Photography Archives - Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi
May 19, 2020
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Product Photography Techniques | Best Photoshoot Ideas

Product Photography Techniques | Best Photoshoot Ideas https://i1.wp.com/moshimoshi.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/PRODUCT-PHOTOGRAPHY-TECHNIQUES_1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1 800 450 Moshi Moshi Moshi Moshi https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8adc10f895539962d07742e6d31095ba?s=96&d=mm&r=g May 19, 2020 November 10, 2020

In today’s day and age, social media has become an integral part of everybody’s daily life. People use social media all through the day, including the first thing they do while waking up and the last thing they go before sleeping. Hence as a brand, it is very important to create a presence on the Internet and build brand awareness amongst the general public. To gain a presence on social media, one should focus on advertising their product/service by capturing creative photographs. In this blog, we’ll talk about product photography techniques.

High-quality product photographs are ideal for e-commerce advertisements. Customers are always looking for an easy way to gain information about a product and it is said that 93% of them consider images to be an essential decision-making factor while purchasing.

Hence, using this opportunity to give evidence about the quality and value of your brand should be a smart move.

But how do you put your brand out there? The obvious answer to this is by having professional product photography.

But product photoshoot are easier said than done. A lot of factors come into the picture like camera equipment, background, composition, lighting, and editing to get the perfect shot.

These factors vary from one product to another, making product photography an art itself. But do not worry, this isn’t rocket science and we’ve got you sorted.

Go through our six product photography techniques and tricks which will help you become a professional photographer. So let’s get started!

Product Photography Techniques-

1. Choose the Right Camera

The most essential element to any product photoshoot is a camera. There are dozens of acronyms that might not even make sense. But to make things simple for you, look for the following settings in a camera for product photography.

Choose the correct white balance, preferably the same as the kelvin temperature of your lights.
Do not go for a wide-angle lens. It will distort the product i.e., stretch the product and makes it look wider.
Always know the right aperture for the right shot. Using a wide aperture like f2.8 or f4.5 will narrow down your depth of field which would leave parts of your product out of focus. Using a small aperture like f8 or f11 will give your image a wider depth of field, keeping the whole product crisp and in-focus.
Most DSLR cameras have a dial with modes for macro, portrait and action shots. Use these modes to your advantage while shooting.
However, if you have a smartphone with a great camera, then you don’t need to worry about investing in a DSLR camera (in case you’re just getting started).

2. A Plain White Background is the Best Background!

Have you ever asked yourself the objective of a product photoshoot? What is it that you want people to observe from your shots? Isn’t it obvious that you want to focus all the attention on your product?

If you want to ensure that your product is the star of your photoshoot then having a plain white background is the right way to go. This will allow the product to shine amidst a clear and crisp background.

Though other light colors like pink, light blue, and yellow can be incorporated, a color as simple as white will put all the attention only on your product, which is the main objective of a photoshoot.

Using a bright color like red, orange, or violet will completely distract the attention of the product while also losing the shape of your product with the background.

However, a plain background isn’t necessary if your objective is to upload the images on social media platforms and websites. It is mandatory in case the product is to be advertised on e-commerce sites such as Flipkart and Amazon.

It is a highly recommended practice in the industry which also enables the product to have a professional look.

3. Lighting Setup

It is said that a white background without a light source does not appear white in the photo, it looks grey.

Light is a major factor that defines the quality of an image. Setting up the right light source can be crucial in determining whether a visitor on your website buys your product or not.

A lighting arrangement displays all the crucial decision making details for a visitor.

There are two lighting techniques for a product photoshoot, one is natural light and the other is an artificial light.

– Natural Light:

Natural light is nothing but sunlight. It is the easiest light source to obtain if you have a budget constraint because it is free of cost.

Sunlight is also known to be a ‘soft light’ because the range of light is softer and larger when compared to the light of a lamp falling directly on the product.

Remember to keep your product near a large window so that the maximum amount of light falls on the product.

The best time to shoot using natural light is early in the morning and late in the afternoon before sunset. These two-time slots are recommended in our product photography techniques because the sunlight is not very harsh during these times of the day.

Natural light also creates a natural shadow of the product which plays an important role in providing a sense of space while creating the shape of the product.

– Artificial Light:

If you are uploading a product image on Flipkart and Amazon ads, then using artificial lights for the photoshoot is preferable.

The setup consists of two softbox lights, generally placed on either side of the product. The key light is the main source of light on the product and the other light can be placed as the fill light or the backlight.

In case the light source is too harsh, you can always place a cloth or a white paper to diffuse the light. In addition to this, learn more about ISO, f/stop, shutter speed, and other settings to set the perfect color balance on the camera.

4. Rule of Thirds and Keep the Product in Context:

The composition of an image decides whether the attention of the viewer is set on the product or not.

Following the rule of thirds can help you compose your shots better. The rule of thirds is very simple product photography techniques that segment your canvas into nine equal parts, like the example below.

Ideally, the object in focus should be placed on the line joining the two intersections on any side of the image. It will help in creating a well-balanced composition for each piece in the canvas.

The human eye is said to naturally observe one of the intersection points more than the center of the image and hence, following the rule is very vital.

Prospective customers should be able to visualize themselves using the product which they view online and only then will they invest in the product.

Therefore, the product must be displayed in a way that makes the customer believe that the product can change their life for good.

These lifestyle shots need a human using the product, which makes them perfect for marketing on social media platforms, blog posts, and emails.

5. Shoot for the Edit:

Always aim to do minimal editing on Photoshop instead of throwing together a few hasty photographs and expecting photoshop to work its magic.

While editing software can make a notable impact on a photograph, relying completely on one software can only take you so far. They are meant to enhance and give small touch-ups to photographs that are already beautiful.

If you are hoping to change the image completely by cropping things out or changing the backdrop of the photograph, then your skills will only become sloppy.

By shooting for the edit, your skills will not only get enhanced but the time spent on the editing desk will also reduce drastically.

6. Take Inspiration from Videos:

Even though it is recommended to keep editing to a minimum, it’s a skill that can never be neglected.

Adding a touch of brightness, contrast and saturation will yield an enhanced – finished product.

Although having formal training in editing software like Photoshop can give you a headstart, there are plenty of tutorials online which will teach you everything from the basics, without you having to spend a rupee.

In case you are just starting, you must have some basic knowledge about these software and other product photography techniques because there are tons of things that can be done.

So simply head to YouTube and take Inspiration!

Admin
September 30, 2020
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Product Photography Ideas You Need For Your Business

Product Photography Ideas You Need For Your Business https://i1.wp.com/moshimoshi.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020-09-29.png?fit=1000%2C563&ssl=1 1000 563 Admin Admin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8b6be097548a3da6006d0f54f66c68a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g September 30, 2020 September 30, 2020

Product photography is vital for any business. Especially during the current pandemic, it is not feasible for consumers to visit the store and view the product. Most of the communication today is taking place digitally. People are sharing photographs of their products through various applications and platforms, based on which the consumers decide to make a purchase or not.

Why do you need product photography?

Product photography has been ‘the need of the hour’. It is an utmost necessity for every product. Product photography is a visual representation of your physical product. It gives your consumers a notion of how your product looks. In the E-commerce market, a photograph of a product is the first element that attracts the consumer, and then the consumer looks into further specifications of the product. There are a few product photography tips and product photography ideas that one should consider for taking photographs of a product.

Product photography ideas

Your product photograph should be aesthetically pleasing, irrespective of what you are selling. To make your product appealing, consider the below-mentioned pointers that will help you take amazing photographs.

1. Product Focus

Ensure that your main product is in focus. Consumers should easily identify what you’re trying to sell with the photograph. For beginners, using the rule of thirds is the most effective way to click a good photograph. Draw two lines vertically and two lines horizontally, forming nine equal sections, in your mind. Then focus the main product at the intersection of the lines to get the right frame. This helps to balance the whole image.

Using bokeh professional product photography helps you give a fancy image with the product in focus. Bokeh is clicking the main product with a pleasing effect of a soft out-of-focus background. You can also take a macro shot of a product, such a shot entices a consumer to buy the product. Macro photography is an extremely close–up shot of the product that showcases the product detailing. Macro shots are usually taken for products like jewelry, circuit boards, guitar, food, etc.

2. Play With the Background

Create an appropriate background setting that gives the consumer a fair notion about the product. The settings of a photograph help people understand the utility of a particular product. As it’s often said, ‘Don’t sell a product, sell its benefits’. When people can imagine themselves using the product, it will help sell more.

For instance, when you’re clicking a photograph of a cupboard organizer, it will give consumers a better idea of the product utility if you click the organizer with clothes, towels, or books placed in it. You can also click a product with a background, without a complete focus on a product. You can use contrasting colors to attract attention or ignite the thoughts of the consumer. For instance, clicking a bag with a model or a beater immersed in a coffee mug.

3. Product Elements

When you are clicking a product, there are various product photography techniques to showcase the product elements. Basis the type of your product, you can select the product shoot ideas that will be appropriate for your product.

You should click all the variations of your product, for instance, all 4 colors available for a particular bag. One of the important product photography ideas is to click a product in use. Also giving a real touch to the product is more appealing to a consumer than clicking a photograph with a plain white background. Featuring real people in your shoot helps to connect with the consumers. You can also use additional props to brighten your product with that extra touch. For instance, placing bakery utensils around the cake will make your cake look more interesting.

4. Understand Angles

The angle you click your product from can make a huge difference. You should understand how different angles and different model poses make your product look. Take multiple shots from different angles to get the best strategic shot. As a beginner, you can also use these product photography tips to experiment with angles.

Flat lay photography is clicking a photograph from a bird’s eye view. You place all related products flat on the surface and then click a shot from the top.

Contradictory to an aerial view, a low angle shot is a worm’s eye view. You use a wider lens to click a photo from the floor angle with the camera facing slightly upward. When clicking real people, this angle gives a notion of an elongated view and makes people look taller than they are.

Straight on photography is one of the simplest forms. You can easily take the shot using essential photographic gear by holding the camera straight, or with a tripod, ensuring clean lines in the background. This is usually used for products placed against the wall like frames, bookshelves or interior designing.

Macro photography is taking a close-up photograph of a product. Your hand needs to be very firm here, hence, you usually need a tripod or flat surface to click macro photographs.

Camera Equipment and Lighting

When you are clicking for a professional purpose, it is advisable to use a professional camera only. You can use a DSLR or mirrorless camera for clicking photographs for your website or E-commerce page. Using a professional camera helps you get a high-quality product photograph.

Some of them also use their smartphones. Depending on your smartphone and its camera quality, you can use it for clicking social media photographs. Following the above-mentioned product photography ideas, you will be able to click decent standard photographs with your smartphone for social media uploads as well. If you are a beginner, there are chances that your hand will tremble even while clicking from a smartphone and will eventually lead to blurry pictures. Using a tripod helps your hand to stay firm and prevents your hand from trembling.

A good quality tripod is suitable to click from any angle. It is very effective for different types of photography, especially when you want to click different products from various perspectives. Before selecting a tripod, ensure that the tripod stand is robust and durable enough for your product shoots. Whether you are clicking with your smartphone or a professional camera, using a tripod can help you click a better standard photograph. A tripod helps to add stability to your product photography ideas and alleviates your shoot experience.

Irrespective of the equipment you are using for product photography, it is very important to consider the basics of lighting. You can either use natural lighting or studio lighting. This will depend on the product and the platform for which the photographs will be used. Photographs with natural lighting can be used for social media. If you are shooting outdoors, then a suitable time to shoot is early morning or late afternoon when the sun is present. If you are shooting for a website or an E-commerce platform then you need a studio lighting setup to get the required photographs.

Editing the photographs

Post your product shoot, you should check if the output of the shoot is similar to what you were expecting. If it is not the case, then one of the most important product photography ideas is to edit the photograph. Editing your photograph can make a little magic happen.

Once you are done with your shoot and you have good quality images then editing is the final stage of product photography. If your product was clicked in good lighting then you can use that photograph by resizing as per the platform you want to use it for. In the absence of good lighting, you will need to edit the picture and balance the lighting in the image. For this, you can refer to photography tutorials or hire a good editor who could do the work for you.

Admin
July 6, 2020
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How to Use Various Kinds of Photographic Gear

How to Use Various Kinds of Photographic Gear https://i2.wp.com/moshimoshi.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/pg.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1 800 450 Admin Admin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8b6be097548a3da6006d0f54f66c68a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g July 6, 2020 September 11, 2020

The first photograph that depicts the top of a structure lit by the sun was captured in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France, and various photography techniques have been explored since then. While some have been effective and widely used by photographers, some have been forgotten and outlawed.

Photography is an art of creating an image by capturing the light with a camera, usually through a digital sensor or film. With suitable camera gear, you can even change frequencies of light invisible to the human eye, including UV, infrared, and radio.

Earlier, there were only monochromatic photographs available. However, after the launch of Eastman Kodak’s ‘Kodachrome’ film during the 1930s, colored photography started being used.

There are 7 primary standard principles of photography that are significant for uniting the segments of a picture to create a story: contrast, pattern, balance, unity, movement, rhythm, and emphasis. These principles rely on elements like colors and textures as well as the lines, space & value. But, before you start practicing photography, you must have an understanding of photography gear and equipment.

So, let’s begin!

A photography gear or equipment is the hardware used to capture images. The hardware can be cameras, lenses, tripods, camera straps, flashes, light stands, SD cards, backdrops, batteries, bags, and various other products.

| Camera Tripod

There are barely any camera accessories that are as adaptable and vital as a tripod. Tripods are very helpful in low light settings to take longer-introduction shots, especially for people who experience difficulty while holding the camera still for long. A sturdy, well-built tripod also helps to capture stunning night sky photos and selfie shots during the evening. Whether you’re shooting a scene, road, event, or product photography, you’re going to require a tripod sooner or later.

| Prime Lens

A prime lens is a lens without the feature of zoom. In the beginning, it is ideal to start with a single prime lens. As you keep progressing as a photographer, you’ll want to purchase various lenses to be able to capture a wide range of shots.

Why do you need a prime lens?

A prime lens helps you to focus on photography due to the absence of a zoom feature. Whereas, a fixed camera lens compels you to thoroughly consider your shots, which in turn helps you become a better photographer and encourages you to further enhance your skills.

For Canon and Nikon, the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is an extraordinary lens and comparatively cheaper than the others. However, if your camera has a crop sensor (which most passage level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do), and if you can bear the cost then a 35mm prime lens is advisable due to its progressive flexibility.

| SD Memory Cards

For professional photography, it’s always better to have a few small SD cards rather than one large SD card. In this case, even if your card gets corrupted, you will not lose all the data and still have access to other images.

When you purchase the SD card for your photography requirement, you must consider buying a water-resistant SD cardholder case to protect your cards during travel. You can also opt for transcending 32 GB Class 10 Memory Cards, which are large and cheap.

| Remote Shutter Release

A remote screen shutter is effective and convenient equipment that allows you to capture a shot without having direct contact with the camera body. It is mostly used with a tripod and eliminates the chances of a shaky shot.

You can choose a wired or a wireless remote screen shutter, as per your camera requirement (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, and so on). You also have further developed remotes, which have additional highlights like half-press support, built-in-timers, and LCD screens.

| External flash (Speed light)

External Flash also called a Speedlight or a Flashgun is a versatile device and acts as a great privilege when shooting in the dark. Eventually, every photographer needs an external flash to capture amazing photographs. It is definitely worth spending on this device if you are looking to become a professional photographer.

| AA Batteries + Battery Charger

External flash units and other camera-related equipment function with batteries. Hence, rechargeable batteries are a profitable and constructive purchase for anyone looking to become a professional photographer.

| Camera Strap

A camera usually comes with an existing branded strap that might be of poor quality or small in size. Usually, people hang the camera over their shoulder or neck-through its strap, relying on the fact that it will prevent the camera from falling.

But, since a camera is the most important photography equipment that you tend to carry everywhere with you, it is advisable to buy a good quality camera strap. You can buy the affordable BlackRapid Cross Shot Sling Strap that is comfortable, flexible, and durable.

| Camera Cleaning Kit

Like every other expensive product requires timely maintenance, even your camera needs to be cleaned and maintained well.

It is easy for dust and moisture to enter the camera body or settle on its surface and the lens. To prevent your camera from being damaged, it is essential to keep cleaning your camera and its accessories after every use. If you do not regularly clean your camera, you might need to go to a professional camera cleaning center, which can be expensive.

| Camera Bag

It is not an easy task to carry all the camera accessories, without a proper bag. A camera bag has various compartments that help you store your lenses, memory card, and other accessories with ease. You must always opt for a good quality camera bag that is soft, lightweight, and flexible, as it helps to adjust the product in the required compartment with safety.

Photography is all about being creative. By choosing the right photography gear, you can not only make photography a fun activity but also capture impressive images.

Photography

Product Photography Techniques | Best Photoshoot Ideas