Tips for taking product pictures? Ask for guidance

As a seller who opens an online store, we all know the importance of product photography.

How to present products truly and clearly in front of buyers is a basic skill that sellers must master.

Commodity photography is different from art photography in that it does not need to reflect the artistic value and high aesthetic taste of the photo, but this does not mean that the final image is boring.

Since most sellers have not received photography training, the photos they take are not ideal. In order to improve your product photography skills, let me introduce the system to you:

How to take photos of store products (still life).

Let me give you a table of contents first for your convenience.

1. Characteristics and requirements of product photography;

2. Equipment preparation;

3. Use of light;

4. The layout of the product;

5. The selection and processing of the background;

6. Let’s talk about product photography

Let’s start now, take a closer look.

1. Characteristics and requirements of product photography

Commodity photography objects, in a broad sense, refer to all objects that can be sold, including flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables in nature. , vegetables, daily necessities, industrial supplies, handicrafts, historical relics, etc. What we are going to talk about is that from a narrow perspective, the scope of photography is indoor decorations, flowers, utensils, handicrafts and other items that are small in size and can be placed manually.

Commodity photography is different from photography of other subjects. It is not limited by time and environment and can be photographed 24 hours a day. The key to photography lies in the organic organization of commodities, reasonable composition, and appropriate use. Light makes these products appear still and moving, lifelike, and gives buyers a real feeling through your photos.

Characteristics of product photography:

1. Stationary objects: The biggest feature of product photography that distinguishes it from other photography is that the objects it shoots are all static objects.

2. Arrangement photography: Arrangement photography is another significant feature that distinguishes it from other photography. There is no need to rush on-site shooting. It can be manipulated according to the photographer's intention and completed slowly.

3. Restore the truth: There is no need to pursue artistic conception too much and lose the original appearance of the object.

The overall requirements for product photography:

The overall requirement for product photography is to fully express the shape, quality and color of the product without exaggeration.

Shape refers to the form, modeling characteristics of the product and the composition of the picture.

Quality refers to the texture, quality and texture of the product. The requirements for product photography are very strict. The shadow pattern levels that reflect quality must be clear, delicate, and realistic. Especially in details, as well as highlights and shadows, the performance requirements for texture are more stringent. Use the right lighting angle and the right light ratio and contrast to better complete the confrontation performance.

Color, product photography should pay attention to the unity of color. Colors should complement each other rather than confront each other and form a unified whole. "A room does not need to be large, and the fragrance of flowers does not need to be abundant." When dealing with colors, we should strive to be simple, refined, and pure, and avoid being complicated, complicated, and chaotic.

2. Equipment preparation

1. Since you are shooting online store products, you must have a camera suitable for still life shooting, preferably with a macro function. Regarding the topic of cameras, our Muyu moderator will introduce it to you in the "Shopping Guide", so I won't say more.

2. A tripod is an indispensable accessory for us to engage in product photography and even other types of photography. To avoid camera shake and ensure image clarity, it is necessary to use a tripod.

3. Lamps are the main tools for indoor photography. If possible, there should be more than three lights. It is recommended to use three-primary-color white light energy-saving lamps of 30W or above, which are relatively cheap and have good color temperature. Very suitable for family photography.

4. A product photography stand is essential for product photography, but it can also be made simple and used flexibly. Office desks, home coffee tables, square tables, chairs, larger cardboard boxes, and even smooth and flat floors can all be used as shooting platforms.

5. Background materials. If you go to a photographic equipment store to buy regular background paper and cloth, it will cost a lot and may not be convenient to use in a small room. You can go to a stationery store and buy some full-open white cardboard to solve the problem of no background. Do not use copy paper. You can also go to the market to buy some fabrics with different textures (pure wool, chemical fiber, silk) for background use.

Wow! There are so many things to prepare! Don't be afraid of trouble. As the saying goes: "If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools."

3. The use of light

Commodity photography and other photography subjects, in the use of light There are certain differences in aspects.

Most of the objects in product photography are things that can be placed on the shooting stage. The texture expression of the object and the composition arrangement of the picture are more demanding than other photography themes. Moreover, a lot of lighting is used during shooting and less natural light is used, so the picture layout and lighting processing are more complicated.

The following introduces two methods of using light for photographing products.

1. Indoor natural light:

If you use indoor natural light to shoot products, you should understand the characteristics and usage requirements of this light. This seemingly simple and easy-to-use lighting condition may very well lead to shooting failure. Since indoor natural light is the light that enters the room from outdoor natural light through doors and windows, etc., the direction is obvious, which can easily cause the contrast between light and dark in the dark part of the light-receiving part of the object. That is not conducive to the pursuit of the texture of the object, and it is difficult to complete the expression of its color. For photographers, the freedom to use light is limited.

To change the problem of excessive light and dark contrast between subjects, first, try to adjust your shooting angle, improve the lighting conditions of the product, and increase the distance between the subject and doors and windows. The second is to rationally use reflectors to partially illuminate the dark areas of the subject, thereby reducing the difference between light and dark of the product. Using indoor natural light to take product photos, if the lighting is reasonable, accurate, and the shooting angle is appropriate, not only can the texture of the product be clear and distinct, but it can also achieve the effect of uniform light brightness on the subject and a realistic atmosphere.

In terms of the use of light for product photography, if possible, it is recommended that you use artificial light sources and practice shooting based on your own understanding of product photography.

2. Artificial light source:

Artificial light source mainly refers to the light emitted by various lamps. This kind of light source is a very common light source used in product photography. Its luminous intensity is stable, and the position of the light source and the illumination angle of the light can be adjusted according to your own needs.

How to use artificial light sources for photography depends on the specific conditions of the subject and the photographer’s performance requirements. Lighting affects products in the form of point light sources, soft light booth light sources and reflected light. In many cases, the surface structure of the subject determines how the light source is used.

Under normal circumstances, product photography relies on the characteristics of the product being photographed to attract the buyer's attention. The use of light will be directly related to the performance of the product being photographed. You must be good at using the contrast between light and dark, strong and weak, and understand the results that light at different positions can produce.

Side light can well display the shape and three-dimensionality of the subject;

Side backlight can enhance the texture expression of the product;

The angle is low Backlighting at a higher angle can show the transparency of transparent products;

Backlighting at a higher angle can be used to photograph the outline of products.

Be familiar with and master the functions and effects of the lights in various positions mentioned above. During the shooting process, you can first use a single light with a larger illumination to conduct lighting experiments at different positions in front, back, left and right of the subject. Carefully observe the different effects that light can produce at different locations. Understand the impact it has on your subject’s performance.

Use indoor lighting to take product photos. The types of light can be roughly divided into main light, auxiliary light, outline light, background light, top light, ground light, etc. Under normal circumstances, only three to four types of light are used during the shooting process.

For photographers, when arranging various types of light, it is important not to illuminate all the lights at once on the subject and its background. Doing so will inevitably cause confusion of light and shadow.

Formal lighting methods should pay attention to the order of using light. The first thing to focus on is the use of main light. Because the main light is the dominant light among all lights, it is the main light that shapes the subject. When the main light acts on the subject, its lamp position will no longer move easily. Then use the auxiliary light to adjust the contrast formed by the subject on the screen. It is necessary to properly grasp the light ratio between the main light and the auxiliary light.

The position of the auxiliary light is generally arranged near the camera, and the illumination angle of the light should be appropriately high. The purpose is to reduce the projection of the subject so as not to affect the background effect. After the auxiliary light is determined, consider the use of contour light as needed.

The position of the contour light is generally on the left or right rear side of the product, and the lamp position is relatively high. When using contour light, pay attention to whether some light hits the surface of the lens. Once found, deal with it in time to avoid glare. Then consider the use of other lights such as background light according to shooting needs.

After all the required lights are deployed, take a look at the overall situation and make some necessary minor adjustments. Of course, this kind of lighting sequence of master and slave, first and last, is under normal circumstances. When facing some special shooting objects, the use of light is not necessarily limited to the main light to the auxiliary light and then to the contour light. Lighting sequence. Sometimes only one light is needed for lighting, and sometimes the top light is used as the main light. Therefore, photographers can master the rules of light use through repeated practice, and then they can have a good grasp of the effect of light use in product photography.

It seems not easy. Everyone should study hard and become a photographer in the future!

The following is an introduction to the light application methods of several products with different surface structures:

(1). The use of light for products with rough surfaces

There are many Products have rough surface structures, such as fur, cotton and linen products, sculptures, etc. In order to express their texture well, side backlighting or side lighting should be used in the use of light. This will make the surface of the product show undulations of light and dark. structural changes.

(2) Use of light on smooth-surfaced products

Some smooth-surfaced products, such as gold and silver jewelry, porcelain, lacquerware, electroplated products, etc., have smooth surface structures such as Mirrors have strong one-way reflection ability. Direct light focused on the surface of this product will produce strong light changes. Therefore, when photographing such products, firstly, soft scattered light should be used for lighting, and secondly, indirect lighting can be used, that is, the light acts on the reflector or other reflective products, and the reflected light illuminates the products, which can obtain Soft lighting effect.

(3) Use of light for transparent products

Photography of transparent products such as glassware, crystal, jade, etc. generally uses side backlighting, backlighting or bottom light for lighting, which can easily Excellently expresses the clear and transparent texture of still life.

(4) The use of light in shadowless still life

In some product photos, there is no projection at all in the picture processing, and the shadow tone is very clean. The lighting method for this kind of photo is to use a set up glass table, place the product to be photographed on it, and lay a larger piece of white paper or translucent tracing paper under the glass table. The light acts on the top of the paper from below. Through this bottom light, you can take photos of the product without projection. If necessary, you can also add a little auxiliary lighting to the product from above. In this case, pay attention to the brightness ratio of the bottom light to the front light.

3. Light and atmosphere

The atmosphere shown in product photography is an emotional response to the buyer. This atmosphere is formed during the shooting process due to the change of light. Produced by the effect. The atmosphere expressed by a specific light can only be truly reflected when the lighting characteristics of this light are consciously retained. For example, under backlight lighting conditions, the contrast between light and dark of the subject will be very large, and the "face" of the subject facing the camera lens will often appear in shadow. If you use excessive auxiliary light inappropriately, the subject will appear from the side of the object. Frontal illumination illuminates the backlight of the object very brightly, trying to express more details of the subject. Doing so will not only lose the light feeling of backlight photography on the screen. More importantly, it destroys the overall atmosphere of the photo.

The expression of atmosphere relies on the effect of light, and the effect of light is based on the performance needs of the subject. When encountering the above situation, you should first think of how to coordinate texture expression, atmosphere rendering and expression of the main content. relationship between. According to the modeling effect and characteristics of the light used, adjust the light ratio structure of the main light and the auxiliary light, and use the atmosphere of the picture to better facet the subject of the still life shot.

4. The layout of goods

The layout of goods, here we can understand it as the composition of a still life picture. The composition of product photography follows the general composition requirements of Dun photography, but in some aspects, the composition requirements of product photography are higher and more detailed. Because product photography is different from other photography subjects, it is arranged through the subjective intention of the photographer, so the composition needs to be more complete and rigorous, and the handling of various relationships in the picture also needs to be reasonable. The process of laying out products on the screen is the beginning of establishing various factors in the screen. This includes the position of the subject, the relationship between the companion and the subject, the use of light, the expression of texture, the organization and coordination of tones and tones, the rational use of the color of the picture, the background's foil to the subject, the creation of the atmosphere of the picture, etc.

According to the basic requirements of composition, seek the prominence of the subject in simplicity; seek changes in the picture in balance; seek jumps in lines and tones in stability; seek harmony and unity in vividness; seek completeness in Seek the interconnection between content and formation. Before preparing to shoot, carefully observe the product being photographed, choose the most perfect angle that best expresses its own characteristics, and then place it on a still life shooting stage with a background. When composing a picture, make different arrangements according to different shooting objects. When photographing historical relics, in order to make them stable and solemn, they are generally placed in the center of the picture; when photographing ceramic galloping horses, you should leave some space in front of the running direction of the subject; when photographing slender still lifes, you can place them in the center of the picture. Place it in the middle of the picture slightly to one side, and use its projection to achieve the balance of the picture; when shooting larger objects, the layout of the picture should be substantial and give people a big feeling; when shooting small still lifes, appropriate space should be left on the picture. These spaces make people feel small; when shooting multiple objects, you should consider the mutual foil and echo relationship.

To grasp the layout and composition of still life pictures, you need to rely on daily practice and accumulation to be able to use them with ease.

The following introduces several traditional still life shooting composition forms for your reference in use.

(1), △-shaped (triangular) composition

The △-shaped composition is what we often call triangular composition. This composition is the most commonly used method for still life photography. The scenery it represents has a sense of stability and solemnity. What you should pay attention to in triangular composition is that the relationship between primary and secondary generally forms a scalene triangle, which looks stable but not rigid.

(2) ▽ type (inverted triangle) composition

Contrary to the triangle composition, this inverted triangle composition is very dynamic and seeks changes in feeling in unstable emotions. . This form of composition is also one of the more commonly used in product photography.

(3) S-shaped composition

S-shaped composition is beautiful and full of changes. Although this form of composition is relatively rare in products, if you use its expressive power with the help of lines, It will take a very good product photo.

(4) Diagonal composition

In this composition form, due to the tilt of the subject, the impact of the picture is strengthened and gives people a strong sense of movement.

The above four composition methods are more traditional forms of composition. There is no fixed pattern in the composition and layout of product photography. The purpose of reference is not to copy, but to use your own talents and innovation on the basis of application.

5. Selection and processing of background

In product photography, the background expresses the environment, atmosphere and space where the subject is located. It plays an important role in expressing the tone and line structure of the entire picture. Since the background area is relatively large, it can directly affect the performance of the picture content. The quality of background processing determines the success or failure of still life photography to a certain extent.

The materials used for the background mainly include: special background cloth/paper, woolen, velvet, cloth, paper and wall, etc.

(1) The use of background lighting

In product photography, if the background lighting is used reasonably, it can not only eliminate some messy light projections to a certain extent, but also make it more precise. Renders and accentuates the subject well. There are two forms of background lighting: one is to arrange the lighting brightness of the background to be very uniform, so that there is as little difference in light and shade as possible on the background. The other is to arrange the light effect of the background so that the light in the middle gradually becomes darker around it, or the light effect in which the upper part of the background becomes darker and gradually becomes darker downwards. By adjusting the background with light, the tone or color of the background can be divided into light and dark, as well as different shades. The subject and the background can be integrated into a perfect whole, and a very good shooting effect will be obtained.

If the background light is placed behind the subject and the background is illuminated from the front, a circular beam ring will be formed on the background. The distance between the light position and the background determines the size of the beam ring. You can adjust it according to the needs of the subject's performance. This method is both simple and can produce better picture effects. You might as well follow this method to take a still life photo.

(2) Background color processing

The background color processing should pursue a visual effect that is gorgeous but not tacky, light but not pale. The relationship between warm and cold background colors, the proportion of shades, the configuration of shades, and the contrast between light and dark must all start from the overall premise of better highlighting the main object. You can use an elegant background to set off a colorful still life, or you can use an elegant still life to match an elegant background. There are no certain rules or requirements in this regard, as long as the relationship between the subject and the background is handled in a coordinated and reasonable manner. The use of black and white in the background of product photography has gradually attracted people's attention. For the foil and expression of the subject, black and white has an effect that other color backgrounds cannot achieve. In particular, the white background gives people a concise, simple and pure visual impression, making the subject appear delicate, clear, elegant and soft. If you want to take still life photos, try using a white background. I believe you will achieve unexpected success.

(3) Background “blurring” processing

If you take still life photos outdoors, they will be affected by the cluttered background. Therefore, in order not to affect the performance of the subject, it is necessary to blur the background. Processing methods: First, use a medium-to-long focal length lens to shoot, taking advantage of the long focal length and small depth of field of this lens to blur the background. The second is to try not to use too small an aperture when shooting to avoid too much depth of field; the third is to control the distance between the subject and the background to achieve the purpose of blurring the background.

If you use natural light to take still life photos indoors, use a slower shutter speed and quickly move the background left and right, or up and down when shooting, to blur the background. Purpose.

But it requires two people to operate, and the shutter speed should be below 1/2 second