How to take a picture of the sale item and nothing else

[rickbfxx2014]

I would like to take some shots of a few wristwatches I am going to sell. And of course they need to be close up because of the fine detail. But I want just the watches in the shots without any background.  To me it looks much more professional and  nothing in the background is less distracting.  I do realize this question is probably not  without a complicated answer.  But if someone could possibly guide me to a website or something of this nature. I'm a quick learner.  I would have already looked at some websites but I don't even know what this process is called.

[chinohighcowboys1963]

Can't you use a plain colored sheet or other cloth to put the watches on? Or, how about cardboard poster board?

[rickbfxx2014]

yes, I suppose I could. I just think the picts look more professional if its just the item for sale.   Someone knows how its done because there are these kind of shots on Ebay.  And thank you for your responds.

[lja440]

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@rickbfxx2014 wrote:

yes, I suppose I could. I just think the picts look more professional if its just the item for sale.   Someone knows how its done because there are these kind of shots on Ebay.  And thank you for your responds.

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Those are stock photos. They are usually used by drop shippers (NOT A GOOD THING). 

Frankly I usually back button very quickly when I see them. 

What I want to see is the ACTUAL ITEM. Background is fine as long as it isn't cluttered or dirty looking. Large items such as clothing I take outside and hang on a sheet covered extra hollow core door I have for this purpose. Small items I place a folding table against this under the drape and pinned to hold the crease in back. I have neck forms for necklaces and forms for bracelets and such. Outside gives me much better lighting. I then crop away the background down to the edge of the item to maximize the size of the item in the photo. The only exception is if the item doesn't have a static size (like a record album). Then I include something with a static size, such as a ruler or quarter and crop to include these items.

Oh and editing to include:  If the item is reflecting watch out what is in the reflection. We don't want another viral item like the guy who listed his toaster with the refection of himself (naked) in it.

[luckythewinner]

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@rickbfxx2014 wrote:

I would like to take some shots of a few wristwatches I am going to sell. And of course they need to be close up because of the fine detail. But I want just the watches in the shots without any background.  To me it looks much more professional and  nothing in the background is less distracting.  I do realize this question is probably not  without a complicated answer.  But if someone could possibly guide me to a website or something of this nature. I'm a quick learner.  I would have already looked at some websites but I don't even know what this process is called.

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The answer is very easy, actually. You just need to search eBay or Google for the phrase "portable photo box". 

[ten_o_nine]

You'll need software like Adobe Photoshop, it's a 2 step process, you take the picture then apply anything you want in the background. Watch this on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVTJkg-KVAs

[gracieallen01]

Make yourself a 'white box'.  For a watch, it doesn't have to be all that big.   (search: white box photos)

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@rickbfxx2014 wrote:

I would like to take some shots of a few wristwatches I am going to sell. And of course they need to be close up because of the fine detail. But I want just the watches in the shots without any background.  To me it looks much more professional and  nothing in the background is less distracting.  I do realize this question is probably not  without a complicated answer.  But if someone could possibly guide me to a website or something of this nature. I'm a quick learner.  I would have already looked at some websites but I don't even know what this process is called.

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It's really not that complicated 😉

You can get a light box for small objects, like watches, pretty cheaply. Most come with lights already.

If you don't want to get a lightbox, you will need:

White foamboard or posterboard

Lighting.

Camera.

Daylight bulbs in a few adjustable fixtures (clip on gooseneck desklamps, ex) will work best. You don't want "soft white" or "bright white" ...You want "Daylight".

You want to have even lighting front, back, top and sides. Adjust your lights so that the item is well lit, but doesn't have any glare.

You don't need an expensive camera. You can use your smartphone. Smartphone cameras have come a long way. If you do use your phone, remember to clean your lens ... that phone has been in your pocket (or purse) and handled a lot 😉

Turn off your flash.

Set your camera to take the highest resolution pics possible.

If your camera allows you to choose aspect ratio, use 4:3 or 1:1 (Square) these work best for product images.

If your phone has a "pro" setting, use it. Get out of the "auto" mode.

Play with the settings until you are happy with the results.

For detailed images, get closer with the camera ... the less cropping you have to do, the better. Cropping lowers the resolution of the image.

You want your product to be at least 80% of the photo. Get as close as you can without cutting off any edges of your product.

Play with your settings ... You can adjust white balance and brightness before you take the picture.

If your pics need editing ... copy them to your computer and use a basic photo editing software to crop and adjust brightness. You don't need Photoshop...

[parkersparrow]

You can get a small portable light box and an acrylic watch display holder. They're fairly inexpensive. 

[mr_lincoln]

@rickbfxx2014   I know the look you are going for but the watch needs to be supported so a piece of glass would be a nice touch ... then elevate the glass above a white poster board (6 to 8 inches) and have a white poster board as the background ... but here's where you can "bleed" out the background ... make sure the watch is a foot or more in front of the back ground poster board.  Since you are shooting close ups the background will be outside the focal point of the camera and therefore just sort of fade  away.  If you can shoot in natural lighting (not direct sun light) the true colors will come out better even if you use a flash.  To avoid a glare on the watch face angle the camera so the camera flash light bounces away from the camera lens.

Below is an example of a an item on a piece of glass on a white poster board and a white poster board as the back ground ... notice the background is not real noticeable ... for the items we sell we do not need the close up quality you are after.  You will notice a horizontal line about half way up the picture ... THAT is where the two pieces of poster board and piece of glass come together ... but notice it is blurred, THAT is because it is outside the focal length of the camera lens ... hope that helps.  This picture was taken with indirect natural lighting and the camera flash was ON.

[penguins_dont_fly]

@mr_lincoln 

Great pics 🙂

I always set my flash to "off" ... because my Glass and China items are highly reflective ... even at an indirect angle, it tends to wash out the color and leave ghosting artifacts.

My "office" is fairly dark, even with 2 windows (north and east facing).  I have replaced the overheads and have added portable lighting with daylight bulbs for an overall indirect bright lighting scheme.

Hubby says it's like an operating room when all the lights are on LOL

[mr_lincoln]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

Great pics 🙂

I always set my flash to "off" ... because my Glass and China items are highly reflective ... even at an indirect angle, it tends to wash out the color and leave ghosting artifacts.

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Yep, for each type item different approaches are required ... I experience similar issues when shooting Revere Ware pots and pans or an NIB poly wrapped model kit ... not to mention using a tripod and the timer on the camera so I can get out of the picture if the reflective surface (pots and pans) shows me standing there LOL! 

[rickbfxx2014]

WOW... Thanks everyone !!! That  answers my question!

[mr_lincoln]

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@rickbfxx2014 wrote:

WOW... Thanks everyone !!! That  answers my question!

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Whether you use a light box or other method(s) you will have to play around a little bit until you achieve the results you want.  Keep one thing in mind, Google image search works best with a plain white background ...

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

Great pics 🙂

I always set my flash to "off" ... because my Glass and China items are highly reflective ... even at an indirect angle, it tends to wash out the color and leave ghosting artifacts.

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Yep, for each type item different approaches are required ... I experience similar issues when shooting Revere Ware pots and pans or an NIB poly wrapped model kit ... not to mention using a tripod and the timer on the camera so I can get out of the picture if the reflective surface (pots and pans) shows me standing there LOL! 

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🙂

Funny story ... I was shooting some plain white glossy dishware a few weeks ago.  The photos all had this pervasive pink cast that I couldn't figure out. It was making me crazy. I looked everywhere and checked everything.

I took a time-out and had a bathroom break ... and looked in the mirror. I was wearing a hot pink shirt 🙂 🙂

Changed into a white tee and fixed my problem LOL