Catalog Micro Stock
Spent all day taking pictures for a new jewelry website I am working on. It was a lot of work but very rewarding. If anybody out there is working micro catalog shots they know just what I mean. Here are a few tips for the newby who tries this at home without a net.
 1. Set a Time Limit
Shoots take energy and creative juices. Stop talking, stop being social, do the work. Meet beforehand and chat but don’t rob the project of the best energy. Make sure everything you need from another person or persons is available. Don’t bring other people into the shoot as this introduces a social component and breaks your concentration. Take breaks and observe some quiet rest between focal periods.
2. Don’t Accept the Shoot Parameters.
You are the one with the camera. You are calling the shots. Don’t someone who doesn’t know from light and background and white balance determine the shoot location or parameters. If the time of day is wrong, shadows and egress mar the background, or predominant colors are muddy or too dark, be assertive. Move the shoot elsewhere or reschedule. There is a reason those professional photographers carry around those big reflectors looking like giant size trivets of tinfoil.
3. Think about Format Requirements Before the Shoot
Size, resolution, clarity, background mounting and formatting matter when taking pictures. Catalog pictures in less than perfect white background will have shadows, lines, visual defects, and lopsided perspective. If less than ideal situation present themselves, maintain regularity between images for ultimate optimization of catalog presentation.
These images will sell the product. They must be sharp. Taking pictures of objects that will become 150 by 150 pixels is very different from taking pictures of objects that will find their destination on a wall calendar. Light can be fixed but without adequate quality of detail, texture and light, no product is going to appear to advantage. Colors will not be tolerable in shade or in half tones. Specificity for product descriptions will be required.
4. Group Categories by Series.
Choosing photographs is difficult enough by name. Objects for sale should be listed or planned for listed categories before the shoot begins. Backgrounds should contrast texture and color in a manner that displays focal details that promote sales and interest. A large size mega pixel camera will yield enough photo quality to reduce a large regular image to a 150 by 150 pixel image. Take pictures by series, not random assortment.
Dividing pictures and saving them in folders can proceed in an orderly manner. If a second person handles the data they will only have dates and series photo tags to go by. Working through the groups of image files will take enough work finalizing the photos without additional headaches matching objects. And materials representative will recognize abstract difference and product variances more than a new observer.
