Clear and crisp photos for your online store may seem like it should be an easy enough task, right? Well, depending upon the items you make, it may be harder than you thought! If you’re like me, you found this out the hard way and your business was stagnant until you figured out how to fake being a professional macro photographer!
I have always adored photography. I love how the resulting photographs are the result of the photographer’s perspective. I dabbled with photography when I was in school and absolutely loved my 35mm camera and the control I had over it to capture a photograph the exact way I wanted it. The film processing was a personal favorite though. I could under process or over process my film and do just about anything I wanted to it, to further add my own personal touch to the photographs. I would not call myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but any intermediate knowledge I had acquired in my past photography classes was thrown out the window when it was time to photograph the jewelry I had made for my jewelry shop. I no longer was able to use my trusty 35mm camera. I had to open myself up to the more technology savvy realm of digital photography. Being the “to the tee” Capricorn that I am, change was something I was leery of.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, let me try to diffuse the frustration you may be feeling right now! My first dozen batches of pictures for my jewelry pieces were wretched! They were either too dark, too light, blurry, completely different colors than the pieces actually were, or taken too far away from the piece and lacking detail of the piece. I thought a macro lens would be the only way I could take decent pictures. After seeing how pricey they were and when I wanted to throw the camera away from mounting frustration, I looked around for tips to fake it. After coming across a few good tips and incorporating them into my jewelry photography sessions, I have finally mastered my technique!
Put the camera down. Breathe. And take a look at what has made all the difference in the world at taking decent pictures of some not so easy to photograph objects.
1. Be comfortable with your camera! If you and your camera can’t see eye to eye, your pictures are going to show this conflict. You don’t need a $800 camera with a $900 lens to take good pictures! For the record, I use my cell phone camera and my pictures now come out just fine! I started with a digital camera I had, but we didn’t work well together, so I tinkered with my phone and am so glad I did! The digital camera I was using, be it user error or the camera itself, refused to take good pictures of objects up close and zooming resulted in blurry photos. Even after reading the manual on how to the camera works and all it’s settings, we still weren’t having a good time. Find a camera that doesn’t make you cringe when it comes time to photograph your items.
2. Know how your camera works. If it’s a digital camera, break out the manual and read how the different setting work and the results they (in theory) should produce and then play around with the settings to see which setting work best for you. If you use your phone, tinker with it. Most cell phones these days are equipped with decent cameras that have many different settings, lighting options and effects. Take as many test photos as you need to see what result you get from all the different options.
3. Lights, camera, pictures! If you are photographing items that will refract any flash, or a flash will white wash your photos, make sure you have a substantially lit area to take your pictures in so you don’t need the flash. Good areas to consider are: outdoors, under a lamp with a natural white bulb, by a window, or use a light box if all else fails. Take test shots and find what works best for you and what is most comfortable for you since photo sessions can take time, so you might as well be comfortable while you’re doing it!
I have found that my work station lamp is the best place for me. It’s next to a window, so the natural light is coming in, combined with the bright white bulb I have in the lamp, getting enough light in my pictures isn’t too hard.
4. To use props or not to use props? That is the question! Depending on what it is you make, props may be a necessity for your shoots. If you make clothing, knits, soaps and other various handmade goods, customers will want to see your items “in action” to see how they will look worn or while being used. When using props, models, or displays, capturing the detail of your item can be difficult. What you should aim to achieve in these photos are what the item looks like while being worn, how it hangs, really showcase the cut of clothing or the movement of an item.
When using models, make sure the poses they use are natural. For instance, If you are trying to photograph a bracelet, have them put their hand in their pants pocket, holding a cup or holding their arm out as though they are reaching for something. If you’re photographing clothing or knits, have the model do something that really shows off your piece. If it’s a free flowing skirt, have them slowly twirl to show the movement of the skirt. If it’s a hat you made, try having the model make a fun face. Get creative!
If your items don’t need models, maybe you’re debating on whether to use props? Props can be great. As long as they don’t take attention away from your item. If you want to add some flowers, confetti or fruit, go for it. But, make sure it’s not a “Where’s Waldo” hunt for your item!
5. Editing photos. Unfortunately, editing photos is probably going to be a must. When editing your photos, keep it subtle and natural. You don’t want to edit your photos to the point where it’s obviously altered. All you should really be doing to your photos is adding light, highlights, or correcting any color discrepancies between the photo and the item in real life. You want to keep your photos true to life, but not every picture is going to have enough light in it to capture the detail of your item, so adding light and highlights may be needed.
With these tips and some practice shots, you are sure to be on your way to faking professional grade photos! Practicing your technique and finding what methods or settings work for you will take time. But, once you nail it, photographing your items will be a quick and painless task!
Shhh! I won’t tell anyone that your photos were taken with a cell phone camera!