The Beginner's Guide to Product Photography [Tutorial + Examples]

Written by Braden Becker
@BradenBecker 

#photographyforever  

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, a stunning product picture is worth a thousand website visits.
I don't have data to back up that statement (yet). Nevertheless, product photography can become this valuable to your ecommerce website strategy.
According to Trellis, 51% of Americans with internet access prefer to shop online, and that segment of buyers is poised to keep growing. But that also means 49% of Americans might still be more comfortable buying certain things in the store -- where they can see, touch, and demo the product before handing over their money.

Explore Adobe Photoshop CC basics through quick tips, video explainers, and custom photo filters here.

The convenience of ecommerce isn't everything to every customer; being able to browse merchandise from the living room couch is just one part of what makes an internet storefront successful. To reach the 51% of people who do prefer buying online, you also need to give your audience clear, eye-catching photos of your products, or these visitors aren't likely to have confidence in your offerings -- confidence they can get by walking into a store and seeing the item in person.
But product photography isn't as simple as pointing and shooting. Even the most basic products need the correct equipment, lighting, and space to produce beautiful images that sell shoppers right from the purchase page.
Don't worry, your shopping list isn't as big as you think. Some items you already own!
Here's an easy list of tips and tools to get you started, along with real examples of product photos that demonstrate this advice.

6 Product Photography Tips (and Examples) for Taking Pictures That Sell

1. Don't Be Afraid to Use Your Smartphone Camera

This is the part where I'm supposed to convince you to invest in a high-end, 50-megapixel (MP) camera with a 100-millimeter screw-on lens. But I'm not going to do that. If you already own a camera that fits this description, take advantage of it. But for many types of products, it's completely acceptable to shoot product photos on a smartphone.
Some of the earliest smartphones had cameras that operated on fewer than 4 megapixels, which made it difficult to capture important visual elements of products where detail matters.
But newer smartphones such as the iPhone 7, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy S4 boast 12MP and 13MP lenses along with numerous "temperature" settings to optimize your shots for the different types of light you might shoot in (we'll talk more about light in just a minute).
Here's a product photo you won't believe was shot with just an iPhone 4s and clever desk lamp placement:

Image by Andrew Griswold

2. Shoot From a Tripod for Photo Consistency

Before explaining tripods, I'm obligated to start with a cardinal rule: Don't prop your phone against something sturdy to aim your lens toward the subject. It's just too easy for this makeshift setup to slide around during the shoot and cause inconsistencies in your photos' appearance. If you rest your camera on, say, a stack of books, just be sure this arrangement doesn't change over the course of the shoot.
There's no harm in holding your camera yourself when shooting just a few product photos for your ecommerce website. But as your business grows, and you take more photos of more products, it can be difficult to standardize the product's orientation in each photo when shooting handheld.
To ensure consistency across your products, you'll need a tripod. And luckily, buying one isn't always the big, industrial-sized investment it used to be. Here are two types of tripods to consider and one accessory you'd need when shooting on a smartphone:

Traditional vs. Flexible

Images via AmazonBasics | Sunpak

The one on the left is a traditional, extendable tripod stand, and the one on the right is a shorter but flexible mount with legs you can bend to achieve the camera angle you want.
(You can't tell from the two photos, but the mount on the right is roughly a foot high -- considerably shorter than a traditional tripod, which can extend to more than five feet high.)

Mobile Grip

You'll notice a screw on the top of both products. This screws into your camera and holds it in place when you're shooting from the tripod. The underside of most professional-grade cameras has a screw hole just for this purpose, but smartphones can use the following adapter:

Image via Vastar

The adapter grips the sides of your smartphone, and can screw into either type of tripod, allowing you to operate the camera controls with the phone screen facing outward and toward you. Once you determine which mount you'll need, set it up in front of your product, and consider putting three pieces of tape on the ground to mark where you'd like to keep each leg of your tripod over the course of the shoot.

3. Natural Light vs. Artificial Light: Choose One

Never underestimate how certain types of light can improve (or hinder) your product photography. Remember, buyers get the best look at an item in person, where they can see everything they need to before purchasing. The right lighting arrangement helps you reveal those critical decision-making product features when all website visitors have to go on is a photo.
A single lighting setup might not work for every single product -- a lighting arrangement that works for some products might weaken the appearance of others. There are two types of light you can choose as your main light source:

Natural Light

Natural light refers to sunlight -- simple as that. It's also known as "soft light" because the sun casts a larger, softer range of light than, say, a lamp shining directly on the product. Ecommerce product shots thrive in natural light if:

• The product is shot outside or meant to be used outside.
• The product is used by, worn on, or shot with a person (people tend to look better in natural light).
• You're trying to emphasize the product's surroundings, rather than specific attributes of the product.

Below is an appealing product photo taken under natural light. The sun coming in from the left lights the briefcase perfectly, while casting a gentle shadow on the legs of the man carrying it to emphasize the product.

Image via WP Standard

Artificial Light

Artificial light includes candles, fire, and more commonly, light bulbs. It's also referred to as "hard light" because it produces a smaller but more focused light surface. This type of light caters to products with physical details that need to be highlighted to impress an online shopper.
Here's an appealing product photo taken under artificial light, where the watch's texture and clock face design are its main selling points.

Image via Modahaus

As a general rule, you should stick to just one type of light per photo -- natural or artificial. Adding natural light to an artificially lit photo can soften a product that's meant to look sharp, and adding artificial light to a naturally lit photo can sharpen a product that's meant to look soft. You don't want to get in your own way.

4. Fill or Bounce Your Light to Soften Shadows

Whether you use natural light or artificial light, you'll need to lessen the shadows any potential hard light casts on the opposite end of a product. There are three ways to do this:

Fill Light

Include another, less-intense light source to supplement your main light. This additional light is called your fill light, and is used as a counterbalance to soften the natural shadow your main light produces behind an object. To do this, place your fill light opposite your main light so your product sits between both light sources.

Flashbulb Bounce Card

A bounce card, or reflector card, is a small card that "reflects" or "bounces" the main light back onto the surface beneath your product to reduce shadows.
Some bounce cards attach to the flashbulb of a professional camera lens to diffuse the light from the camera's flash. This card splashes a softer light onto the subject from above your set -- rather than straight at it -- so you don't have long shadows trail behind the object you're shooting. See two versions of this item below -- both white (left) and foil (right) screens can diffuse the flash.

Image via Andoer

Standalone Bounce Card

If you're shooting from a smartphone, a flashbulb bounce card isn't an option, since you don't have a physical flash you can attach it to. Instead, make your own standalone bounce card positioned opposite your main light source. For beginners to product photography, this bounce card can effectively replace your fill light, which counters the hard light from the camera flash or lamp that's facing toward the front of your product.
See a standalone bounce card below, set up behind the miniature horse:

Image via Photojojo

No matter which type of light counter you use, your goal is to reduce shadow while still highlighting the qualities of your product that make it valuable to website visitors. If shot just right, you'll see a huge difference:

Image via GetMeAShop

5. Use a Sweep or Portrait Mode to Emphasize the Product

There isn't one right way to position your product, lights, and bounce cards – they can change dramatically depending on your background. But don't choose a background based on what's easiest to create. Backgrounds should resemble how you want your buyers to perceive your product when viewing it online.
Consider first whether you'd like a white background or a more dynamic, real-world background. There's an easy way to achieve each one.

White Background: Sweep

For white backgrounds, it's not as simple as setting up a table against white drywall. Even smartphone cameras can pick up little blemishes on a white wall that you wouldn't notice with the naked eye. To capture a perfect white background with no corners or blemishes, use a sweep.

A sweep is a large bendable sheet of paper, whose bottom acts as the surface beneath your product and then curves up into a white wall behind the product. On camera, the sweep's curve is invisible, emphasizing key product details and allowing the item to own all of a website visitor's attention. Here's a side-by-side comparison showing why a sweep matters:

Images by Taylor Mathis

Real-World Background: Portrait Mode

Dynamic, real-world backgrounds are very appealing when shooting products that have a specific use or are being modeled by a person -- as you saw in the picture of the briefcase earlier in this guide. But, it's easy for a real-world background to steal the focus of the photo, making it unclear which item in the photo you're actually selling.
Give your product depth and emphasis with portrait mode, a picture setting on most professional cameras and also available on many new smartphones. This setting blurs the background so the context of the product is clear but not competing against the product itself.
Below is a super awesome photo of a HubSpot pen taken in portrait mode on a Google Pixel 2 (I took this picture myself). You can tell the pen sits on a desk with a computer behind it, but the pen is still the focal point for viewers:

"It's such an incredible photo, Braden. I totally want my own HubSpot pen now." Get one here!

6. Shoot a Variety of Images

My last ecommerce photography tip to you is to not stop at one photo per product. Just as your customers look, hold, use, and even try on merchandise in a store, your website should shoot a variety of images to simulate this very experience.
If you're shooting clothing, for instance, capture the garment of clothing alone -- that is, spread out on a white surface -- as well as on a mannequin whose color contrasts the color of the product. Then, for additional photos, have the clothing modeled on a person, allowing you to take pictures of the product from the person's different poses and angles.
Don't feel obligated to invest in every tip and piece of equipment at once. Apply these product photography tips gradually to see what makes your store look the most presentable, and change your approach as your photography chops get better.

LG V40 Hands-On: A 5-Lens Photography Powerhouse

Ben Sin Contributor

I cover consumer tech in Asia

#photographyforever  

The LG V40 has three-cameras on the back, and two up front, for a total of five cameras.Ben Sin

Every gadget nerd has that one device they remember particularly fondly, even if it has long been replaced or made obsolete. For me, it’s the LG V10.

Once upon a time, I was an average smartphone user who defaulted to iPhones because they were the most widely known and written about.  As I've explained before, I was swayed over to the Android side by the LG G3’s tiny bezels, which offered the same screen size as my iPhone 6 Plus but in a significantly smaller form factor. I really liked the G3, and the G4, but it was the V10, which hit the market out of nowhere in the fall of 2015, that blew me away.

The LG V10, LG’s first V Series smartphone, is unveiled at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theatre on Thursday, October 1, 2015 in New York. (Photo by LG Mobile Communications via AP Images)

From the phone’s steel railings to the all black Batman costume-like Kevlar back; the secondary ticker display to the large-at-the-time 5.7-inch display, that V10 just screamed “power phone,” and I am about as heavy a smartphone user as possible. More importantly, the V10 looked unlike anything else on the market.

Fast forward three years, and the just-announced fourth version of the V line — the V40 — has left the original phone’s principles behind. The V40 looks like every other phone on the market, and it is no longer rugged and hardwearing. In fact, it’s lighter than just about every other flagship around.

The LG V40.Ben Sin

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The V40 also comes in red, black and silver.Ben Sin

Part of me — the idealistic, young-at-heart part — is disappointed. But the adult, more practical part understands this. LG can’t alienate the majority of the fanbase by just claiming its V phones are for manly, power users. It needed to make the most mainstream appealing phone possible, a phone that does it all. And on that front, the V40 hits the mark.
As this article’s headline and main photo already gave away, the V40 has five cameras: three on the back, two up front. Now there are some tech bloggers who have pre-emptively dismissed this as a gimmick. I say they’re mostly wrong. The two selfie-cameras (one is a wide-angle) probably isn’t necessary, but the triple camera set-up on the back, as Huawei has already proven, adds versatility in practical real-world use. LG was, in fact, the first to introduce dual rear cameras, which at the time the same snarky bloggers dismissed too, now every phone has dual cameras. We know that Samsung will likely introduce a triple-camera set-up for next year’s S10, and it wouldn’t be crazy if Apple does it in a year or two, too.
The fact is, the added lenses allow for more options when it comes to photography. On the V40, the new third camera is a telephoto lens that offers 2X lossless telephoto zoom, this compliments the standard LG main and wide-angle lens duo, and gives the V40 a huge range of shooting options.
While the wide-angle lens appears to be unchanged from the LG G7, the main camera module has gotten some hardware upgrades: it has a micron pixel size of 1.4, and aperture of f/1.5. The larger micron pixel size (1.4 is the same as what Apple offers with its new iPhones, though Huawei’s P20 Pro still beats everybody with a 1.5) allows the V40 to capture more image information per pixel than previous LG phones. The f/1.5 F-stop, meanwhile, is the lowest in the smartphone industry right now, which means it can pull in more light.

The new 12-megapixel telephoto lens.Ben Sin

The 16-megapixel wide-angle lens (middle). Ben Sin

The main 12-megapixel lens has an f/1.5 aperture. Ben Sin

Each of the lenses work as they should, but the most exciting features are shown off when the V40 uses the cameras in tandem for two features. The first is portrait shots, which uses two lenses to detect subject from background (it works with the dual selfie cameras too). Hardware bokeh is a bit more natural than purely software bokeh, and so far my test results are pleasing to the eye.
However, a totally new feature is where the triple-lens setup really shines. The V40 uses its three lenses together to capture cinemagraphs, which are essentially still images with motion in parts of the frame. Capturing one with the V40 is easy: simply point and shoot, hold the phone still for six seconds, then you’ll get a preview of the image, from there you can decide which part of the photo to move. The final file is saved as either an mp4 video or GIF format.
For creative types, this allows for some truly surreal or fun photos. Check the video below to see sample cinemagraphs I shot.

For general photography, the V40 camera is impressive. The wide-angle lens remains super useful, and users can now see a preview of all three lenses’ framing before switching over. The f/1.5 aperture does produce brighter images at night, as you can see from the side-by-side samples against the iPhone XS Max below. LG’s camera software is still a bit too crowded with fluff though.

Sample images pitting the V40 against the XS Max.Ben Sin

Notice the V40 image is brighter, but the XS Max’s image is better balanced.Ben Sin

Portrait mode with the back and front cameras are on point, and the camera can do scene-recognition too, though that’s nothing new in fall of 2018.

A bokeh shot taken with the V40’s rear cameras.Ben Sin

The other features of the V40 are solid, but nothing spectacular. There’s a Snapdragon 845 inside with 6GB of RAM, hardware that’s found in at least a dozen other phones from 2018. The 6.4-inch OLED is sharp and displays accurate colors, but doesn’t get as bright overall as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
The phone’s overall build and design, as mentioned, fails to stand out from other flagships, it feels nice in the hand, but compared to the V10’s attention-grabbing design, the V40 feels bland.

Ben Sin

But that’s just purely aesthetics. There are little things inside the phone that makes it a joy to use. LG’s haptic engine is the best in Android, and that remains true with the V40. Haptics are not something that everyone notices, but they matter. The double tap to wake and lock the screen is still here and remains incredibly useful.
Pricing hasn’t been announced for the V40 yet, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be significantly cheaper than what Apple and Samsung is asking for their phones. The problem for LG is Chinese phones are flooding the market with really cheap devices that get the job done. The V40’s triple-cameras do help it stand out from the pack, but it remains unclear if that'll be enough to stand out in a such a competitive space. I’ll have a full review in a couple weeks time.

I'm a Chinese-American journalist in Hong Kong, covering consumer tech in Asia. Before focusing on this exciting beat, I was a general culture writer and editor with bylines in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, New York Magazine, among others.
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Funny Photos of Dogs Concentrating on Catching Treats in Mid-Air

By Sara Barnes

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate
commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Photographer Christian Vieler captures canines’ moments of bliss, frozen in time. For years, he’s snapped portraits of pooches as they attempt to catch tasty treats in their mouths. The charming images are a humorous depiction of dogs as they track the morsels and bare their teeth in anticipation of the delicious snack. Although it feels like we’re watching the events unfold in slow motion, these micro expressions happen in just a split second.

The portraits showcase an incredible range of emotions. While many of the dogs appear excited, there is also trepidation, panic, and unrestrained desire in some of their faces. They display the same emotions as we do, bringing their personality to the forefront of the image—but not everyone sees it that way. “‘The dog looks ugly,’ I hear more often when I show snapshot pictures with treats,” Vieler says. “Then mostly by people who do not have dogs. For me, however, the pictures have their own magic. After more than 500 developed snapshots I know: they bring dogs even closer to our hearts.”
Vieler’s photos have been made into a book called Treat! as well as a 2019 wall calendar of the same name. They’re both available on Amazon.

#photographyforever 

Photographer Christian Vieler captures humorous moments of dogs catching treats in their mouths.

Christian Vieler: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Courtesy of:  My Modern Met

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Christian Vieler.

This Best-Selling Digital Photography Book is Free Right Now

Jul 19, 2018

Michael Zhang

#photographyforever  

Heads up: you can currently download one of the most popular digital photography books out there. Tony Northrup is giving away How to Create Stunning Digital Photography as a free eBook download.

Photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup just blew past the 1 million subscriber mark with their ultra-popular YouTube channel, and to celebrate, they’re doing a camera giveaway and allowing anyone to download the eBook version of their book.
How to Create Stunning Digital Photography ordinarily costs $20 as a paperback and $10 as an eBook. On Amazon, it’s a 5/5-star book with over 2,200 reviews, and it’s ranked as the #2 bestseller in the categories Digital Photography and Digital Audio, Video & Photography.
The book is a self-paced photography class containing over 14 hours of online training videos, hands-on practices, practice quizzes, classroom support from a private online community, and lifetime updates (it’s regularly refreshed with new content and videos).
“To show our gratitude, we’re giving away Stunning Digital Photography for FREE, to everyone,” the Northrups write. The duo writes that the book is being released as a “pay what you can download.”
“Pay what you can. Even $0,” the Northrups state on the page. “First, pay us what you can. The ebook is normally $10, but $5, $2, or even $1 helps. If you can afford to buy books for people who can’t, chip in a little extra.”
There are download options for three different formats: PDF (a 14.6-megabyte file for computers and tablets), ePUB (for smartphones and eBook readers), and Mobi (for Kindle readers).
The Northrups say that this offer is for a limited time only and that the site will be gone “soon,” so you should download the eBook and save it to your computer and devices as soon as you can if you’re interested in reading it.

In fairness to the Northrups I have to point out that the book is no longer free, but it can be had for a nominal price as of the date of this posting, 12/8/2018

The World’s First Titanium Hollow Tripod Ballhead. Price Tag: $499

Dec 08, 2018

Michael Zhang

#photographyforever

The Denver-based tripod maker Colorado Tripod Company has announced the world’s first hollow titanium ballhead. It’s called the Highline Ballhead Titanium, and it’s designed to be ultra-light, ultra-strong, and ultra-versatile.

“Although the process of extracting titanium from its ore is costly, designers consider it valuable enough for specialty applications such as aerospace, where its combination of strength-to-weight and corrosion resistance is unrivaled,” the company says.
This isn’t the first-ever titanium ballhead of any kind, though, as Gitzo released a 90th-anniversary edition of the GT90TT with a titanium ballhead back in 2007, though only 390 of those $2,500 kits were made.

The Highline titanium ballhead is 40% lighter than high-strength steel but just as strong. And by hollowing out the ballhead, which is machined from a solid block of titanium, the designers managed to reduce the ball weight by 52%.
Despite its lightness, design decisions purportedly give the system an incredibly strong hold.
“By re-engineering internal locking mechanisms, the Highline Ballhead features an incredibly strong 54lb locking force – more than double the locking force of Manfrotto, Gitzo, Vanguard and many other industry leaders,” Colorado Tripod Company says.





The company has also focused its attention on the handedness of its ballheads.
“For decades tripod companies have optimized ballheads for right-handed use relative to the drop location for vertical shooting,” it says. “Since cameras are right-handed, why don’t ballhead companies optimize the ballhead knobs for the left hand?”
The Highline Ballhead is optimized for left-handed operation through the window design and tension knob orientation, allowing the photographer’s right hand to be free for handling the camera.

Finally, the company worked to provide increased range compared to existing ballheads on the market.
“For over 100 years, the drop window (the cutout area on the side of the ballhead) has been fixed to a 90-degree drop,” it says. “Once the 90-degree limit has been reached, the photographer must adjust the tripod legs to go lower to achieve a level shot.
“With decades and billions in revenue why haven’t the tripod companies increased range of motion beyond 90-degrees?”
The Highline Ballhead features a new patent-pending enlarged opening design that expands the range of motion beyond 90-degrees.

Here’s what some professional photographers have to say about the Highline Ballhead:
Colorado Tripod Company is launching the new Highline Ballhead through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. There are two variants: an “ordinary” aluminum version and the groundbreaking titanium one.

A pledge of $79 or more can possibly get you an aluminum one (retail price $99) if the company successfully delivers on its goals, and a contribution of $399 could get you one of the first titanium ones (retail price $499). The company is aiming to ship the first units in March 2019.