Photography Insights

One of my biggest struggles over the past few years has been my photography. I've used many different cameras, different set ups, different backgrounds and lighting, and after almost 3 years, I think I finally stumbled upon the perfect setup!

Here's a look at one of my old photographs, taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera in a poorly lit lightbox, edited in GIMP:

It isnt a horrible photo... But I want to see better!

And here's an example of my new photography, taken with a D3200 Niko HDSLR in a well lit room on a rustic-looking background:

So happy with the results! 

So, here's some little tidbits of advice that I can give on product photography:

• Try to find a well-lit room with lots of natural lighting, but make sure the lighting is not direct!
• I've never had success with white backgrounds. They always came out gray for me. Experiment with different backdrops and settings!
• If you are going to have objects in the background, make them relevant and small. I always put a few towels, washcloths, or soap dishes in the back of my pictures, but they are always out of focus, far away, and I never let them upstage the product I am photographing.
• Play around with photo editing software. I use GIMP, which is open source and free to use. I also recommend checking out this YouTube Video, which is a walk-through of how to edit your product photos using GIMP.
• Think about investing in a good camera. I was able to take some very nice-looking photos with my basic point-and-shoot camera, but using the Nikon has changed things dramatically! 
• The Macro setting on your camera is YOUR BEST FRIEND!! 

Got any extra tips? Share them in the comments below!