Best way to shoot product photos for eCommerce?

pavdiddy

@Moose - Love the site! I was wondering if I can get your expert opinion on something. :)

I have the T2i camera and purchased the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens along with it. I am looking to take product images for my business and am wondering which settings to use.

The types of products we'll be selling are table cloths, table runners, pillows, etc... We plan on shooting these products indoors in different scenarios (pillows, up close front view, table clothes/table runners over dining tables with some decor, etc...). I'd like the background to be kind of faded, so that all the attention is geared towards the actual product. :)

What's the best way to take the most beautiful/detailed pics in this type of situation? And which settings you would suggest?

I really want these pictures to look as clear as possible since the images will represent the products we sell online, so that we can give the best representation.

Note: we have 2 umbrellas we invested in to help with indoor lighting.

Any help, greatly appreciated! Best, Pavel

Moose

Howdy @pavdiddy - The key to great product shots is lighting. Using your umbrellas (I'm assuming continuously lit umbrellas) you can position them to create dynamic light. Rather than pointing them directly at your subject (front facing), try positioning them to the side and behind your products.

I highly recommend reading the Digital Photography Book (Volume 2) by Scott Kelby (see here), which has an entire section dedicated to lighting. His books are great because everything is condensed into bit sized tips and techniques, rather than long drawn out chapters full of technical info.

In regards to lenses, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II would be a great lens to isolate your products against blurry backgrounds, however, it's a bit long for indoor shots where you're trying to fit a large subject like a dining table into your frame.

In my opinion though, for your specific needs, I don't think you need to get the entire product into the frame. Your products would be better suited with a tight crop, meaning only a portion of the product fits into the frame.

For added close-up ability, slap on a cheap Raynox DCR-250 macro adapter and you'll be able to shoot within a few inches of the fabric, which is super important for the consumer.

As for settings and setup, I would start with the following...

1. Position your continuously lit umbrella lights at an angle (front/back) or to the side of your product.
2. Mount your T2i to a tripod and attach the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.
3. Enable Manual mode (M on the mode dial).
4. Enable the self-timer or use a remote.
5. Set your ISO to 100.
6. Set a custom white balance (see page 99 of the T2i manual).
7. Set your AF mode to One-Shot (page 66 of the manual).
8. Set your AF Point (see page 68 of the manual) - You can use the arrows to select the exact location you'd like to focus on, which makes it easier to compose shots with the camera mounted to a tripod.
9. Set your Aperture between f/1.8 to f/4 - This will help isolate your subject and blur the background.
10. Look at the Exposure Level indicator on your LCD screen and adjust the Shutter speed until the indicator lines up with 0.

With these settings in place, half-press the shutter to focus and then fully press the shutter when you're ready. If you have the self-timer engaged, it will count down allowing you to get your hands off the camera. If you're using a remote you can just snap away.

That should get you going in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)

pavdiddy

Moose - thanks a lot for the thorough response!! Which white balance would you suggest doing in my scenario? Prior to this, I always did it on AUTO using the 18-55mm for up close shots, with an F 5.6 or so... Problem with shooting things like pillows up-close when using the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is I can't get close enough to the product with that lens like I can with the 18-55mm. With that said, do you feel shooting with the 55mm f/1.8 still has an advance to do a sharper focus? Background will be cropped with Photoshop for these types of shots...