In my experience, people go about this in one of two very different ways. They either try to everything on the cheap, in which case they either give up and hire a pro or go out of business,
or they make a commitment in terms of both money and the learning process and do it properly.
This thread started off as yours did. Someone who knew nothing and thought that all he needed to do was to get a continuous light or two. But he had the right attitude, put a bit of money into it and listened to what he was told. If you read right through the entire thread you'll see that he got there, and pretty quickly too.
His subjects are far more complex than yours, and he had tight time pressures too, so his task was much more difficult than yours.
Another guy rang me up about some training. He sells all sorts of leather goods, a typical hard working small businessman, doing OK but not exactly loaded - in fact, he later told me that at that time money was very tight. Like Stud0488 I much prefer people to pay me to take their shots, but it just wasn't going to happen so I provided his staff with all the training they needed (expensive) and he bought all the lighting I suggested.
I had an email from him a couple of weeks ago, telling me that it was the best decision he had ever made and saying that he is recommending me to everyone - except his competitors
Your own needs are very simple, there are lots of ways of photographing clothing but most are complicated, require reasonably good gear and a lot of knowledge.
My suggestion is that you photograph them flat. Forget about coathangers, mannequins etc although maybe you'll want to do the odd one on a model.
Now, for flat subjects, laid out on a table and shot perfectly square on from above (studio stand or tripod with extending arm) you can get away with a simple softbox each side, at an angle that gives diffused light but which will also reveal the texture of the material, your printing and any embroidery. You show the texture by moving the light sources further away, and get the opposite effect by moving them closer.
Continuous lighting will do for that, although personally I would use flash because it is far more versatile and easier, but there you go... And if you want to go the continuous lighting route then you might want to look at the
Lencarta QuadLite, with twice the power and half the cost of most others.
For most colours, a mid grey background is a good choice. If it really needs to be white then you are adding to the complications and you will need twice as many lights, because the background is a separate subject. If it has to be white then either shoot them on a perspex sheet that is lit from below, or get someone to cut them out on the computer for you. A lot of people can do this work, personally I use
Clipping Paths Asia.
Clipping Paths Asia can also do any blending needed, using stock photos and just showing the variations between the products. Just be aware that although using the computer is fine, it is always easier and cheaper to do it all in camera, once you know what you're doing.
