struggling with eBay product photos

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danjackson999

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Hi guys

I am currently trying to learn more and more about photography but think sometimes im just out of my depth.

I have 10 phones that i need to sell on eBay for my client and i have some ok results but nothing special.

I also had 10 phones what i sold the previous week. I took these photos using a light tent right in front on my lounge window.Here is some examples of the shots i got.

w5951.jpg

s83001.jpg

w880i.jpg


I think these shots came out very well although they did have some minor editing.

As i am running a business(eBay trading assistant) which involves taking alot of pictures daily its not really an option to keep setting the light tent up in my lounge so have moved everything into my office.

I want to be able to create good shots without the use of outside light because i will not always be shooting in the daytime especially in the winter months.

I am currently using a worklight to fill my light tent and it is very powerful.
I am using it on the left hand side of the tent but the problem i am getting is too much light and some reflection.

Another problem is when i am taking white on white or light grey on white the picture struggles to seperate.

Here is some example shots i done today.

p7250004_2_.jpg


The light is coming in from the top left hand corner way too much.I have tried moving the light but the only way to get a good detailed non reflective picture is too have a poor grey background.


p7250009.jpg


Even though the 2 later images have good white backgrounds, i feel the pictures lack something. the daylight pictures look loads better overall i think.

I have the white balance set to how i want but it seems like im forever having to play around with exposure.

I would love to be able to just set up once for the day and then take as many photos as i like instead of fiddling with it constantly.

Here is some examples of my other problem.

bl12.jpg


This picture is fine i think but it easy to take because the box is black

bl13.jpg


This picture is using the same settings as the one above but because the box is mainly white the background becomes grey

bl14.jpg


In this picture i adjusted the exposure to make the background more white but then the lines of the boxes disappeared.

This also happens when i take pictures of the actual phones.Easy to photograph black but not so easy lighter colours although when i used outside light the lighter phones came out great.(photo number 3 in this thread my favourite)

apoligies in advance for an spelling mistake etc its 1.55am and my bed time
 
Thanks for posting.

It appears that the main problem is lights.

You need more than 1 to be able to wrap the light around the image.

These have obvious light direction in them ( even though you stated where the light came from).

All are underexposed, this will become easier with the lighting issue.

Linky click this and you will more than enough reading matter to help you along.

Your editing could help these photos but that takes time. Try and get it correct 'in camera' and it will save hours of frustration.

I hope this helps.
 
Hi Dan - still having problems mate?

I notice tiler65 pointed you to the same thread I did (the 231 page job from POTN!). It's really one of the best sources for info on this subject, but it's not something you can get the info out of in 10 minutes (or even a day!), and as you imply - time is money in your business.

If you're using a single worklight (I assume that's one of those 500w halogen jobs) i'd be tempted to work out some arrangement of stands that allow it to be above the light tent and slightly to one side (the left for pack shots laid out as above pictures). Sadly, there's no real substitute for experimentation, you will get there, i'm sure.

At least it looks like you've sorted white balance now mate:thumbs:
 
tiler65 said:
Thanks for posting.

It appears that the main problem is lights.

You need more than 1 to be able to wrap the light around the image.

These have obvious light direction in them ( even though you stated where the light came from).

All are underexposed, this will become easier with the lighting issue.

Linky click this and you will more than enough reading matter to help you along.

Your editing could help these photos but that takes time. Try and get it correct 'in camera' and it will save hours of frustration.

I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

When you say my pictures are unexposed does that mean they have greyish backgrounds.
What i am finding is if i expose more to get a white background it washes out the image i am trying to photograph.

You can clearly see that my light is coming in from the left side but if i was to get another light for the right side will i then just get a completely washed out image?
 
TheBigYin said:
Hi Dan - still having problems mate?

I notice tiler65 pointed you to the same thread I did (the 231 page job from POTN!). It's really one of the best sources for info on this subject, but it's not something you can get the info out of in 10 minutes (or even a day!), and as you imply - time is money in your business.

If you're using a single worklight (I assume that's one of those 500w halogen jobs) i'd be tempted to work out some arrangement of stands that allow it to be above the light tent and slightly to one side (the left for pack shots laid out as above pictures). Sadly, there's no real substitute for experimentation, you will get there, i'm sure.

At least it looks like you've sorted white balance now mate:thumbs:
Click to expand...

haha.It is a legendary thread, i have read up to page 75. Takes up so much time.

Yeh im just burning my brain out at the moment because im trying to take everything in at once so i dont have to worry about the photography side of things anymore.

Ireally is so difficult to get my photos right. I will get the most perfect shot for a black phone and then if i have to take a picture of a silver phone i have to completely change all the settings.

Will i always have to change for each item or if i was to buy better flourescent lighting would it mean less tinkering with everything constantly?

Thanks so for your help by the way
 
hi, I would say that you do need to have two or more lights to get an even spread , the sort of thing im talking about is:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portable-Camera-Photo-Studio-Set-TENT-LIGHTS-BOX-TRIPOD_W0QQitemZ120432907871QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Photography_StudioEquipment_RL?hash=item1c0a5c565f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1690%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

then if you get the settings ie shutter not too slow right your images wont be washed out but should have an even lighting and you will be able to take pictures in the dead of night is you so wish :) I bought a similar kit to have a mess around with, nothing serious and had some quite good results, at work so not got any pictures to hand :|
 
i did have 2 worklights and i just found some replacement bulbs but cant seem to find the other light so off to B&Q i go.

Gonna get another worklight and hopefully a clip on light that i can use for above.

Or because a clip on light will be different type of light to the worklights should i not bother.

I will have a play around and hopefully i can get some good shots with some more even light.

I dont think i mentioned that i do not have a SLR camera i have this one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-Mju...ie=UTF8&s=officeproduct&qid=1245929828&sr=8-2

How can the shutter speed effect the photos? Will my camera have a shutter speed that i can change?
 
Right i went to B&Q and got myself another 500w worklight for the right side of my tent and also a clamp worklight 150w for above the tent.

Here is a picture of my set up

p7260027.jpg


I must say that things have not improved. I have the white balance set fine and here is a shot with exposure on 0.

p7260001.jpg



exposure 0.3
p7260002.jpg



exposure 0.7
p7260003.jpg



exposure 1.0
p7260004.jpg



exposure 1.3
p7260005.jpg



exposure 1.7
p7260006.jpg


I am struggling to get a pure white background and also even on the last one i can see creases in the white background. I have never had this problem before.

What am i doing wrong?
 
There is a lastolite product with a reflective surface on one side specifically designed for the esellers market, the ephotomaker http://www.lastolite.com/ephotomaker.php, works like the tent you have using one light! - or try using a small silver reflector on the opposite side of your tent to the light - also try using a grey card for your settings which will help in pp/editing....
 
Based on my little knowledge you'll never get a white background using the above setup. Go for a black mirror, it is so much easier to get good consistent results with your setup as above.
 
68lbs said:
Based on my little knowledge you'll never get a white background using the above setup. Go for a black mirror, it is so much easier to get good consistent results with your setup as above.
Click to expand...

what do you mean black mirror?
 
took some macro shots of some phones. They didnt come out that bad

p7260015.jpg


p7260016.jpg


p7260019.jpg


p7260022.jpg


p7260026.jpg


The first picture has more of a grey background than the second but the object looks more clear.

Am i fighting a losing battle trying to get the quality of picture 1 with a white background.

Even though the rest of pictures also look slightly bgrey in the background i think they look good.
 
AsI said in the previous thread (don't know why there are 2) It's just about knowledge and the right equipment, which doesn't include a light tent and doesn't involve any editing work.

The quick & dirty shots below, straight out of the camera, are of a crappy phone bought on Ebay and on its way back to the seller, so obviously I've left the plastic cover on the front. This must always be removed, for obvious reasons.

Pic below is lit with a single overhead softbox. The phone is sitting on a perspex sheet
phone_1.jpg


Same overhead light, with a light beneath and shining through the perspex. If I was doing this as a serious shot I would have placed the phone on a sheet of plain glass suspended about a foot above the perspex, to get the background white without degrading the fine edge detail
phone_2.jpg

Same shot, but a 2 second exposure to show the display
phone_3.jpg
 
Garry - In the 2nd picture you definately lost all the detail around the bottom of the phone.

Without having the glass/perpsex idea you mentioned so should i just accept that im never gonna get good detail without having a greyish background.

How would you go about making a glass raised shelf that is above the perspex.

Where can i get white perspex and how large should i get?
 
danjackson999 said:
Garry - In the 2nd picture you definately lost all the detail around the bottom of the phone.
Click to expand...

Of course, that's the inevitable downside unless there's enough space between subject and background.

Without having the glass/perpsex idea you mentioned so should i just accept that im never gonna get good detail without having a greyish background.
Click to expand...
Yes, unless of course you go for black.
How would you go about making a glass raised shelf that is above the perspex.
Click to expand...
Err... Get a bit of glass and support it at the corners?

Where can i get white perspex and how large should i get?
Click to expand...
Mine is a product shooting table, but I think you can get perspex from DIY shops, e.g. B&Q
 
Of course the other way is to prop the phone up so that it's not lying flat and move your work lights around until you get good edge definition
 
Probably not much help either, but in the time taken working out a solution you could have shot all ten phones and drawn a clipping path around them if you have Photoshop. ;)
 
68lbs said:
Probably not much help either, but in the time taken working out a solution you could have shot all ten phones and drawn a clipping path around them if you have Photoshop. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, but what if it's 50 a day ? Getting it right in the camera is time invested.
 
68lbs said:
Probably not much help either, but in the time taken working out a solution you could have shot all ten phones and drawn a clipping path around them if you have Photoshop. ;)
Click to expand...

you was definately right.that did not help me at all.

as bigyin said i need to learn about photography and camera skills as they will stay with me for life.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Of course the other way is to prop the phone up so that it's not lying flat and move your work lights around until you get good edge definition
Click to expand...

You wouldn't be able to prop it up enough to make a worthwhile difference, there's a very real need to get a good amount of separation between subject and lit background.
Of course, if the product is resting on a glass shelf to provide that separation then the frosted acrylic sheet is redundant - the underlight could be bounced off of a sheet of white paper - and in fact the effect of cosine loss due to the angle of incidence/reflectance would actually help.

as bigyin said i need to learn about photography and camera skills as they will stay with me for life.
Click to expand...
Yes, but you should also be prepared to get the right equipment for the job.
 
If you stick your light tent on a clear glass table and light from below it will give similar results to Garry's example. If you then get hold of a square piece of clear glass with slightly smaller dimensions than your tent then prop it up about an inch or two above the bottom you should get the results you are after. but that has been explained already.

keep at it you will get it in the end
 
threw this together just now and got these results, No PP on this.

Glass table with pvc shower curtain and some glass supported above it. One Flash below triggered by another on camera.

3661316970_f013430451.jpg


3660515111_8003345c55.jpg
 
And a knee too, aren't you guys lucky. oh and if you look to the left you can see where my keys live... :lol:
 
TheBigYin said:
Yeah, but what if it's 50 a day ? Getting it right in the camera is time invested.
Click to expand...

If it's 50 a day you invest in the equipment to get the shot right in camera. I thought this was just a quick fix to get 10 phones shot. In which case, far quicker to just take the shots and clip em in Photoshop.
 
onform said:
threw this together just now and got these results, No PP on this.

Glass table with pvc shower curtain and some glass supported above it. One Flash below triggered by another on camera.

3661316970_f013430451.jpg


3660515111_8003345c55.jpg
Click to expand...

Did you use any other source of lighting except from the light underneath?

That picture came out great. Think i might have to invest in a glass table
 
68lbs said:
If it's 50 a day you invest in the equipment to get the shot right in camera. I thought this was just a quick fix to get 10 phones shot. In which case, far quicker to just take the shots and clip em in Photoshop.
Click to expand...

You must have the most inappropiate advice possible.

I cant afford the equipment right now and therefore i am using the set up shown in this forum.

Im trying to make the best out of what i have.

I will have alot of photos to take on a daily basis and wont have time to do everything in photoshop.
 
danjackson999 said:
You must have the most inappropiate advice possible.

I cant afford the equipment right now and therefore i am using the set up shown in this forum.

Im trying to make the best out of what i have.

I will have alot of photos to take on a daily basis and wont have time to do everything in photoshop.
Click to expand...

All that any of us is trying to do is to help you, by giving useful advice based on knowledge & experience.
Feel free to ignore it, but don't describe it as inappropriate just because you're not prepared to get the right tools for the job.
 
I reply to threads of various forums when i feel i can offer some advice or something that help out the original poster in any way.

You have been helpful Garry and that was not aimed at you.

He has not added anything useful to this thread.
 
danjackson999 said:
That picture came out great. Think i might have to invest in a glass table
Click to expand...

LOL so many jokes...so little time....

the remote picture does look good though

as anyone mentioned the obvious of grey cards yet??

shoot the 18% grey card, take the exposure levels from that, whack it on manual and your exposure should be spot on.
although I've been taking shots for years I'm still a newbie, I understand exposure priniciples but not about grey cards
during a photo club session, we had a pro explain grey cards and how cameras meter for their shots. any why they so often get it wrong.
it all makes sense now!
 
DizMatt said:
LOL so many jokes...so little time....

the remote picture does look good though

as anyone mentioned the obvious of grey cards yet??

shoot the 18% grey card, take the exposure levels from that, whack it on manual and your exposure should be spot on.
although I've been taking shots for years I'm still a newbie, I understand exposure priniciples but not about grey cards
during a photo club session, we had a pro explain grey cards and how cameras meter for their shots. any why they so often get it wrong.
it all makes sense now!
Click to expand...

Nice idea if you're using a SLR with full manual exposure control - seeing as the OP is using a point-and-shoot with rudimentary exposure compensation only, it's a tough one.:shrug:
 
I think i have manual exposure on mine.

Im aware of grey cards and i have printed one out and used it for my photos.

I hold it in front of the shot and push my button half way down and then take the card away and take the shot.
 
danjackson999 said:
I think i have manual exposure on mine.

Im aware of grey cards and i have printed one out and used it for my photos.

I hold it in front of the shot and push my button half way down and then take the card away and take the shot.
Click to expand...

Self-printed grey cards are a waste of time, you're maing the assumption then that your printer is 100% accurate.

I've said this before (and it was removed :lol:) but honestly, if you're going to charge people for this service spend some money, buy the right gear.

If you feel that the photographs are an important part of your business strategy then do the job properly - in the long run it'll save you both time AND money.
 
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