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samirish

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I would like to get professional photos done of my soap but dont have a ton of money to spend. Can someone recommend a good way to get this done? I thought of going to my local community college to offer this small job to the photography students but after seeing samples of their work, I decided not to. While their photos were nice, they where far from professional quality.
 
It's not all that difficult to take very good quality photos yourself, and if you're short on cash, this is really the best way to go unless you have a photographer friend you can barter with. You do not need expensive equipment -- some people are even using their cell phone cameras for product photography and are doing a very good job. And the advantage of doing it yourself is you can get the job done ASAP as the need arises, rather than have to wait for someone else's schedule. Here are links to some articles about this topic: http://classicbells.com/soap/photoTips.html
 
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I would like to get professional photos done of my soap but dont have a ton of money to spend. Can someone recommend a good way to get this done? I thought of going to my local community college to offer this small job to the photography students but after seeing samples of their work, I decided not to. While their photos were nice, they where far from professional quality.

Why don`t you want to take a shot at this yourself, before you go out and spend a lot of money on this? Or have you already tried it?

I have some suggestions for you, but not sure if you want to hear about them if you are adamant to not do this yourself? : )

Anyway, here is some suggestions:

1) You don`t need an expensive camera to take good pictures, you can even use a mobilephone with a decent camera on it. If you have a smartphone with a camera, do this:

Always use the flash on the camera, and take a shot at our soap, but after you have moved a little bit back so it isn`t a super close up. This will soften the flash, create less shadows and soften the look of the image overall.

2) Make yourself a lightbox. Check out pinterest on how to do it, but it does not take a lot of doing, it is inexpensive, and the results are really good. Just remember to have a good light source, and preferably one with a whiter light than a lightbulb with a yellow sheen. The whiter the light, the clearer the shot will be. Just make sure it is muzzled (tissue paper is a good option)

3) You can alweays edit the image in easy steps using a phone app or a software program that is free.

Others will chime in too, with advice etc. But let me know if there is something I can help you with.

Ps. I love the Pixlr app, you can get that editing software on both a smartphone, or on your PC. It gives you a lot of options, including resizing photos, adjusting light etc.
 
You can buy one of these photo cubes sets for under $30.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Square-Perf...091876?hash=item235ae94324:g:kYIAAOSwwbdWHtHX

I used them several years ago and they work well and you can find videos on you tube on using them, setting them up, and folding them for storage.

After using them a while I took a class with a couple of other potters and learned how to make my own light box and set up lights and make reflectors, etc,

You might even be able to fine out how to do these things by searching your tube on how to set up a photo shoot, or similar terms.
 
I made a light box using directions I got from pinterest. There's also this thread that explains how.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=59838

Then I bought these for my phone because I shake and cannot take a decent photo unless the camera is sitting on something. The problem (and I should have realized this) is the tripod is a table top one. I'm going to get a standard tripod (someday). But for now, this set up works for me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJGGHCU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S0FHGFE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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