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First
I must say this is just what I have learned for myself over the
last year or so. I have not taken classes and don't know if there
is a right or wrong way. So, if you disagree, that's cool
You don't need a brand new top of
the line camera unless you are planning on really doing
elaborate highly detailed work. My camera is a five year old
Olympus Digital with 4 megapixels, and it works fine for what I
need to do.
Tricyrtis Hirta "Miyazaki" (ToadLily) taken
from our garden.
First step, know
your camera and its settings.
(I know, boring huh?) If you
don't know what you are doing with the camera, most of your
shots will be wasted, as well as your time. Get your manual that
came with your camera. Don't know where your camera manual is?
Google it, the information is bound to be somewhere.
 Learn
how to navigate the controls on the camera and mess around with
the settings to see what they do. There are some important
settings that I use every day, and some that I rarely even
bother with. An important one is the MACRO
setting. Using the camera
in this mode will allow you to place the camera very closely to
the subject so that you can get more detail.
Keep in mind that every
little detail will show...
even those you cannot see. I try to avoid taking photos of my
hand in this setting. Dust, fuzz, lint, everything that is in
your photo... will show up. For this reason, I keep a little
lint roller around, and a polishing cloth. Even fingerprints on
gemstones and beads will show up. But hey, this is what we want
right? Details! It's the details that draw me to individual
beads, and I love to be able to see them.
Another important setting is WHITE
BALANCE. This setting
tells the camera what kind of lighting you are dealing with.
Cameras have an auto mode, but look around for your light
settings and see what it offers in terms of customizing the
settings based on what you are lighting with. If I take a photo
on the auto setting, and I am using my daylight bulb, the photos
turn out really yellow. If I adjust that to the "lightbulb"
setting, they turn out much truer to color, which is what we are
going for.
Mine has settings for daylight,
indoor light, florescent lighting, overcast and the Auto
setting. I use the indoor, and daylight settings most often.
Occasionally if I am taking "food" photos I use the
florescent one because of our kitchen lighting. (It's hard to
make food photos look good!)
Lighting
This is probably the most
important one of all to make sure you get the "top of the
stack" photo that you are looking for. It definitely sets
my photos apart from each other when I use "natural"
lighting as opposed to my desk lamp. Natural lighting can be
difficult to attain however.
TURN OFF the flash. Don't give your products red eye.
Here are a few examples of lighting:
First is a photo with regular room lighting, camera set on auto.
This photo is fuzzy because the camera didn't have enough light
for such a close up shot, it is also yellow toned because the
camera was set on auto. I make sure and set for my lighting
because sometimes it seems the camera needs to know.
 This
photo was taken using direct sunlight as a light source (with
the camera set on sunlight setting). It gives the camera plenty
of light but I dislike the harsh shadows and glare that show up.
I think they detract from the item itself.
 The
third photo uses the same sunlight (and setting) behind a white
sheer curtain. It cuts the glare and harsh shadows and I think
it shows the item best. Another option I would use would to
place a white paper behind the subject to catch the light and
reflect it... but that is a little more detailed than I want to
go into...
This was taken with my "daylight" bulb (camera set to
indoor lighting). I think it flattens the subject and really
does not express the true color of the subject. It is however
the most reliable and controllable way for me to light my
photos.
04/05/09 UPDATE: Most
recently I splurged on an OttLite bulb and it really helps
provide a nice clean white light that other bulbs I have used do
not. If you are going to splurge on something, it might as well
be something that helps the business grow, right?
Editing
is something that may be controversial for many when it comes to
items for sale. Keep in mind though, most digital cameras edit
details while you are taking the photo anyway. I try to
represent my items as accurately as possible. I do some minimal
editing on a few of the photos if I feel the representation
could be more accurate. Ultimately, the goal is to take shots
well enough that I don't have to do anything to them.
This is how the last photo would look after editing.
04/04/09 Unedited OttLite photo (my new favorite). I made a new
pair of earrings so you could get an idea of the difference.
Sometimes I choose to filter the light a bit because of all the
reflection. How? Tape a sheet of white velum over the bulb, far
enough so ya don't burn the house down. 
Focus
It is a great idea to practice
with your depth of field when taking product shots. We have all
seen those great close ups that fade off... they make me want to
know what the rest of the product is... they make me want to
click! That is what we are going for here.
When in the macro setting, use the little cross hairs that
indicate the center of the photo to focus your camera on a
particular spot of a larger object. Get up close and personal
with the subject, decide what you want in focus, hold very
still, and click. HOLD VERY STILL! Get a tripod if you have to.
Use the table, desk, or wall to brace yourself from movement.
This is very important when taking detailed shots.
Some cameras will allow you to focus by partially depressing the
button. I do this to find where I like the focus to be, then I
take the shot.
The first photo (of a fork) focuses near, on the tines (and I
like it the best). The further away you focus, the more light
the camera needs, the following shots were taken with the same
lighting, and no adjustments.
This next photo focuses on the neck of the fork, while the rest is
out of focus.
The next one focuses on the handle... this will show the most of
your background.
Backgrounds
I take this opportunity in my photos to try to get a cohesive
look when they are all viewed at once. It gives me a way to
"set the mood" if you will. I chose a gray velvet mat
for my items because it shows up both black and white and colors
well. I have minimal other "props" because many times
it only detracts from the subject that you want people to focus
on.
Also keep in mind that having a unique background can make your
products more recognizable. This is an important part of
branding. The hard part for me is I change my mind quite often
about how I want my photo backgrounds to look...
Try to include one shot of you holding, or wearing the item. It
really helps if you are trying to sell it. Add measurements, but
remember that there is no replacement for seeing something as it
is worn, or held.
I also add my shop name to the photos when they are for sale.
That way, if someone just sees the photos, they can find my
items. I recommend that it be subtle so as not to dissuade
possible space in treasuries or the front page of Etsy or other
selling sites.
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I hope that these things I have learned will come in handy for
you. Have fun taking your photos!
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