Photography people: advice on shooting products

[Jayy]

I have a business that we sell products, no bigger than about 10cm high by 10cm wide.

I need photos on a white background but the main issue is, I don't have a good camera! Got phones with 8 - 11mp camera but not the best.


Are these any good?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50cm-Camera-Photo-Studio-Softbox-Box-Light-Lighting-Cube-Tent-Kit-with-Tripod-/130697628635?pt=UK_Photography_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item1e6e2f8bdb

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photo-Studio-Softbox-Lighting-Boom-Arm-Soft-Box-Light-Tent-Cube-Backdrop-Kit-/201078979484?pt=UK_Photography_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item2ed13dbb9c

[Vincent]

I'm no expert but I wouldn't bother with one, just use a large piece of paper and bend it in the middle so you can't see any horizon behind the object, I guess a white brolly may help....a tripod too. Has your phone got Macro and can you change the intensity and speed of the flash?

I've got my sons compact camera here that he doesn't want - any use?
____________________
Space Is Deep

[Quornholio]

Cardboard box, line with white table cloth or similar, no top on it, cut hole in side for camera.

Pay me £25 for the idea, you're still in profit.
____________________
https://i.imgur.com/fMrhZnH.jpg?1
Everyone give this dood green karma pls --> https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=4045389#4045389
XxXxX

[hedgehugger]

We used to use a white shower curtain and a box or 2.
£2 at Asda!
https://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-d1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/5525618

Bedside lamp, bendable neck for a bit of extra light.

[orac]

paper is you friend in this case I reckon, never used light box myself but have used normal printer paper in several layer raped around card to make small reflectors. you should be able to use normal paper and a bright light to make a soft light source too. providing there are no reflections from the material chosen to construct it.

MP count doesn't matter much either, most phones have only a third of the quoted pixels with a special algorithm that allow each to be used three times. then add in compression and even more compression when it is uploaded to the net.

it is possible to take good pictures with a bad camera, get the environment right and the rest should fall into place with any issue of using your phone
____________________
Current rides - 2016 Triumph Street Triple Rx, 1994 Suzuki Bandit 400 VM, TGB 204 Classic 125cc
"with nothing left to lose, there is everything to gain. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

[WD Forte]

There's more to it than megapixels
I gave a 14mp camera away to my lad
cos I never grew to like it and it irritated me
and use an old Fuji S600Z I got from freecycle
as my everday camera.
https://fujifilm.digital-cameras-review.org/images/S602Z.jpg

Its a mere 3MP which can be interpolated to 6mp but the thing is
despite this it takes great pics and I love it.
Using it for large sized HD pics would soon show its limitations
of course,
but when you consider most pics are scaled down for web use,
even pics on this camera, I haven't felt any need to upgrade it.

For the OPs purposes, I'd say get a modest camera and tripod!
(keep the camera steady)
and keep the aforementioned background far enough away from the subject so its out of the depth of field.
Side lighting is good if you want to capture as much detail of the
subject as possible (ie all the nooks and crannies without shadow)
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[moonzoomer]

If your product is reasonably flat you could use a scanner instead of a camera which gives great results on a white background.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Another vote for paper (or cloth - curtain lining material is probably available locally to you in white and cheap).

For cameras, mp is pretty irrelevant. The oldest dSLR with a half decent lens is probably only 2mp~3mp and likely will give a far better image than your phone. I have seen pictures printed at ~A2 size taken with a <3mp camera.

Get something you can control and get a good controlled lighting source. And a tripod (so you don't have to care too much about shutter speed).

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Wonko The Sane]

key thing is lighting,

piece of paper curved as other people have said

some lights on the background to kill off the shadows coming in at about 45deg from each side and then some lighting of the product from the front.

key to good photography is lighting + technique + lighting + set up + lighting
____________________
Looking to pass your CBT / Bike tests in Bury Lancashire? try www.focusridertraining.co.uk Would recommend.
They're also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-Rider-Training/196832923734251

[Northern Monkey]

[bikertomm]

My old Samsung Galaxy S3 (8MP) was brilliant at taking close up images on macro mode. Try that?
____________________
07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[map]

FWIW why not have a read of a tutorial online (more here)?

You can make use of the bendy type tripods if you don't hand/need the big stuff (or rest camera on suitable pile of books).
____________________
...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[mudcow007]

Voila!

[chris-red]

Any camera can do the job, just make sure you have lots of light, 90% of shit photos(composition aside) taken by everyday people are shit because there isn't enough light.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[_Will_]

[Jayy]

Cheers for all the replies!

I know it's not all about MP, was just illustrating that all I have is a couple phones with various MP cameras.

Some of the products could be scanned but I don't really want to do that and a lot of them are cylindrical, so couldn't be scanned anyway.

I already experimented with taping a load of A4 paper together and trying to take photos of them on the paper inside and outside, for different lighting... not to great effect.

Also tried lining a clear plastic box with A4 paper and using lamps either side of it but they were shit because of the lamps.

I'm not trying to do it on the cheap as possible mark, I don't mind spending money on this stuff as it's going to need to be a pretty regular thing taking product shots.

Seen that video of the guy making a light box too, after all the dicking about, I might as well buy one for £17 off ebay

I literally know nothing about photography but know the way forward is DSLR if I were to buy a camera.

What's the damage these days on an entry level camera that would be up to this job?

[Vincent]

You can get a good enough used camera for about £10 to £20. £50 will get you a better one but you really won't need it. As long as it has macro and you can alter the flash, it should do the job.
____________________
Space Is Deep

[Kickstart]

Hi

Basic early dSLR will do the job. For example pretty much any of these:-

https://www.mifsuds.com/acatalog/Used-Canon-Digital-SLR-s.html

While newer cameras are better, the main improvements have been in high ISO (which with a tripod and longer exposure times shouldn't be an issue), faster auto focus (again a non issue for this) and higher pixel count.

Note you will need a lens to go with any of those, and that will probably cost more than the body (lenses hold their value far better than bodies). Strictly speaking you do not need a macro lens, but plenty misuse the description macro for just a lens capable of a vaguely close up shot.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Jayy]

£50! Where from?

I was just looking at these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NIKON-D3200-BODY-REFURBISHED-UK-DEALER-STOCK-1-YEAR-GTEE/191412104501?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28111%26meid%3D18eb5503d2984fb2834009b54dd82f33%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11472%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D311179226055&rt=nc

[Jayy]

[Vincent]

I bought a NOS Olympus C-5060 for 50 knicker recently, it was an old model but was about £500 new....something like that would do you, I don't believe you need a high spec, recent camera to take good close-ups.

I took these with my £50 Olympus

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/P7072902_zps58e4dd40.jpg

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/P1012979_zps1a2a2a3c.jpg

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/P1012981_zps920fb0fa.jpg

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/P1012991_zps7f0f5864.jpg

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/P6220038_zps402ea247.jpg
____________________
Space Is Deep

[Jayy]

Just bought this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-D3200-24-2-MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Black-Kit-w-AF-S-DX-VR-18-55mm-Lens-/281506827957

That will do! Comes with a lens too and it's un-used. Now I just need a lighting box

[Kickstart]

[Jayy]

I'm a little "buy it now" happy, should have done more research but it will do the trick in the meantime. I could always sell it if it was impossible to work with but I don't think it will be an issue.

I did scope out the lens and the prices of them new, so seemed like a pretty good deal.

The products are mostly supplements in white flat/cylindrical bottles which need to be on a white background for Amazon.

It doesn't come with a tripod though... this I can actually wait for a recommendation on, I just needed a decent camera fairly quickly.

Another bonus is, I'm a web designer / developer, so I've always toyed with the idea of getting a decent camera and being able to take photos of things in high quality comes in handy sometimes.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Get a remote shutter release and a half decent tripod (or use the timer on the camera with a tripod). That way you can set the shot up and not worry about the shutter speed being far longer than you can hand hold for.

For example yesterday I was at a model railway show. Spied a journalist taking pictures of a layout using ~8 second shutter speed (and waving a lamp around while taking the image to get reasonable lighting). Not chance you could hand hold it for anything like that long.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing