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Taking photos for eCommerce Products?

by Byron2k12
10 replies
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Has anyone here found a good way to take product photos, I notice that when I use my camera and lightbox that the products still never look at good at they would on a competitive sellers website. Now even if using my competitors photos were a option, which it's not, a lot of the products I have are small items that simply don't have existing product photos online.

Should I just chance putting up these half decent product images or is there a better way that's reasonably inexpensive? Thanks.
#ecommerce #photos #products #taking
  • Profile picture of the author JD@fifty6
    Have you got a pic of your current setup? Most of the time it's all down to placement of lighting, having a decent backdrop, and being able to do the basics in terms of editing to make up for any 'cheap' equipment.
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  • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
    I went out and got a plain white bed sheet, and hang it up in a room where there is plenty of natural light. I can take pictures with my camera, or even my iPhone, and they come out nicely.
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  • Profile picture of the author justray
    I bought some white foam board--around ten bucks for many sheets. Cut them down to size for a base and backdrop. Open the shutters to allow in as much natural light as you need and place the items in the desired position. You might have to work with the amount of light you let in for each shot, depending on the product/items. I don't know what allowable settings you have on the camera you are using, but with my dslr, you can manipulate it quite a bit. I invested in a dslr because professional product photographers were going to charge me outrageous amounts of $$$. So for 1/4 of the cost, I bought all the equipment I will ever need.
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  • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
    Originally Posted by Byron2k12 View Post

    Has anyone here found a good way to take product photos, I notice that when I use my camera and lightbox that the products still never look at good at they would on a competitive sellers website. Now even if using my competitors photos were a option, which it's not, a lot of the products I have are small items that simply don't have existing product photos online.

    Should I just chance putting up these half decent product images or is there a better way that's reasonably inexpensive? Thanks.
    Set up can be difficult. Sometimes the stock lighboxes don't come with strong enough light which makes the product show a little dark. You also have to check your camera settings. Because the light source is different then natural sun light, you will have to play with your settings. If you have enough natural sun light, try taking the photos outside as it will make a difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author repricerexpress
    A decent camera or iPhone would do the trick with a plain white backdrop and natural light. If you can afford it, I would stomp up some cash for a good light and tripod but it's not totally necessary. Just keep the shots well lit and sharp—that's all a user needs to see, and your photo editing software should be able to auto-correct colour and tone. For a free solution, Google Picasa will do the job.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ecommerce Advice
    Like you I had the same problem on an earring site I ran. The photos were good but not perfect. They always appeared on a 'greyish' background. The detail was there but they just didn't have that great way background you get on some sites.

    My solution

    I went onto Elance and a design altered my photos for about 50c a go. He made them look stunning. He gave them a completely white background and added shadow to give the product depth. It really helped sell them.
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    • Profile picture of the author mxitman
      I think the trick is with using multiple lights, I have one of those small pop up style light boxes, I use 4 lights. One behind at say the 6 o'clock position, one to the right and one to the left, then I use one right behind the camera.

      I use cheap clamp on style lamps and use 100 watt sunlight florescent bulbs I think they are 6500K. I then setup my 7 year old 3 megapixel digital camera on a tripod far away and zoom in all the way. Set the exposure for close to max and then use the timer to take the picture as to not move the camera.

      I then adjust the back light near the camera to get the right bright white and usually I need little if any editing.

      Here is a few before and after shots;



      The third picture is basically perfect except I didn't zoom in, you can how everything is bright white all around, the light in front highlights the product...once your setup right it gets easier....you can see I don't have anything close to a professional setup

      Have fun!
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  • Profile picture of the author VevoCart
    it's not quite easy. this requires equipments & skills.

    Here are some clips. FYI ,
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  • Profile picture of the author technomad
    I have a related question.

    How do you get products to photograph if dropshipping is your primary shipping method? Is it normal for suppliers to provide product specifically for this purpose that you then return? Or do you just have to deal with whatever pics they provide as part of their dealer program?
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    • Profile picture of the author mxitman
      I wasn't impressed with the demo video, I've been planning on doing one myself with my setup, and after see that I think I will proceed.
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