Micro Item Details
I use the above picture as an example of what things can go wrong even with experienced photographers with stellar cameras and great editing software. This image was part of a limited time I had with certain products that were not available for the first catalog shoot. (Above photograph courtesy of www.IngeniousFrippery.com).
In the course of capturing hundreds of products for a website, the task started to overreach itself. The individual visual detractions from certain image sets were starting to become features on the website. Many of the “finished” images would be done over before they looked representative of the minimum quality acceptable for the project.
Trying to get too much done simply wasn’t feasible. Dependence on a great camera broke down when the subject was less fantastic and more run-of-the-mill. Breaking down some of the job into parts would have been more a propos to the assignment. I would have been better served getting first quality shots of much fewer of the anticipated lot.
The photography of object as promotable subjects is fraught with challenges, even with the most promising of setups. Here are some lookouts when time is of the essence and shortcuts that see reasonable cause intolerable compromises in the final image submissions.
1. Plan flexible time
Photography is not like manufacturing auto machine parts. You can’t just attach more time onto the end and multiple the production numbers in the production possibilities frontier. Plan a week’s worth of shooting rather than trying to tackle a certain amount in a fixed amount of time. Quality piece imagery may not stem from this method as light changes and shadows and effects dissolve and re-emerge unevenly.
2. Provide various light setups.
Small intricate objects need bright light and mellow light for surface and niches. Broad planed objects which are flat miss the light and end up in the background or relief. Plan multiple places to capture images and review snaps in the LCD screen for shine points and shadows. Get reflected light from nearby windows without bright shine.
3. Work Texture Against Light
Remember those red beady eyes we all grew up with? This was because flashbulbs popped right in our faces and our eyes shined the light right back. Clothes, hair, even nonshiny skin did not shine or get beady. Position a matte or light absorbing section where the light gets “sucked” in. Find ays to “duck” light and shine from metals or direct windows.
4. Use Accessories for Scale
The sunglasses in the above picture demonstrate to the idle viewer about how large the netbook and the case are. Without the sunglasses, the image looked almost blank and unconstructed and uninteresting overall. Background accessory details like headphone wires contributed to the laptop “theme”.
5. Careful with Patterns and Perspective
Some great camera angles actually marred the pattern repeats of some items. Other images like fabric patterns and design repeats became unwieldy as the magnification caused different results and different vantage points and resolutions. Photograph uniformly straight on if possible to reflect actual detail perspective.
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