tabletop studios if you want to shoot using lights.

3) the budget models of Nikon and Canon are really great value if you want to start out. Depending on your need of quality in images (ie websized thumbnails vs high res ads), you might want to choose between the entry level and one level up. But then again, if you get the exposure right, both levels will create good quality imagery!

And I agree with ghpham, make a nice balance and don't forget to include how many hours it would take you to learn, shoot, edit everything

Try googling around on terms like "shooting with natural lighting" "how to take simple product shots" "how to make your own your own lighttent" "shooting product shots"

Good luck! And if you decide learning it yourself is the way forward, don't be ashamed to ask for advice if you get stuck or are curious about things

cheers,
Ivar

 

[fokker]

What is it that you're trying to photograph? You can get good results for most smallish items with a couple of decent powered lamps and a DIY lighbox.

PS I would recommend not photographing products in any sort of lightning conditions.

 

[I am Ivar]

PS I would recommend not photographing products in any sort of lightning conditions.

could make for really interesting product shots!

 

[hyperforlife91]

Thanks guys! The "lightning" was something between a typo and a brain fart. I do know how to use photoshop. I would say that I am intermediate with that as I am a graphics artist. I just don't know what it takes to shoot some nice photos for jewelry items, clothing, stationery, etc. Maybe it is just because I've never used a nice enough digital camera. I just assumed that a DSLR will take nicer photos than compact cameras.
For now, I will not be using models in my photos; just the items. I was hoping that I could achieve photos similar to these websites:

Jewelry

Cute Plush

FusionBeads.com - Fusion Beads, bead, beading, sterling, seed beads, charm, swarovski, lampwork, glass, jewelry, pearls

As you can see, it is simple and clean and there is no noise at all. I also wish to be able to take some close ups and my camera right now is awful with that.

Also, I cannot hire a photographer for now as I am just a student and that would cost so much money!

Thanks!

 

[I am Ivar]

Did you try googling the keywords I stated? This should give you an idea on how to capture such images

Getting a DSLR will help you for sure but a point and shoot should be able to do the trick too (even though it might be harder to get everything setup right )

 

[fokker]

Google DIY lighbox.

This is what you want for taking photos of the smaller stuff, and even the bigger stuff if you have the space to scale it up a bit.

You'll be able to get good results with a good light setup like this and even a budget P&S camera, though a DSLR is preferable.

 

[Village Idiot]

Used entry level DSLR - $300
50mm f/1.8 - $100
Lighting setup - $50-$300

You could get away with $700 or less quite possibly, but that's doing everything on the uber cheap. Lighting is one of the most important parts of product photography, so it really helps to know the hows and whys when trying to set things up.