Equipment doesn't matter – about the first steps in product photography

Want to start your adventure with a product photo, but don't know how to do it? Do you have a head full of ideas but don't have the right tools? Or do you just want to learn all the subtleties of attractive product images that you encounter in advertising? This may come as a surprise to you, but getting started with a product photo is easier than you might think. All you need is a little creativity, desire and ... knowledge, which I will be happy to share with you!

Let knowledge and practice go hand in hand

There's no denying that you'll need some general knowledge about photography. Therefore, you should get acquainted with the principles of how a camera or smartphone works, read a little about cropping, exposure triangle, and photo editing... you can easily find such information in the blogs of experienced photographers or in e-books of the industry.

In addition to theoretical knowledge, practice is also important. The good news is that you don't need to have an expensive camera, multiple lenses, powerful lighting, or a photo studio to launch. To do this, you will need creativity, desire and consistency in action. Thanks to these three superpowers, even with a smartphone, you'll be able to take decent product photos. If, on the other hand, you are thinking about creating professional product images, then I encourage you to invest in decent hardware.

A few words about the tools of a novice photographer

The camera roll is bumpy, so what would be suitable for a launch? It can even be a second-hand SLR camera for a few hundred dollars. It is important that it has a hot shoe, as it will be needed to connect the flash trigger. While these lamps aren't necessary at first, you'll probably want to flash them in a product photo at some point. So it's worth thinking about.

Another necessary equipment is a lens. And here's another piece of good news-it might even be "Kit zoom", which almost everyone gets rid of, and auctions are full of its offers that are compatible with any system. A complete lens is nothing more than a lens that is sold with the camera. Does that sound weird? I'm in a hurry to explain!

In product photography, depth of field usually doesn't play a major role, so we don't need a very bright and, as a result, expensive lens. For the most part, we will work with apertures of the order of 5.6 and higher, so the complete lens will fit as much as possible.

Another important piece of hardware is a tripod, which I recommend investing in. The tripod should be strong, quite heavy and high. It would be nice if it had a broken center column, which will allow you to make flat laye much more convenient and efficient.

As I mentioned earlier, flashlights or continuous light bulbs are not necessary, but you should think about them from the very beginning "after all, light in photography is crucial. The advantage of artificial light is more control over the photo and the absence of restrictions related to weather conditions. However, if you don't have a budget for lighting, put it off until later, and use natural light for now. This scenario gives you a little less control over the light, but here again you can cheat the system a little.

If you use natural light, you need to know a few rules. Take pictures near the window, and place the product sideways to the incident light, so that the photo takes on more three-dimensionality and is not "flat". If the sun is too strong, use a curtain that will soften the light. If the shadows are too deep, level them out with a blender or a regular white sheet. There are a lot of such life hacks – so it's worth exploring the topic to make the product look its best.

In turn, if you have a larger budget, you may want to consider buying a flash. It doesn't have to be an expensive studio light right away-I successfully use regular reporters. To do this, use a trigger and some kind of softbox. You can start with a strip box, because it is the most practical. I usually take photos in a large room, and so I need to use a small setup – most often it's one reporter and one stripbox. If you are well versed in Photoshop and can combine multiple exposures into a single photo, this solution is also for you.

Finishing touches…

The key to success in product photography is practice, so from now on, treat every item you buy as the subject of a product photo. If you are going to drink beer during a match, choose it in a bottle without scratches or dents and make sure to take a picture of it. 😉

When preparing for filming, also keep in mind the overall cleanliness of the set. It is advisable to wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on objects. Before taking the camera, wipe the product (or, in fact, everything on the set) with a cloth. If you don't, you'll likely be overwhelmed by the amount of dust on the final photo and spend much more time editing.

What else is worth considering? When setting up a product during a session, consider how to demonstrate its qualities "try to make it look as good as possible. Also keep in mind that you can use additional accessories that will emphasize the character of the item. It is important, however, that propsy (accessories )do not dominate the photo – you should immediately know what is the subject of a particular photo. Play around with the shape, color, and texture. The possibilities are endless, so it's time to unleash your creativity!

Photo source: portfolio of the author – Piotr Jaworski