Mario's Note: This time Vicente Nadal brings us closer to the world of product photography, one of the most popular branches of professional photography. Are you interested in knowing a little more about how a product photographer works? Read the post. Professional photography is not just about reporting and covering weddings. Photographing people has its difficulty. With people you have to be very patient: the subject can get bored, can get nervous, rigid, or may not accurately interpret your indications regarding the pose. A product, on the other hand, is photographed giving you complete freedom. He doesn't get nervous, he doesn't get tired of a pose, he doesn't sweat, he doesn't get too serious. You drive it at your leisure. Photographing products can be a good way to make a living, or simply develop your artistic skills. Surely you are wondering: «I cannot arrive and photograph products overnight, I need some material». In today's article I come to get closer to the world of product photography and the photographic equipment you will need to introduce yourself in this world.
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA
In principle it could be worth with any compact camera but to take product photography it would be better to have an SLR camera that has some of the following qualities to help you make these photos better:- Eyepiece cover: In the case that you take photos with continuous light and not with flash and in automatic exposure, the light that enters through the camera's eyepiece can deceive the internal photometer. Closing the eyepiece with a lid or with a piece of masking tape is very important. Some high-end cameras have a shutter in the eyepiece.
Eyepiece Cap - It is not essential but it helps a lot: “Live view” vision that allows you to see the framing, composition and appearance of the shot in real time on the camera screen.
Live View function - Manual white balance: to adjust the color of the light as well as possible and reproduce in the photos objects with the colors they really have. This is very important for ceramics for example. ( More on white balance here ).
- Direct connection to PC and control software from the computer: In this way you can see the shot directly on a larger screen before shooting, including controlling the diaphragm and exposure time settings and shooting.
- Remote control or trigger cable: prevent you from touching the camera with your hands and moving it from its position thus avoiding unwanted vibrations. If you make the shot using the computer software, it would obviously not be necessary.
THE OBJECTIVE (OPTICS)
Just as the camera simply picks up the image, the optics is really in charge of creating it. It is preferable that:- Be a fixed focal length lens because it will give better results than a zoom lens. ( Here you have one of our favorites ).
- Have a small minimum focus distance. This allows you to get closer in photographs of small objects.
- You must have a parasol to avoid unwanted reflections. You can do it with black cardboard.
THE TRIPOD
In product photography it is absolutely essential that you have a tripod because you should not take the photos by holding the camera with your hands, they will be moved and blurred. But no tripod is worth these plastic trinkets for a compact one. A good tripod must have these characteristics:- Be of solid and light construction, aluminum or better carbon fiber.
- It would be interesting to be able to put the inverted column, with the camera below the tripod and pointing to the ground.
- The legs should be able to separate from their normal position.
- Quick release shoe with lock.
- Bubble level.
HAND PHOTOMETER
A handheld photometer will be essential if you take photos with flash, its usefulness is that it allows you to accurately measure the intensity of light. In the case that you take the photos with continuous light you could work with the camera's photometer but always taking into account the information you receive on the screen and looking at the histogram of the images. A handheld photometer to measure flash light should be able to add flashes, that is, if with a flash flash at maximum power I can put a f / 5.6 diaphragm, how many flashes do I need to be able to put an f / 22 diaphragm? The importance of this function is given by the low depth of field in photographs taken closely and for small objects. In these cases it is essential to have the maximum depth of field and that is usually possible only by closing the diaphragm to the maximum. If our flashes are low power we have no choice but to add flashes in the same socket until we reach the desired diaphragm. The only drawback for this type of shots is that they have to be done with the shutter open, in "B", and totally dark, firing the flashes as many times as necessary. Perhaps in another article we explain these and other techniques in more detail. If you see that you mess with the measurement of light, review this article about the modes of light measurement in this blog.LIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Whether you prefer to use flash or if you prefer more for continuous light it is clear that you need to illuminate your object. The advantage of the flash over continuous light is its greater power, essential to correctly illuminate large objects. On the contrary it is more complicated to handle and requires some practice. Continuous light is easier to handle because what you see is what you get but you have more limitations when it comes to lighting large objects and directing enough light. I recommend using continuous light for small objects and flash for large or complex objects. As for the flash equipment you would need at least two identical flashes with windows of 60X60 or more. Having three would be ideal. Review this article on the Flash lighting for portrait , it sure helps.THE STILL LIFE TABLE OR EQUIVALENT
The still life table is one of the most precious elements of a product photographer. They are usually expensive so that unless you have a lot of work I do not recommend you buy it at the entrance. Instead you can fill your fault with imagination. In the photos you can see how a standard still life table is and how the assembly I made to make the photos of the sunglasses was like the one seen at the beginning of the article.OTHER MINOR ACCESSORIES
There are endless minor accessories that are useful in product photography. Here are some examples:- White balance card, its name says what it is for.
- Black and white cards of different sizes. They serve both to reflect the light and direct it where it pleases us as to block it or generate lines, white or black, that mark contours on bright objects.
- Children's modeling paste (plasticine in Spain) a simple element that allows you to manipulate objects elegantly without being noticed.
- Lacquer to eliminate excessive reflections of chromed metals.
- Any household item that serves you, whatever it is. If it is cheap, you have it at hand and it solves a problem, use it!
