how to take nice close product picture

• Jns1201

  7 Dec 08, 03:03

  Hi all

  i'm new to this forum.

  please share with me how to take a nice close product picture.

  i bought olymplus 510.

  but dont know how to use.

  pls advice.

  best regards

  Jason

   

   

   

• kopiosatu

  17 Dec 08, 15:18

  first you have to create your own mini studio.

  u can use a box, line it with mahjong paper.

  use 2 flashes and pump all the light in.

• Gedanken

  18 Dec 08, 07:51

  As kopi said, a lined box is a good start.  Drape the paper from the back wall of the box to the floor, in order to eliminate the horizon formed by the joint of the two walls.  Make sure you mount the camera on a tripod.  Taking handheld product shots is the surest way to ruin the photo.  Rather than bouncing flashes, I'd reccomend using a table lamp and bouncing the light off a white piece of paper.  The setup looks something like this:

  

  With the light being bounced rather than shone directly onto the subject, you eliminate a lot of shadows and reflections.  Examples of the results:

  

  The slate dial on the first watch is an absolute pain to photograph because of the way it reflects light, but this setup got all the details out clearly.

  Depending on the light you use, you may have to set your white balance to tungsten to balance out the yellow light that comes from the lamp.

  You don't need to use a you-beaut camera or any special gear to do this.  The shots above were taken with my old S1IS, and it did the job just fine.

• kopiosatu

  18 Dec 08, 08:56

  alamak, ged's post reminded me to put photos. hahaha~

  ok this was done with a backdrop that i normally use on people. with 3 strobes, one at the front and 2 at the sides.

  

  this one was done in a cardboard box lined with mahjong paper with 2 x SB800s bouncing off the top.

  

  

• Gedanken

  18 Dec 08, 10:20

  Kops, I take it you use a transmitter to control the strobes?  I've been toying with the idea of getting a Canon ST-E2.

• kopiosatu

  18 Dec 08, 19:42

  no transmitter, i'm using the camera flash as a trigger!

  set power to manual, 1/128

  as long as there is a flash, the strobes will activate. even my studio strobe will also activate!

  then again with a transmitter it looks more pro lah

• Gedanken

  22 Dec 08, 12:59

  Is the trigger built into the strobes, or are you using some sort of sensor?

• kopiosatu

  22 Dec 08, 13:06

  the strobes use IR.

  in fact, even if u use a PnS camera, u turn on the flash, it will activate the strobes