Product and soap photos

[Chris_S]

Oh my gosh this made me chuckle! I've been a photographer for years (won't give you my resume, but I've done a LOT of stuff) and it took years to understand fstops etc. I might have a strong eye, but my technical abilities are limited. Sort of like, I can create a website, but don't know how it all works, and I can code! Weirdness. When I try to think like that, ISO, f-stop, etc. well... All creativity goes out the window. I learn backwards, always, with everything. I study light now and figure out what I have to do to achieve the light.

Best of luck with your new light box. I didn't mean to dismiss your new purchase, at all! I hope you don't have to use this hack. Love to see what you create with it.

I didnt take it that way in the slightest I did think about going the home made route but decided something more compact was better. Completely understand your pain there we went to the zoo a few years ago and he was trying to explain how to take photos so that the fences just couldnt make sense of whaat he was saying but i was suffering with bad foot pain at the time and was on strong painkillers for it. Iv always had a pretty good eye for taking photos and can generally pick out the best if a series of photos

DSLRs have a lot of features! I'm in the US, but see if Ken Rockwell has made a user guide for your camera:
https://www.kenrockwell.com/

You also may want to see if you can find some free tutorials on product photography.

When you've tried out some of those, see if you can find a photography class. Check colleges/universities. I took some at my local botanical gardens. The most useful was Learning your Nikon DSLR.

Its a cannon so pretty common really. tbh because of my dads experience im sure hed be able to help probably more than an online tutorial purely because i learn much better learning hands on that slogging through a page of reading. Iv actually got a really good photography book somewhere that explains the basics, generally iv a pretty good eye and can take a decent photo. But honestly if i get to the stage of selling i would probably get my dad to go over it with me in more detail and take notes while he explained to remind me of settings ect that he explains and uses. My memory of some things is terrible! Also one of his friends used to be a photographer for the MOD so is very knowledgable about all things cameras so could always approach him too but ill look into the fella you mentioned to start off with

 

[SoaperForLife]

I've found this to help tremendously when the sunlight won't behave. This is one of my hacks, I've hacked from someone else.
The paper is baking parchment, the lights I happen to have the scruffy storage box, is well... well used.

Good hack SW!

 

[zanzalawi]

I've found this to help tremendously when the sunlight won't behave. This is one of my hacks, I've hacked from someone else.
The paper is baking parchment, the lights I happen to have the scruffy storage box, is well... well used.

Not sure if I can provide a link to the entire article I wrote about this subject, but I'll say this, I've taken a few photos and this has just changed things for the better. I have also purchased some light boxes and they were a waste of money. A lesson learned that good work isn't always about spending more money. I love my new light box!

ahhh what a good idea! parchment! no worries about leaving soapy crumbles or smears on backdrop fabric. that would save me alot of cleanup time

here is the link to the blog post- https://sorcerysoaps.com/blogs/blog/photography-light-box-hack

my husband bought this for me, and to be honest i've been a little intimidated by it lol. havent tried it out! https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_o8oNCb14Z30JY

 

[KiwiMoose]

I've found this to help tremendously when the sunlight won't behave. This is one of my hacks, I've hacked from someone else.
The paper is baking parchment, the lights I happen to have the scruffy storage box, is well... well used.

Not sure if I can provide a link to the entire article I wrote about this subject, but I'll say this, I've taken a few photos and this has just changed things for the better. I have also purchased some light boxes and they were a waste of money. A lesson learned that good work isn't always about spending more money. I love my new light box!

This is the photo I took with this very set up.

That really is sorcery @SoapWitch!

 

[earlene]

Your husband gave you a very thoughtful gift. He would probably be very happy to see you have given it a try even if it does intimidate you. You may find you really like it once you try it.

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

I’m “professionally” trained and a daughter of a photographer but I really don’t get into the nitty gritty of photography. I’m a snap-shotty kind of gal taking candid shots and I hate setting up product photos. I photoshop all of mine when I feel like it but I’m just not into taking photos.

I set up a background with a paper box and line it with a large sheet of paper, lean it up against a wall and place the soap stuff on the paper, aim the lights to bounce where it needs to and crop my photo tight on the subject. Super cheap and effective!

 

[KiwiMoose]

I've never used photoshop. I usually crop and I can adjust contrast and stuff using my Mac's own photo settings, but that's about it. Love the look of yours @SideDoorSoaps - very crisp and clean. Eye on the prize!

 

[Chris_S]

I've never used photoshop. I usually crop and I can adjust contrast and stuff using my Mac's own photo settings, but that's about it. Love the look of yours @SideDoorSoaps - very crisp and clean. Eye on the prize!

Theres plenty online based photo editing 'software' that is plenty good enough to edit photos. Photoshop is great but is expensive if you are just using its basic features!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Theres plenty online based photo editing 'software' that is plenty good enough to edit photos. Photoshop is great but is expensive if you are just using its basic features!

TB I'm not a really a fan of over editing. I can see it has a place in product photos, but prior to that I took nature pics and to me it always seemed like cheating - as in how can you take a photo and remove it so far from its original from and still claim it to be 'your' photo? I got to the stage where all I would do was crop slightly and maybe adjust the contrast a bit - and that was it.

 

[earlene]

IMO, photo editing is no more cheating than using filters, and light meters and strobe lights, etc. It's just another method to produce a creative effect the artist is after.

 

[Chris_S]

TB I'm not a really a fan of over editing. I can see it has a place in product photos, but prior to that I took nature pics and to me it always seemed like cheating - as in how can you take a photo and remove it so far from its original from and still claim it to be 'your' photo? I got to the stage where all I would do was crop slightly and maybe adjust the contrast a bit - and that was it.

Thats why i mentioned the free online option. Few years ago I had a try at making some home made frames with photo transfer method and that needs specific editing to be done and I found it much easier to use the online editing rather than going the route of photoshop. Photoshop is great i used to use it when i was at uni and some of the stuff you can do with it is absolutly brilliant. I dont think its really to make a photo not be yours but when you get into thw more complex features like layers and adding stuff to a photo and combining 2 photos it becomes far more about creating something unique rather than your photo if that makes sense? So you can take 2 photos from the same place half an hour apart and combine the two for a an even more stunning photo. But i do comepletely understand where you are coming from though

 

[maxine289]

I checked YouTube and found a couple of videos on how to make an inexpensive light box. It was an easy project; I had most of the items needed and only had to buy the poster board, but I see from Soap Witch that I could have used parchment paper. I've taken a few pix with the new light box and they are much improved from the pix I was producing before.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Thats why i mentioned the free online option. Few years ago I had a try at making some home made frames with photo transfer method and that needs specific editing to be done and I found it much easier to use the online editing rather than going the route of photoshop. Photoshop is great i used to use it when i was at uni and some of the stuff you can do with it is absolutly brilliant. I dont think its really to make a photo not be yours but when you get into thw more complex features like layers and adding stuff to a photo and combining 2 photos it becomes far more about creating something unique rather than your photo if that makes sense? So you can take 2 photos from the same place half an hour apart and combine the two for a an even more stunning photo. But i do comepletely understand where you are coming from though

Yes, I think creating new pics from others is a whole ‘nother art form.
I’ve never used filters or light meters either - just the camera on manual setting, which admittedly has a lot of smarts already built in. Not like the old days.

 

[Lin19687]

Great ideas !
I won't photo shop. I like real pics. Right now mine stink because I just threw up a bunch just till Spring comes and I can go outside.

It's just me though. I also don't like it when they fuzz out too much on the background or too close a pic.