by admin on April 7, 2008
This was a hard week to figure out what to write. After weeks of writing tips on producing great photos, I’m not sure if these posts are helpful or confusing. It’s a blank stare. No comments, nothing like “Could we focus on this?” or “Could you not include that?”
We need your help – what direction do you need most for photo tips? What would you like to see? Any comments are welcome (be gentle, please!) and we’d love to hear from you, so drop an email to julie@smashingdarling.com or comment at the bottom of this post.
This week it’s all about inspiration. Looking at other people’s photos can be a great way to get ideas for your own shots. There’s lots of great work out there in the current fashion mags, as well as a rich history of gorgeous photography to draw from. So spend some time looking at what others are doing (and have done.) What makes you go ahhhhh? Here are a few that should get your creative fashion photo juices flowing.
photo courtesy Oliver Shank, Blind Photography
photo courtesy David J. Nightingale, Chromasia
(David has also kindly extended to the Smashing Darling community a 20% discount on either the first year’s payment of an annual subscription or on their lifetime membership package. Enter this code: D81AE179E7 when you visit David’s site: Chromasia Tutorials)
photo courtesy Tyler Nixon, Wink
photo courtesy Russ Bryant, Russ Bryant Photography
photo courtesy Tom Hopkins, Tom Hopkins Studio
by admin on March 24, 2008
I was in Trish’s shop the other day marveling at her gorgeous new clothes (and Whosiepie’s fantastic spring flings, too) and she was saying she needed to find a model. I could tell it wasn’t something she was looking forward to, and is something that all designers have to deal with.
This got me thinking … while it would always be nice to fly Naomi Campbell in from Milan for the day, sometimes all you have is yourself, your camera, and a little time. But with a little creativity and your camera’s self-timer, this can be everything you need. Don’t count yourself out – you can be your best model sometimes!
All you have to do is set up the shot and put your camera on a tripod or something stable like a table. Then you’ll have to check and make sure the area you stand in is in focus. From there, just activate your camera’s self-timer function and get in position before the shutter goes off (check your camera’s manual to see how much time you have.)
Another good thing to remember is to put your camera within the flash’s range (usually around 10 feet away from what you’re shooting or less) and use fill flash, as in this sample shot. Or better yet, take the shot under available light and turn that flash off all together!. And as always, don’t be afraid to experiment. Your best tool is your own creativity, and it’s so, so easy to press that little delete button when the shot doesn’t work!
by admin on March 17, 2008
Getting your image in that coveted homepage spot is a great way to gain exposure for your store at SmashingDarling, but because it is such a prominent position on the site, only the best images make the cut for consideration. Many have asked, and here’s how to get your images up front on the homepage:
• Sharp focus – to highlight your product’s feel and quality
• Great lighting – to bring out details and create drama
• Resolution – the larger the file, the better. Preferably 700×700 pixels or larger
• Effective cropping – remove any borders around the photo
• No text – Delete any words (photo credits, store name, or item name) or numbers (like the date) from your image. Put the photo credits in item descriptions, not on the photos themselves.
It’s really very simple … if you have smokin’ hot, top-notch images, we will go out of our way to promote them on the homepage as often as possible. This site is all about you, the designer, and producing high-quality photos is the number one thing you can do to increase your online sales.
If you need inspiration here are a few (of the many) that really have great images:
Dina Varano
PINaR ERIS
Krelwear
We’re here to help in any way we can – so let us know what you need! Just leave a comment on the blog or email anytime to julie[at]smashingdarling[dot]com.
by admin on February 4, 2008
When your product is lit and ready to shoot, the next challenge is making sure that your camera interprets the light in the way that is closest to what your eye sees … this is called exposure. Some cameras may offer very little control over exposure (shooting in what is often called a “fully programmed” mode), but often cameras have a number of choices, usually called exposure modes. Once again, there’s no way around reading the manual here to get the most out of your camera. Check out what exposure modes your camera is capable of, and which matches your situation best.
Don’t be afraid to experiment – if you’re not sure which exposure mode will work best for you, try a few different options and see which is best … it’s always easy enough to delete shots that don’t work. The more you experiment, the more you’ll know how to use your camera to get the best shots.
Last but not least, if this all sounds a bit complex it’s because in many ways it is. Talented pro photographers achieve the results they do because they have an intimate understanding of lighting theory and practice, as well as understanding exactly how to get the most out of their equipment. No question about it … professional quality photography takes a lot of work. In the end, if you’re struggling with your equipment and unhappy with trying to produce images yourself, consider going to a pro. Good photography is absolutely critical to online sales (since your products can’t be seen in person), and is a key to strong product marketing in print as well. Handing the photo duties off to someone else can pay for itself very quickly, and free you up to do what you do best!
by admin on January 28, 2008
Back again with more tips on making your digital photos look their best. Once you’ve gotten the resolution thing down (see last week’s blog post) it’s time to think about the thing that truly makes whatever you’re shooting look smashing … LIGHT, both how it falls on what you’re shooting, and how your camera sees it.
The first thing to consider is where your light is coming from. There’s no substitute for good, bright, lighting to show off every detail of your products. The first challenge may be getting around the little, tiny, light source that that most digital cameras have called the FLASH. The built-in flash on your camera can be absolute death to your shot … it produces an extremely harsh light that can blow out all details (we’ve all seen those “hot spots”), make harsh shadows, and create a very unflattering effect on your shots, especially close-ups and reflective or metallic items.
So get to know your camera … read the manual, and see if there is a way to turn off the built-in flash, or if your camera has a shooting mode that works without it .
So what’s the best way to get good light? Almost always, indoor lighting can produce objectionable color casts (most notably, fluorescent lights look green and tungsten lights look yellow or orange) and if the color in your shots just doesn’t look good sometimes the easiest answer is right outside your door in the form of natural light. A nice sunny day outside can be great for shooting.
Setting up the shot
Another huge consideration is how to best position your products in the light that you have to work with. The most important thing to remember here is that you want the light falling evenly on your product to show the most detail. Usually this means that your source of light should be to the front, or slightly off to one side. Side lighting can create some drama and add a bit of dimension to your shots, but be careful … the side that is receiving less light can fall into dark shadow, obscuring detail and creating a harsh contrast.
One thing you’ll generally want to avoid is backlighting, where the light is coming from behind what you’re shooting … this situation will generally result in your product being darker than the background. Never a good thing!
NOTE: As with all our tips…this is a very simplified and basic approach. We are in no way saying that this is exactly how everyone should do things. This is just a basic starting point. If you have any specific areas you would like to know more about for your photos please feel free to email us at: trishandjulie(at)smashingdarling.com
by trish on January 21, 2008
If your photos don’t look good, YOU don’t look good!
As always, the main goal when taking photographs is to make your products look smashing, and there are a few key areas to consider that will help you get the most out of your digital camera.
First is resolution, which in the context of digital photos is simply a measure of the output quality of an image (usually measured in pixels per inch – PPI.)
When creating a photo of your products, it is often a good idea to set your camera at its highest quality setting (ie: the one that produces the largest file size.) This file will give you highest resolution your camera is capable of producing as well as the most flexibility in how you can use the image. The file can then be opened in any digital imaging software (such as Photoshop or your camera’s own editing software) and then adjusted as necessary.
The key here is that it’s very easy to resize an image downward from a large, high-quality file. Images with large file size and higher resolution (usually 300ppi or greater) are best suited for print, while images with lower resolution (usually 72ppi) are suitable for web use. On the flip side, trying to create a larger image from a low quality file (which is usually referred to as “interpolating ” or “res-ing up”) almost always results in files that appear fuzzy, jagged, or “pixelated” looking. Definitely not what you want for capturing the beauty and detail of your products!
For the purposes of SmashingDarling images, here’s a step-by-step of the best way to prepare quality images:
1. Set your camera to it’s highest quality setting
2. Create your photos
3. Open your photos in a digital imaging program and crop as desired.
4. Adjust the output size to a minimum of 700 x 700 pixels, and the resolution to 72 ppi.
5. Make sure the file size is under 250k, and save as a JPEG, GIF, or PNG.
6. Upload your photos!
There’s lots more to consider when producing your own photographs, but this is a good starting point that will result in an image of the proper resolution and size. And without understanding this basic principle of digital photography, there’s nothing else that you can do to make an image look good. A low-resolution image artificially scaled up will look bad every time, no matter how great the lighting, how beautiful the subject, or how expensive the camera!
As always, please post comments with any questions you may have – our goal is to help in any way we can!
Next session: lighting and exposure
