How to take pictures on a budget!

So first of all I’d like to point out that I understand getting a camera and camera equipment can be expensive and out of reach. This is why I’ve made a little tutorial on how to do it on a budget. Today we are going to go over how to photograph small objects like jewelry, findings, small artwork, small knickknacks, and the like. In doing this I remembered a DIY (do it yourself) blog post by a blogger that I follow that shows you how to make your own little photo station with a few things from the dollar store and an iPhone.

Link: http://scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.ca/2012/10/taking-decent-product-photos-with-no.html

You don’t need a perfect house to find a place to photograph things!

I decided to try her little DYI and use an iPhone, an SLR camera, and a really old little digital camera. This is meant to prove that you do not need a fancy expensive camera to photograph your items. I did of course still use a fancy SLR camera just incase you have, or can get ahold of one. Otherwise if you can get ahold of an iPhone / smartphone or even an old digital camera, you are still able to take good quality photos!    

If you have an issue getting a sharp image, try creating a make shift “tri-pod”.

The two set ups I created cost me $1.25 total. I bought a large foam board from the dollar store and cut it in half. I also used a stool, a white pillowcase, and a white wall. Oh! And most importantly: natural light. I photographed a necklace, a brooch, and a little teddy bear. (For the necklace I did purchase a little stand for $4.50 from www.eddies.com) You can also create your own out of the same foam board you purchased for this assignment. 

Another simple and cheap photo set up!

The photos I took with an iPhone:

 Clear close ups are always important!

 Try to make items as sharp as possible! People like to see the details!

Fun poses are always a good idea too! 

Next I used a really old crappy digital camera that you could easily pick up at a thrift shop for $5!

And last but not least, the SLR camera!

And as you can tell, there really is not too much of a difference between any of the cameras. They still portray the items efficiently and appropriately for online!

The most important pointers that I can give when taking photos for your shop are:

-Use a white or pale background

-Make sure there are no distracting things in your image

-Use natural light (do not use indoor, or yellow lighting)

-DO NOT USE FLASH! Make sure you turn your flash off when you are taking these pictures! This is key to taking a professional looking image!

-Make sure all images are sharp and clear

-And don’t forget to do close ups! This is what the macro setting is for on most cameras!