As you look around at online shopping sites (and SmashingDarling’s own storefronts, too) no doubt you’ll notice that some of the most effective and appealing product shots are those with a pure white background. Cynthia Jones and PiNAR ERIS do a fantastic job of this (among many others). The “white look” is a great way to remove all distractions from your shots and present a clean, professional looking image that focuses on what’s important … YOUR FASHION.
Here’s how to get that look!
1. The Background. The first thing you need is a white background – this can be as simple as a bedsheet (with all wrinkles ironed out) or a white wall in your studio. Pros often use a white paper backdrop, available in rolls and priced very reasonably from sources like calumetphoto.com or other photo equipment suppliers.
http://www.calumetphoto.com/Studio/Backgrounds,+Coving,+Cycloramas/
2. Get lit! The next thing you’ll need is plenty of light on the backdrop to make it appear white in the shot. Often shooting outside in open sunlight will do the trick. If you’re using studio lighting, you may need to light the background separately from your product to get a pure white background.
3. The cheater method. For those who are adept at digital imaging software (Photoshop and the like), it can often be a fairly easy task to remove the background from the digital image by either erasing the background, or selecting the product and copy>pasting it onto a pure white layer. Adding a soft drop shadow is an easy task for pixel pushers, too. Learning Photoshop can have a HUGE impact on the quality of your photos, and offers amazing flexibility and options for manipulating your digital images and taking your photos to the next level.
That’s all there is to it! No magic here … just a clean, crisp look and plenty of light.
