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Thread: Suggestions?

  1. #1
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Suggestions?



    Working with the new camera on my products for my Etsy site. Suggestions on my photography, setting, lighting are welcome Thank you in advance for the help! I am open to ideas to improve the look of my products. This is one of my products that I have developed and made from scratch. Here is the exif data. I thought the pics were better at 200 iso. Taken with 50mm f 2.8 (works great Ricardo!! Thanks )

    ~File: C:\Users\Ardan\Pictures\8-31-2015\DSC00278.JPG
    010e Image Description
    010f Make SONY
    0110 Model SLT-A57
    0112 Orientation Normal
    011a X Resolution 350
    011b Y Resolution 350
    0128 Resolution Unit inch
    0131 Software SLT-A57 v1.04
    0132 Date Time 8/31/2015 11:43:38 AM
    0213 YCbCr Positioning 2
    8769 Exif Offset 360
    829a Exposure Time 1/30
    829d F-Number 2.8
    8822 Exposure Program Manual
    8827 ISO Speed Ratings 200
    8830 Unknown 2
    8832 Unknown 200
    9000 Exif Version 2.30
    9003 Date Time Original 8/31/2015 11:43:38 AM
    9004 Date Time Digitized 8/31/2015 11:43:38 AM
    9101 Components Configuration YCbCr
    9102 Compressed Bits Per Pixel 1.0
    9203 Brightness Value 0.192969
    9204 Exposure Bias Value 0
    9205 Max Aperture Value 2.96875 (F2.8)
    9207 Metering Mode Pattern
    9208 Light Source Daylight fluorescent (D 5700 – 7100K)
    9209 Flash Not fired, compulsory flash mode
    920a Focal Length 50.0
    927c Maker Note [35692 bytes] 83, 79, 78, 89, 32, 68, 83, 67, 32, 0, 0, 0, 78, 0, 3, 16, 4, 0, 16, 0, 0, 0, 76, 7, 0, 0, 0, 32, 7, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 32, 7, 0, 227, 48, 5, 0, 118, 10, 41, 0, 2, 32, 4, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 32, 2, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, ...
    9286 User Comment
    a000 Flash Pix Version 1.00
    a001 Color Space sRGB
    a002 EXIF Image Width 4912
    a003 EXIF Image Length 3264
    a005 Interoperability Offset 36730
    0001 Interoperability Index R98
    0002 Interoperability Version 1.00
    a300 File Source DSC
    a301 Scene Type 0x1
    a401 Custom Rendered Normal process
    a402 Exposure Mode Manual exposure
    a403 White Balance Manual white balance
    a404 Digital Zoom Ratio 1
    a405 Focal Length in 35 mm Film 75
    a406 Scene Capture Type Standard
    a408 Contrast Normal
    a409 Saturation Normal
    a40a Sharpness Normal
    a432 Unknown 50.0, 50.0, 2.8, 2.8
    a434 Unknown MACRO 50mm F2.8
    c4a5 Print Image Matching [106 bytes] 80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 3, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 3, 0, 34, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 9, 17, 0, 0, 16, 39, 0, 0, 11, 15, 0, 0, 16, 39, 0, 0, 151, 5, 0, 0, 16, 39, 0, 0, 176, 8, 0, 0, 16, 39, 0, 0, 1, 28, 0, 0, ...
    - Thumbnail Section
    0103 Compression JPEG
    010e Image Description
    010f Make SONY
    0110 Model SLT-A57
    0112 Orientation 1
    011a X Resolution 72.0
    011b Y Resolution 72.0
    0128 Resolution Unit inch
    0131 Software SLT-A57 v1.04
    0132 Date Time 2015:08:31 11:43:38
    0201 JPEG Interchange Format Offset 37018
    0202 JPEG Interchange Format Length 6006
    0213 YCbCr Positioning 2

    Ardan

  2. #2
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Don't really need to attach all the EXIF data. Just camera make and basic settings.
    Posting a slightly larger JPEG image would help as well. 1200 pixels on the long edge will do, resolution is fine at 72.
    How was this processed? LR or other...
    The image that you have posted, will it be used for product advertising or is the image a photo ID or art work?
    I ask because I think your intentions/needs change how one would help in critiquing the photo.
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  3. #3
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Hi Stan,
    Thank you for your reply.
    This is the exact photo for advertising on my Etsy site. This is the size they allow. I am looking for input to better sell my products. They say photos are one of the most important tools for selling there....
    How was this processed? LR or other...
    I don't know what LR means. (probably have heard it, but forgot LOL) The photos are I guess processed by Etsy, all I do is click on the JPEG from the camera and it downloads to Etsy as you see it here. Same size, etc. so this is what I have to work with.
    Just a rookie, trying to learn as I go.
    I don't know if lighting, or a different lens would help, etc
    Thanks again Stan!
    Ardan

  4. #4
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    OK.
    LR stands for Lightroom which is an Adobe product that allows you to Store/Organize and process ("develop") your digital images.
    Your image seems dark to me and it is therefore difficult to tell what I am looking at. From what I can see about Etsy, it is a selling site, so they aren't doing anything to your image other than posting what you send them.
    That gets us to how one can better present your product. For instance if I had your JPEG image (or better yet the RAW image), I could process it in Lightroom and make it brighter and sharper so that the image might look better.

    That being said, I am not sure what I am looking at, so can you tell me what this is that you are selling?
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  5. #5
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Thanks again Stan!
    Yes, I think the light is too dark, however the camera exposure level meter (?) reads 0 or on the plus side. I adjust the iso, the f stop, and the shutter speed to achieve the 0 reading, but to me it still looks dark often, even though the pictures turn out crisp and pretty good.....

    What you are looking at is a Unakite rock from South Africa, cast is clear acrylic, turned on my lathe, drilled and tapped to fit a bottle stopper.... https://www.etsy.com/listing/2463105..._home_active_9
    (hope the link works, otherwise copy and paste...)
    This is the main pic for this item and they say the main pic is the most important to catch the eye. That is why I am asking for critique to see what can be done better, be it lighting, setting, etc.
    I use natural light (suggested), they suggest white backrounds, but I find that doesn't do it for my products, or at least I don't think it shows them well....
    I do have Corel photopaint in which I could adjust all this stuff, but I thought the goal of the pics is to make adjustments on the camera to get the exposure meter to read 0 was the goal. (sometimes I leave it on the plus side to allow more light.) I am wondering if I should make the exposure meter read on the plus side for my products to allow more light right from the start?

    I appreciate your time looking and asking questions, it helps me think from outside what I see.

    I am really a rookie with the camera and with advertising so I am trying to learn and improve a bit if I can.

    Thanks again,
    Ardan

  6. #6
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Got it.
    So for starters I would shoot this with the camera on a tripod to get max sharpness and to allow for slow shutter speeds (more in a minute).
    If you can set the product on a nice wood/metal stand oriented as you would like someone to see it, (stopper up?) that would help. I like the background and you can experiment with various colored/textured cloths.
    Available daylight, (not fluorescent) will work best, but certainly not direct light. Something warm/ soft, like early morning, evening or shade. That too you can play with.
    The advantage of a tripod other than sharpness is that you can take the exact same image multiple times and vary exposure and depth of field.

    OK, you have everything set up. The camera should be set at it's lowest ISO (if it is 200 fine). Your 50mm 2.8 lens should work fine. Next set the aperture to at least F8 (you were at F2.8 if I am reading the data correctly). 2.8 is to shallow depth of field. F8 is a good starting point but you may want to go as high as f16 depending on how the image looks, but this may make the cloth background to much in focus. Now set the shutter speed (you are shooting manual exposure on the camera) to whatever value gives you 0 on the exposure scale. To add more or less light use shutter adjustments. Slower shutter speeds will add light (+ on the scale).
    The problem with using Auto exposure is that you can not easily control the F stop which you want to do to get different depth of fields depending on how you want to present the object. If you use Auto exposure, you can change brightness by using the EV button.
    I would take several images at 0, +1, +2 etc at F8, then at f10, f11 and f16. (As you increase the f stop you will have to slow the shutter speed to start at 0 on the exposure meter.) The slow shutter speeds won't matter because the camera is on a tripod.
    A cable shutter release helps this process and they are cheap: http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Shutte.../dp/B003Y2YN5O It avoids camera shake from pusing the release button when using slow SS.

    That should give you lots of images to choose from and you will be able to design a system that you can use repetitively and quickly for all your products.
    You can make something like this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ackground.html) to have a little "studio" to photo all your products.

    Even the best image can benefit from some post processing. After you get good at the JPEG images, you can start shooting in RAW and look into working on those to improve them. The final image can always be sized and converted to JPEG for ETSY. (Or you can send me some of the RAW images and I would be glad to play with them!)

    Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 11.00.10 AM.jpg
    Last edited by SMB2; 09-14-2015 at 11:31 AM.
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  7. #7
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    WOW Stan! Great information for me to work with!
    I do have a tripod and will put it to work. I will lower the iso to 100, set the f stop to f8 (wasn't sure what to do there at all) and then work with the exposure time/shutter speed. I will work with the ev button...
    Great info on the depth of field, I am too new to this to have played with that.
    I think I may have a cable shutter release, I will have to look through my goodie bag

    This is very helpful information and glad I asked. I was hesitant, but I think it will be very worthwhile.

    Thanks again Stan! Glad we have this section

    Ardan

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    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Sorry I missed this earlier Ardan. Stan has given you the exact advice I would have give you as well.

    One piece of advice is this, if you see your final image and you think its too dark, chances are that it IS too dark, and potential buyers will more than likely think the same thing.

    Another piece of advice is that you want to actually give your product visual reference. This means, put it on a bottle like it was intended to be used, but avoid photographing the bottle brand (copyright problems). This means the stopper will be in its proper orientation, and the bottle itself will make the item more easily identifiable as to what it is without having to read the product description, which face it, many shoppers do.

    Here is a company that I purchase from at our shop:
    http://www.mariposa-gift.com/searcha...bottle+stopper

    Notice how their stoppers are being displayed. Yes, the white background is boring, but it eliminates any distraction to the product being sold, and it actually makes it pop up more. With that being said, I actually like your background. It looks like it naturally goes with this product. Either way should be fine with this product in particular, but you have to keep in mind that if you start some kind of gallery of items being sold, if you have a unified background (like Mariposa does), it flows better in a macrocosmic way. I hope that makes sense.

    The shooting information is bang on target by Stan though. Tripod is going to be a must for you for product photography. If I remember correctly you bought a flash as well? Your 50 2.8 is going to be a great lens with your cropped sensor camera. It roughly makes your 50mm lens in to a 70mm lens (in Full Frame comparison) which is a great product shot length.

    If you need any further help, please let us know. Additionally, the only EXIF data we need is the following:

    Aperture
    Shutter Speed
    ISO
    WB

    and any modifications you may have made with an editor program.

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  9. #9
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Thank you for the reply Ricardo!

    [QUOTE If I remember correctly you bought a flash as well?][/QUOTE]
    Yes I did buy one, but the ETSY site recommends not using flash. Should I consider using it? If so, I don't know much about that either. Haven't used it yet....

    I also have not played with the WB (white balance?). Not sure how to use it... just a rookie LOL

    I guess I have a lot I can learn here. I appreciate all the input! I need to take it slow, for me it takes a bit of playing with it to grasp it and sometimes it's almost info overload, because there are so many options. The advice given sure does help sort it all out!!

    Thank you
    Ardan

  10. #10
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ardan View Post
    Thank you for the reply Ricardo!

    [QUOTE If I remember correctly you bought a flash as well?]
    Yes I did buy one, but the ETSY site recommends not using flash. Should I consider using it? If so, I don't know much about that either. Haven't used it yet....

    I also have not played with the WB (white balance?). Not sure how to use it... just a rookie LOL

    I guess I have a lot I can learn here. I appreciate all the input! I need to take it slow, for me it takes a bit of playing with it to grasp it and sometimes it's almost info overload, because there are so many options. The advice given sure does help sort it all out!!

    Thank you
    Ardan[/QUOTE]

    I will be honest, flash photography helps a TON, but only if you know how to use it well. That may be one of the reason Etsy doesn't recommend it, because people can really mess up product shots when not knowing how to use flash properly.

    WB is indeed white balance. There is a button on your camera that has that designation, WB. You want to press that button and adjust your WB to the conditions in which you are shooting. For instance, if you are outdoors and it is midday, you want to set WB to Sunny. If you are in the shade, change it to shade. Cloudy, change it to cloudy, and so on. You can leave it on Auto WB, but the problem with this is that if you shoot a set of photos, chances are that many of them will have different WB and you will notice it right off the bat in a gallery setting. If you adjust it manually, then the set will have more consistency.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

  11. #11
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Thank you Ricardo,
    I will work with the white balance, the F stop, the tripod, and the ev for now. I think I will wait to learn about the flash until I have all of this down better.

    Thanks Again!!
    You guys are awesome!

    Ardan

  12. #12
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ardan View Post
    Thank you Ricardo,
    I will work with the white balance, the F stop, the tripod, and the ev for now. I think I will wait to learn about the flash until I have all of this down better.

    Thanks Again!!
    You guys are awesome!

    Ardan
    As far as EV goes, if you are shooting manually, which is to say that you are in M mode and adjusting the Aperture and Shutter speed independently, you do not need to worry about the +/- EV. In fact, if you are on M mode, you cannot change the EV simply because you are complete controll of your Aperture and Shutter speed manually. I hope that wasn't conufusing. If ever you are confused about something, please ask and I will break it down for you.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

  13. #13
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    I have used one of these for tripod studio work on small subjects (frogs!). If you have off camera flash, you can direct it through the "box" and get nice diffused light.
    Lots of toys out there!

    Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 1.36.49 PM.jpg
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  14. #14
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Quote Originally Posted by SMB2 View Post
    I have used one of these for tripod studio work on small subjects (frogs!). If you have off camera flash, you can direct it through the "box" and get nice diffused light.
    Lots of toys out there!

    Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 1.36.49 PM.jpg
    Thanks Stan,
    The flash I bought can be used off camera.... I will have plenty to play with.

    One other question for both of you, I made a pen with a glow in the dark scorpion in acrylic. How do I take a picture of it glowing in the dark and also focus in the dark? I have played with it to no avail.... I don't have a clue how to go about it with this camera.

    Thanks!
    Ardan

  15. #15
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Suggestions?

    Set the pen as you want it to show. With your camera on a tripod, you can auto focus with the lights on. Then turn the focus to manual. This will hold the focus so you can then turn out the lights and take the shot without the camera trying to adjust the focus. Then you just take your shots and play with exposure to get what you want.

    That box is really funny. It has it's own Youtube video on how to get it to fold back up to fit in the carry case. You need six arms and at least one foot.
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

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