Advice please - how best to photograph greetings cards?

Floody

Floody

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Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and hoping some of you can point me in the right direction...

My wife makes greetings cards and wants me to photograph them for her so she can put them on a blog. She's taken photos of them using her iPad but the results are disappointing - quite dark, with the colours washed out. Also, the background can be a little distracting.

My photography equipment is somewhat sparse - I have a Canon EOS550D with the standard 18 - 55mm lens, and I own a tripod. I don't have any additional lighting, just the flash that's built in to the camera. I must admit I tend to use my camera as nothing more than a 'point and shoot' camera, due to my own ignorance of digital cameras.

I was thinking maybe using a roll of white paper for the background? And shooting in natural light to avoid any 'bounce' or 'glare' (sorry I don't know the correct terminology but hopefully you know what I mean! ) :)

Any advice would be gratefully accepted. In particular I think she's wanting the bright colours of the cards to really stand out.

:ty:
 
Do you have a white bath?

If so I've found them an acceptable and available background for objects a little smaller than greetings cards. A roll of white paper might work OK, but harder to set up in my experience.

I'd use the camera on Av, with an appature quite low (not sure how sharp that lens is, someone else can probably comment). If you can use the tripod to hold the camera and use a low ISO value (low noise and should be more vivid colours).

For lighting natural light would be my choice in your situation but if you can't get enough of it shining a desk lamp onto some white paper where the lamp is faced away from the object to be photographed (avoiding direct illumination from a point source).



Having written all of that I've realised you might get away with having the card on the ground on a white piece if paper with the camera on the tripod pointed straight down if you just want to show the design.
 
If you struggle with the white, especially with lighting you could try a plain neutral background like the canvas hessian, it's pretty good for less creases or iron easy enough, or with that stuff you can drape it without it looking odd
 
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I would need to see a sample to the cards!
 
Does she want to show them as cards or just her designs? If it's just the designs she wants to show, use a flatbed scanner.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas so far. I may have to clean the bath! :runaway::)

We did think about a scanner but the boss wants photos of the cards as they stand up, if you see what I mean.

Ever since I bought the camera I've felt slightly guilty about underusing it due to my ignorance, but what with this talk of AV, low apertures and ISO, now might be a good time for me to actually learn something about digital photography...
 
Have look at Etsy, etc. where others are selling cards. Get your wife to pick out a couple of styles she likes, then you've something to work from.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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I would need to see a sample to the cards!
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Yes, because construction, materials and surface can vary enormously, and there is no "one size fits all" solution.

But, regardless of this, it can't be done without suitable lighting and the absolute minimum setup would be a studio flash head with a softbox fitted to it, plus a reflector of some sort to bounce "spare" light from the other side. Position and angles will vary according to materials, relief etc, but that's your starting point.

If the products are worth making then they are worth photographing well.
 
I would see how you get on with shooting next to a window using daylight and a seamless infinity background made from a large piece of card/paper or even a large sheet. Anything that is neutral/white and not distracting.
 
lucky247 said:
I would see how you get on with shooting next to a window using daylight and a seamless infinity background made from a large piece of card/paper or even a large sheet. Anything that is neutral/white and not distracting.
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That could work in theory - isn't theory wonderful?
The problem with daylight though is that it is totally unpredicatable. It may be harsh sunlight, it may be a dull day with extremely soft, shadowless light and so on - and its angle will vary enormously throughout the day, and although the angle of a product can be moved to some extent to match the angle of the light coming through the window, that's a very hard work way of getting (at best) average results.

Which is why I suggested a softbox - which, in effect, simulates a window, but one that is infinitely adjustable in terms of angle, height, intensity etc.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Which is why I suggested a softbox - which, in effect, simulates a window, but one that is infinitely adjustable in terms of angle, height, intensity etc.
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Garry, you're idealising the situation - I could be wrong but I doubt that a softbox is in the budget for this. It can be kept cleaner and simpler. Yes, natural light is variable, but if there's no rush - you can wait for it.

Lighting's a problem because it varies so - in contrast, let alone colour temperature. But there's a whole photo course in store here. Before spending money on STUFF, the OP (yes you, Floody) needs to tutour himself in observing natural light and how it illuminates things. Ideally, you'd discover a local hands-on mentor rather than getting advice over the internet, no matter how well-meaning. However ....

Light is best judged for the novice by just taking photos, & with some help trying to assess what's happened.

The rest is camera-craft (angle of view, focus, framing), followed by processing (in a case like this, redressing imbalances).

Floody, look up raw capture (your camera can do this), & raw processing. It's tough but it can be free. And can make the pig sing, if you put in the sweat ...
 
Thanks very much for all the suggestions, I really appreciate them. droj, you hit the nail on the head - there isn't any budget for additional camera equipment. I've had my head in the camera manual and have already learned a lot, and I'll certainly look up 'raw capture'.

Thanks again! :)
 
Hi Floody,

I'm pleased to see I'm not alone with a wife that wants pictures of her craft "creations" :)

I've been toiling with this for more years thanh I care to think about and must have tens of thousands of images of greetings cards, candles and flower arrangements :(

From my experience a softbox is the way to go if you want consistent results. I made one from odds and ends I found in the shed and garage - nil cost - which worked really well but then got 'er indoors to buy me a proper one out of her profits :)

Otherwise, I have had good results putting the cards on a large piece of white cloth and forming an infinity curve then bouncing light from an on-camera flash (not the built-in one) off the ceiling. You might have to tweek the white balance but shooting in raw makes that a piece of cake - and I've photographed that too ... just before eating it :)
 
droj said:
Garry, you're idealising the situation - I could be wrong but I doubt that a softbox is in the budget for this. It can be kept cleaner and simpler. Yes, natural light is variable, but if there's no rush - you can wait for it.

Lighting's a problem because it varies so - in contrast, let alone colour temperature. But there's a whole photo course in store here. Before spending money on STUFF, the OP (yes you, Floody) needs to tutour himself in observing natural light and how it illuminates things. Ideally, you'd discover a local hands-on mentor rather than getting advice over the internet, no matter how well-meaning. However ....

Light is best judged for the novice by just taking photos, & with some help trying to assess what's happened.

The rest is camera-craft (angle of view, focus, framing), followed by processing (in a case like this, redressing imbalances).

Floody, look up raw capture (your camera can do this), & raw processing. It's tough but it can be free. And can make the pig sing, if you put in the sweat ...
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I understood this perfectly well. But the fact remains that, to do it properly requires suitable equipment.
Bristolian said:
Hi Floody,

I'm pleased to see I'm not alone with a wife that wants pictures of her craft "creations" :)

I've been toiling with this for more years thanh I care to think about and must have tens of thousands of images of greetings cards, candles and flower arrangements :(

From my experience a softbox is the way to go if you want consistent results. I made one from odds and ends I found in the shed and garage - nil cost - which worked really well but then got 'er indoors to buy me a proper one out of her profits :)

Otherwise, I have had good results putting the cards on a large piece of white cloth and forming an infinity curve then bouncing light from an on-camera flash (not the built-in one) off the ceiling. You might have to tweek the white balance but shooting in raw makes that a piece of cake - and I've photographed that too ... just before eating it :)
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Suitable equipment can include home made. Home made softboxes are often just as good, if not better, than the ebay cheapies
 
I'm with the soft box crew! Especially a DIY one (making your own will help you understand what is going on with the light and understanding diffusion is very useful knowledge).

Your wife will no doubt be posting to her blog over a long period and having a consistent way of shooting will create a more consistent and more professional feel to the site.

You can of course shoot with natural light, and get excellent results, but as mentioned above you may struggle to recreate the same look each time you come to photograph a new card.

If you prefer to buy a softbox, think of it as an investment in your wife's business, but I would say have a go at making your own initially, if only to give you a better idea of what your requirements are for buying one later on.
 
Sorry to jump in on this, but how and what would you need to construct a soft box.
 
swiftflo said:
Sorry to jump in on this, but how and what would you need to construct a soft box.
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It'd hang on what you were lighting it with, but a white shower curtain, some other material and tin foil, hung around either metal, fibreglass or wood frame depending on what you're comfy working with.

But IMHO for £25 I can buy a softbox with speedlight bracket, it's a no-brainer.
 
Phil V said:
But IMHO for £25 I can buy a softbox with speedlight bracket, it's a no-brainer.
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assuming you have a speedlight .. but the OP doesnt so he'd be budgetting 25 quid for the softbox and another 25 quid or so for a second hand flash gun and about 10 quid for a set of OCF triggers - but he's just said no budget is available so 60 quid could still be 60 quid too much.

Garry is of course right for a comercial set up, but for just taking a few pics of some cards the OPs wife has made so she can put them on a blog its overkill to spend out on new kit and the person who said 'photograph them by a window (and mayve use a big sheet of white card to reflect some light in) has the right idea...
 
big soft moose said:
assuming you have a speedlight .. but the OP doesnt so he'd be budgetting 25 quid for the softbox and another 25 quid or so for a second hand flash gun and about 10 quid for a set of OCF triggers - but he's just said no budget is available so 60 quid could still be 60 quid too much...
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All well and good Pete, but I was answering the question...
swiftflo said:
Sorry to jump in on this, but how and what would you need to construct a soft box.
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:thinking:
 
I take photos of mine in natural daylight. Pick a murky day so that the sun's not in and out all the time and they look consistent. A well-lit room like a conservatory is essential. I've done this for ages and never ever felt the need for a softbox. Though I can see why it can be useful, I have no desire to buy additional space consuming equipment that I need to put away and found room to store for 362 days a year.

From there, definitely just a hint of flash (depending on distance, probably something like -2), most definitely a tripod (that one I use a lot so I have run for that!), and definitely answer aperture (f8?), longer exposure, and either a timer or a remote to avoid the shake. I use manual settings but aperture priority could perhaps with. Oh, and focal distance of about 35-50 on your lens (I have a similar I'll be getting rid of as I now stepped away from the kit one, but so far I have used Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens for this). Definitely all in RAW, add they're so much easier to make adjustments to without the loss of quality.

And investing in a better but still very basic flash has definitely done wonders, and not just for taking photos of cards. I think it was only £40 or something. In a dimly-lot room, you can bounce that off the ceiling. (Not in a conservatory though, as there's nowhere to bounce off.)

This may be not the best or right way to do it, but it's worked for me.

Good luck!
 
I have picked up a cheap LED righflas (£15) and have been photographing some of my stamp collection from single stamps to 'blocks' up to A5/A6 size. They are often laid on unused stamp album sheets and the colour balance is very good. If the above does not work then maybe try the LED ringflash out. I am using a 60mm macro lens out for the stamps but the kit lens should be fine.
 
My wife used to make greetings cards as part of her Mummy Makes business and you guessed it she asked me to take pictures on them.

I did nothing more than blue tack them to a magnolia wall and snap away, I did have a flash however which I had diffused & bounced off the ceiling

They turned out OK for website & Facebook use
 
OP, there are many different ways of doing this but using some kind of soft box will make things much quicker and easier. They're very easy to make and there are simple instructions on how to make one all over the net if you Google it. Otherwise, if you're prepared to spend £20 you can buy this little kit off eBay that includes 2 lights, a camera support (though you'd be better using your own tripod), a collapsable soft box and several coloured backdrops. Get a cheap £5 cable release or remote shutter release and you're good to go. I used one of these kits years ago and have kept it in my loft to give to my son who's just starting to show an interest in photography. It's not the ultimate set-up but for what you're wanting to do it will get the job done just fine. This is what it looks like:

mobile_photo_studio_kit_40x40cm__dsmobstudio1.jpg
 
WingTsun said:
OP, there are many different ways of doing this but using some kind of soft box will make things much quicker and easier. They're very easy to make and there are simple instructions on how to make one all over the net if you Google it. Otherwise, if you're prepared to spend £20 you can buy this little kit off eBay that includes 2 lights, a camera support (though you'd be better using your own tripod), a collapsable soft box and several coloured backdrops. Get a cheap £5 cable release or remote shutter release and you're good to go. I used one of these kits years ago and have kept it in my loft to give to my son who's just starting to show an interest in photography. It's not the ultimate set-up but for what you're wanting to do it will get the job done just fine. This is what it looks like:

mobile_photo_studio_kit_40x40cm__dsmobstudio1.jpg
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That's not a soft box, it's a light tent.

Photography is confusing enough for learners without people adding confusion by using the wrong terms. :)
 
OP hasn't even been back since 6th Jan, so won't have even seen anything beyond post # 11 ;)
 
To be fair to the OP, he had had all the advice he needed back then anyway and also had the manners to thank people for their advice. Hopefully he's managed to achieve the results expected of him and maybe had a quid or 2 added to his wants budget!!!


Floody said:
Thanks very much for all the suggestions, I really appreciate them. droj, you hit the nail on the head - there isn't any budget for additional camera equipment. I've had my head in the camera manual and have already learned a lot, and I'll certainly look up 'raw capture'.

Thanks again! :)
Click to expand...
 
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