I'm thinking of having professional photos done for my website.. any advice?

[Extra Special Touch Gifts]

I have done all the photos for my site myself on a very basic digital camera.... and I think some items look really bad!

I really feel I could benift from having professional photos taken to make my items look better.

Can anyone offer any advice? Or does anyone on here live locally (Nottingham)? How much would it cost?

any help appreciated,

hx:)

[emmat123]

Hi Heidi,

I don't think your photos are bad at all!

P.S. don't know if you saw my note about the apron but thanks - it's great!

Emma.

[Extra Special Touch Gifts]

Hi Heidi,

I don't think your photos are bad at all!

P.S. don't know if you saw my note about the apron but thanks - it's great!

Emma.

Oh... I didn't see it... glad you like it! Could you leave a review? follow the link on my website?

hxx

[Extra Special Touch Gifts]

Hi Heidi,

I don't think your photos are bad at all!

P.S. don't know if you saw my note about the apron but thanks - it's great!

Emma.

Just seen the review!! Thank you!! Would love a photo when he models it over at xmas!!

xx

[HappySheep]

will email you about this!

cheers
Judith

[robin wood]

Personally I would advise you to learn yourself otherwise you are tied in to always having to pay for pics as you update your products and site.

It is really not rocket science and you do not need an expensive camera the one you have gives plenty of resolution for web use. What you need to learn about is composition, lighting and consistency.

If I could use 3 examples from your own site

1 never ever fire the flash it always gives dodgy pictures. Always use good natural light. The best way to get this is to set up right beside a big window with the window to the side of the object so the light is coming from your right or left, this cast gentle soft shadows and shows that the objects are 3 dimensional. It must not be direct harsh sunlight, better on a bright but cloudy day or by a window where the sun is not shining in directly on the work. You want to hold the camera as steady as possible a tripod is perfect but resting it on a sturdy object like a chair back, table or whatever is better than completely hand held.

http://extraspecialtouch.co.uk/wpimages/wp90b551b5_0f.jpg

2 composition, this image and the one above just have too much stuff and the eye does not know where to go.

http://extraspecialtouch.co.uk/wpimages/wpabce561e_0f.jpg

3 This image is very nice. The lighting is much better. The composition is not too busy. Once you have found the place in your home where you get nice lighting and nice shots then stick to it. Always use the same background if possible, this gives consistency through the site which is nice. I personally use a roll of gray paper background paper available from camera shops but an ironed piece of plain fabric or you wood and wicker or whatever you feel works well but try to keep it consistent.

http://extraspecialtouch.co.uk/wpimages/wp0aac344a_0f.jpg

[bodrighy]

I am really guilty of bad photography of my things but by the time I decide to do anything about it I am also too lazy to go back over all the photos and re do them. If , as with me, natural light is not possible (I live in an old cottage with small windows, a couple of spot lights and a lighttent are the best idea. A bit of an outlay but long term good photos pay off. Alternatively as someone suggested elsewhere, if you have a white bath shoot things in there as the white enamel / plastic bounces the light giving an even colour cast. Professional photographers are expensive and if, as with some of us, you are continully updating it could get both tedious and expensive.

Pete

[ricky@artofmetal.co.uk]

Hi Heidi,

I spent a fortune on pro photographer £600 for 4 hours - to be honest the photos me and my friend did with a digital camera, a blue background and photoshop are much better. i'd advise find someone who knows photoshop and the magic wand and you get much better results

[Roslet]

Have you thought of approaching your local camera club or evening class for them to approach it as a project or better still enrol yourself.

Great idea and website - I wish I had a groom!

[celticmix]

Your website is lovely, pictures nice - you say they were taken with a basic digital camera. Well, why not put funds into a newer on instead of a photographer.

[Ratina]

Your website is lovely and I don't think your photos are bad at all. I honestly think you would be wasting your time getting professional pics done.

[loukr]

Hi Heidi,

I spent a fortune on pro photographer £600 for 4 hours - to be honest the photos me and my friend did with a digital camera, a blue background and photoshop are much better. i'd advise find someone who knows photoshop and the magic wand and you get much better results

£600 for 4 hours of product photography..? Sounds an awful lot to me (coming from a photographer)

[HappySheep]

sadly that's not a bad price for 4 hours of product photography - some of the pro's charge a thousand or more. As part of HSD I teach people how to take better shots themselves - I agree with previous comments that for a craft website where products change, taking the shots yourself is more cost-effective.

Cheers
Judith

[dee_liteful]

Hi Heidi,
For some reason it won't let me link to your first website? Your Wedding gifts look lovely by the way, and that site is really well made, and very easy to navigate. And I think the pics are fine. Do you have photoshop or a similar package? It is very good for getting rid of any little cheeky bits you want blocking out and having your photoes lightened. I have to say I was a bit slack with my earlier pics but just started using it for my prom collections and I have really noticed the difference!x

[0103media]

I'd consider buying a good Digital SLR.. I love mine and it worth every penny for really good photo's. The difference between it and a compact is massive.. I think you'd see a return on the investment and of course it will all go against tax..

[Thomas!]

I'd say don't waste your money on a professional. I'd also say don't splash out on an expensive camera. The most important thing really is lighting and background. Here are a few great youtube tutorials on product photography:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM4zca0NH9M <-- little bit more advanced but shows you the basics of exposure and background choice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tBTY2PGVvs&feature=related <-- photographing small objects. He uses a lighting cube (they're quite cheap) which difuses the light. This just gets rid of reflections and the harsh light and shadows you get directly from a bulb.

Don't worry about the professional lights he uses, you can get away with just using a few lamps with some bright bulbs either side of the object.

The next thing is processing the photographs. If you know someone who's relatively competent with Photoshop then give them the photos you like and ask them to sort of the white balance, contrast etc so all the photos are consistent.

[poppylou]

I will suggesst that dont pay any huge amount on the expensive camera .You can use any basic camera and if the photo is not clear then you can take help of any software related to photo shop.It will be very much beneficail for you.

[gemmajabowski]

The money would be better spent on a camera upgrade. You can get really good cameras for around £150 now.
Try and choose one where you can alter the settings, as sometimes this makes a huge difference to your photos. Things like white balance, exposure, shutter speed....
It takes a bit of practice but plenty of info online. Have fun playing with the settings. Will be well worth it in the long run, and you might even discover a new talent or hobby - like I did! :)

[gemmajabowski]

Oh, and I always thought it was essential to have photoshop for fixing pictures - then someone told me about GIMP and I have to say it is really very good - AND FREE! (Picasa is also handy and free!)
If you dont know how GIMP works you can generally google how to do something and it basically works the same way as photoshop. even most of the menus and buttons are the same.
Good luck!

[paulinecrafty]

Dont waste your money, your pics are fine maybe a bit more light from a window or maybe outside on a nice day. And i would agree save your money and buy a better cam if you feel the need, but i think you are ok on what you have. You should try taking pics of glass engraving on mirrors etc lol that was fun a challenge but fun. My first wife and me used to engrave and other stuff, I used to make glass trees and real leaf copper jewlery, maybe i could add the leaves to my site now? The trees are a nightmare to transport and posting them rofl. Maybe if i get asked i will post some pics of them Regards Charlie

[Extra Special Touch Gifts]

Thanks for your advice people :)

I'm going to buy a second hand DSRL and have a play. I have been on a half day photography course, and I learnt how to use some of the settings... so I'm looking forward to it!

hx

[Sarahleigh]

Hi. I agree that a half decent camera and some photography & editing experimentation is a great way to do it if you can as you're not tied to someone else to keep your website up to date. Or find a photographer who is also happy to photograph products (as opposed to a commercial/product photographer who is likely to charge a lot) and can photograph a big chunk of your stock.

I'm a portrait photographer, but have done some reciprical photography for a couple of craft forum members to help them out. I've also been known to offer photo editing services to people on the same basis (or for donations to a charity I support www.camillesappeal.co.uk (http://www.camillesappeal.co.uk)).

Usually items are posted to me to photograph. See: http://www.sarahleighphotography.co.uk/section424204.html

ETA: I just noticed you are buying a dslr. Nice one. Have fun learning how it all works & experimenting. Feel free to post for advice if you want any.

[Extra Special Touch Gifts]

Thanks Sarah,
hx

[Teresa]

I think that the images that are on your website don't need changing. You can produce great photos from a normal digital camera it all depends on the resolution of the image, which also increases the size of the image this then adds to the time it takes to load the images on website.

[sharpey2040]

Hi there,

your pictures look pretty good already but you can buy a table top photo tent from amazon between £10-20 pounds and look up great tips on you tube with lighting. Even a standard camera comes out well without a flash and the right settings, also you just need two lamps pointing towards the tent. You can get various sizes aswell to cater for your requirements and they also come with coloured backdrops to chose from. Ebay are also a good source from china for some shiny plinths to create a mirror finish to the bottom.

Anyway thought this may help and make things less expensive. Also you can keep adding to your gallery this way. I have one and its great for my fingerprint jewellery samples, picking up fine details which i presume you need for the text to show?

[CraftWorld]

I agree that your photos looks absolutely smashing as they are, no need to hire a professional photographer. If you are however really dedicated and have the cash to boot, then by all means aim for ultra perfection hehe

[Basila]

I agree with the other posters - your images look fine. So long as things are sharp and colours true, and the composition simple I think you'll be fine. I spent a lot of money on fancy tents, expensive daylight lamps and a good camera, but now I now that all I needed was the camera and iphoto, which is on my Mac anyway, otherwise Gimp. Even the new camera was probably unnecessary - my old digital was fine in the end - it was the lighting and background which needed the attention. Having said that, I'm still dissatisfied with a lot of my images, but its a work in progress, and I'm slowly working through them and replacing them with better ones!

[cupcakes]

I agree that Photoshop is great. No need to spend money, plus it'll be a constant high cost. Unless you know someone of course.

[SciArtImages]

I have to say I am a big fan of the pop up light tents. You can light them with any lights (most of the macro pics on my website were lit with cheapo lights from Ikea) as long as you have the software to change the 'white balance' (probably comes with most cams or free now). If reflections from the direction of the camera are a problem, I think my light tent came with a 'sheet' with a hole to poke the lens through.
Hope this helps,
Neil.

[flb89]

i dont think you need to shell out for professional pics. take a look at this website tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_photography.htm

i got a lightbox thing for £20 i already had a tripod and borrowed a friends camera