How to get better lighting for taking product photos?
Posted on July 07, 2010 by Ed
I take photos of items that I sell on Ebay, but the lighting in my house is so bad that I am forced to use the flash. The downside of this is reflection from the flash and non-uniform lighting (bright in the middle, darker at the edges). We have those ‘energy efficient’ bulbs installed throughout our house, which produce just enough light to navigate in the dark (and probably save a whole 50 cents per month).
What can I do inexpensively to get better lighting so that I don’t have to use the flash? Higher watt bulbs? Spot lamp? What type of bulbs give better light; white, clear, flourescent? I’m using a Canon PowerShot A75 digital.
Natural sunlight isn’t a viable option because I do most (if not all) of my work in the late afternoon or early evening, when the sun is on the opposite side of our home’s larger windows.
Its not so much the strength, or type of light thats important here – you don’t want any direct, harsh light to shine on your products.
What the previous answer says about using diffused light – that is your best bet.
Professional photographers use whats known as a light tent. Buying one could be expensive, but making one of your own is not as comlpicated as you would think, and once you’ve done it, you can quickly take professional looking product shots over and over again.
A light tent is essentially any setup that uses material that surrounds the object to be photographed almost completely. This material is usually transluscent – the aim is to shine your lights through the material, the material will diffuse the light and prevent harsh reflections from appearing on your objects.
Use any framework you like and create an enclosure surrounding a work area a bit bigger than most of the objects you will photograph. You can leave a hole or space for the camera somehwere, or if your tent is conical, the camera can take pictures from the top looking down.
As for lights, one light can be sufficient – you can buy a 150W bulb (any is ok…digital cameras can correct the white balance), and experiment placing it at different angles and distances from your tent. If you feel the light is uneven, you can shine two from either side of your tent. You should never need more than two (depending on shape of your tent).
I’ll provide some links to get you going on making light tents, or at the very least, see photos of other people’s setups:
Discussion: 3 Comments
3 Responses to “How to get better lighting for taking product photos?”
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lordfairly
- 7th Jul, 10 12:07am
The best inexpensive solution if you can is to use natural daylight coming in from your kitchen window. Anywhere a lot of natural light comes into your home. You can also experiment with a long exposure if your camera has that setting. You could try using a bit of white milar or paper to cover the flash. This might help to difuse the harsh light. The reality is that small flashes like the one your using will always create harsh uneven lighting just by nature of their design. You may want to invest in some inexpensive tungsten lights. The benefit of those being that what you see in terms of light falling on your subject is what your going to get as your final result
References :
JediKnut
- 7th Jul, 10 12:07am
Lots of things you can do.
Experiment with your camera White Balance setting
Diffuse your flash
Bounce your flash
Use reflectors to catch the light & reflect/bounce it back onto the object.
Higher watt bulbs will definitely help.
Long exposures will also work, but only if your camera is on a tripod or steady surface (like a table/chair).
References :
Darrius
- 7th Jul, 10 12:07am
Its not so much the strength, or type of light thats important here – you don’t want any direct, harsh light to shine on your products.
What the previous answer says about using diffused light – that is your best bet.
Professional photographers use whats known as a light tent. Buying one could be expensive, but making one of your own is not as comlpicated as you would think, and once you’ve done it, you can quickly take professional looking product shots over and over again.
A light tent is essentially any setup that uses material that surrounds the object to be photographed almost completely. This material is usually transluscent – the aim is to shine your lights through the material, the material will diffuse the light and prevent harsh reflections from appearing on your objects.
Use any framework you like and create an enclosure surrounding a work area a bit bigger than most of the objects you will photograph. You can leave a hole or space for the camera somehwere, or if your tent is conical, the camera can take pictures from the top looking down.
As for lights, one light can be sufficient – you can buy a 150W bulb (any is ok…digital cameras can correct the white balance), and experiment placing it at different angles and distances from your tent. If you feel the light is uneven, you can shine two from either side of your tent. You should never need more than two (depending on shape of your tent).
I’ll provide some links to get you going on making light tents, or at the very least, see photos of other people’s setups:
References :
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/19002.html
http://bermangraphics.com/coolpix/jewelryphoto.htm
http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/03/pvc_light_box_light_tent.html
http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=197785