Guide to lighting and equipment
by Dufa Staff | 5 September 2020
This is a basic guide to lighting and equipment required for your taking product pictures.
Equipment:
Workbench: It’s always good to have a dedicated workbench or table for your product photography. A standard, 24-27-inch-wide folding table works great. You can use any table at home or in your studio as a workbench.
Camera: You don’t need a super expensive professional camera for product photography, though its great of you already own one. Here are the different cameras you could use for product photography.
- Using a DSLR: There are some extremely sophisticated DSLRs available in the market which are great but unnecessary if you are using it only for product photography. If you already own a DSLR, then you can absolutely use it for product photography. DSLRs also allow for the use of different lenses which opens up a whole range of versatility for what these cameras can do, and allows you to create the best images for your products. The following entry level DSLRs work great and our cost effective but you can view other available latest models and compare what best suits your needs:
- Nikon D3300
- Nikon D5500
- Canon Rebel T6i
- Using a point and shoot camera: Point-and-shoot cameras are the digital cameras you would most commonly buy. They have a bit more flexibility than the smartphone (a variety of different modes, optical zoom). You can look at Nikon, Canon Power shot or Coolpix cameras and compare reviews to see what best suits your product photography needs.
- Using your smart phone: Most smartphone cameras these days make great DSLR alternatives for product photography. You can use any smartphone with a good camera but aim to get your hands on a newer model with a 12 megapixel camera or more. The higher the megapixel count, the better your product photos will be. Some phones with great cameras include:
- Apple iPhone 8 or higher version
- Samsung Galaxy S8 or higher version
- Huawei P20 Pro or higher version
- Google Pixel 2 or higher version
Tripod: Using a tripod is optional, but comes in very handy to get steady professional photographs. When a camera has a slow shutter, you can’t hand hold it or the object you are photographing will be blurry. Hence, we recommend using a tripod. Again, you don’t need to spend to much on a tripod, you get great Tripods between Rs.750 – Rs. 6000. The Selfie stick Tripod can be used for smartphones as well. We recommend using an extendable tripod so you can take pictures for objects that are higher.
Background/Props: Using a background sweep can really reduce your work editing pictures. For an artistic setup, keep some props such a throw, a linen cloth, or a wooden plank to get the best pictures.
- Context Backgrounds: We at Dufa encourage artistically shot photos, with a good layout and context. This makes your product catch attention & is in sync with what Dufa stands for – celebrating creativity in every form. For context backgrounds, we recommend using linen cloth, or handmade paper as a sweep, some rustic wooden planks, or stones to make your product look aesthetic.
- Plain Backgrounds: If you do not have the bandwidth for artistic photos, we recommend light gray backgrounds or sweeps as opposed to white backgrounds. We have tried couple of permutations and with the colors on our website, pictures look great on lighter gray backgrounds. There are a couple of amazing software tools such as Canva where you can remove the background and apply a standard background for your images. Whatever shade of gray you choose, just keep it consistent.
- Props/Tapes: For certain products, you may need props to get the right photographs. Example: For jewelry, you may need a fish net to hang your jewelry, or some clay to make your ring stand. For clothing, you may require a mannequin or hangers. Hence, plan on how you would like to take your pictures before the shoot so you can be ready with the props and tapes.
Lighting tent/Box: Certain reflective, shiny products like jewelry require studio lighting or a lighting tent. This can be made at home or purchased online for a nominal price and comes in handy.
Lighting:
Natural Light: When you’re on a budget, try using natural light. It’s easy to manipulate, especially for in-house product shoots.
- Choose a well-lit room: Make sure the room where you setup your photography studio has a window, and is well -lit. Try to setup your table where the sunlight is not too harsh.
- Place your workbench close to a window: Place your workbench perpendicular to the window but avoid harsh lighting. Try to take pictures early in the morning or in the afternoon when the sunlight is not too harsh. If the shadows are too harsh, try to use reflectors.
- Use reflectors, diffusers, foam boards: Sometimes, when its too cloudy, you can use foam boards, likewise when it’s too sunny, using a reflector/ diffuser can help. Test different angles to get a right balance of lighting and shadows.
Studio Light: Lighting products isn’t hard but requires some basic knowledge and skills. Studio lights give more control over the process and can help if you intend to shoot a lot of products over several hours in a day. You can purchase a lighting box as well that distributes light evenly and reduces shadows. There is no one way of doing this right, we are offering just a suggestion on what you could use in general.
- Set up at least two off-camera lights: You’ll need at least 2 lights one used as a key light and one as a fill/back light. Off camera lights refers to any lights that are unattached to your camera. You can use either speedlites or strobes.
- Use light modifiers: Umbrellas soften and disperse the light, and have loads of light spill, which lightens the whole scene and are recommended if you are using studio lighting.
- Placement of lights: Typically, one light should be 45 degrees behind the product, and the other 45 degrees in front of it on the opposite corner. Ensure that the lights are up high and pointing downward, but at the object being shot. This will reduce the length of your shadows.
- Setting the brightness: Make the backlight brighter than the front light. This produces a separation of the object and background. The front light illuminates the front.