Selling Online
The Down And Dirty Way To Do Product Photography
By Steven Pollack
Mar 13, 2006, 19:56

Money Shot of Vanity Set

Digital Photography is the cornerstone of online selling.  Customers need to see your product in order to be sure the description matches the item being purchased. 

Getting good digital photographs is a very simple process.  I have read a lot of books and online articles regarding the proper settings and lighting setups for excellent product photography.  Unfortunately I never have been able to understand it enough to ensure any single shot will become what I call “the money shot”; the perfect view that shows off the product in a highly favorable light.

Instead I take a dozen shots where I increase the exposure setting a few values +.3, +.7, +1.0 for each shot.  Then I download them into my image editing software and choose the one with the best clarity, composition, and brightness.  So that is my secret to great product photography, take a whole bunch of the same shot and choose the best one.

Lighting Setup

Lighting is important to photography in general so you might consider purchasing some light boxes.  You can get a nice softbox lighting kit for between $400 and $700 that will bring light close in to any area you need to photograph.  For $150 you can get a single light.

With today’s digital cameras, you can basically set the camera to full automatic and shoot away.  You will get images that you can manipulate in image editing software and turn into both online and print money shots.