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.

[mr_lincoln]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

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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

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LOL!  It's amazing what can influence the outcome of a picture.  I've hung a sheet or solid color panel below the camera before just to clean up the images in the reflection of things, I've stood up two white panels on either side of certain items ... all to eliminate the wrong color influence of the item or reflection coming off the piece ...

[byrd69er]

Take a cardboard box and cut one side off, maybe the top flaps too. You now have a three sided shell that you can line with any color paper you want. This makes a great stage for small items. Also place some of the paper on the bottom of the box (floor of the stage).

I use incandescent flashlights for close up spot lighting of the item. I usually only use one. Do not use a LED flashlight. You'll end up with blue all over.  I use four lights of varying color temperatures shining down into the box from about two feet above. I'm using an old photographer's four socket light bar for the overhead lights. Any number of the lights can be on when needed. Sometimes they are all turned off and just a single flashlight is used.

There's your photo stage. Cheap, clean, easy, customizable.

Have a look at some of my photos. The stage is used for 99% of them.

The camera is in macro mode for the majority of the pictures.

[chinohighcowboys1963]

Oh, yeah! The TEAPOT GUY!

[ifyouloveit]

Wonderful information, thank you from me as well 🙂 I wish to do the same thing to photograph crystals and fossils, stones. I run outside to shoot in the daylight, waste so much time. Are there different types of light boxes and where is the best place to get one? I know nothing about them, also shoot with an iPhone.

How does one find/chose a light box? This is my new project too!

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@ifyouloveit wrote:
Wonderful information, thank you from me as well 🙂 I wish to do the same thing to photograph crystals and fossils, stones. I run outside to shoot in the daylight, waste so much time. Are there different types of light boxes and where is the best place to get one? I know nothing about them, also shoot with an iPhone.

How does one find/chose a light box? This is my new project too!

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@ifyouloveit 

I got mine on here 🙂

Search for "light box" ... mine is a 3 foot cube with separate lighting (it came with 2 tripod lights and I added an overhead) because I have larger items, but for your small objects, you can probably get away with one of the portable, foldable ones with built in lighting.

If you get one with built in LED lighting ... choose one that has a light rated 5000K (5000 Kelvin is Daylight)

For a good tutorial on iPhone camera use for professional pics .... this guy has an expensive light box .... ignore that LOL

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2aLLUaKeDms

[mr_lincoln]

@byrd69er   Beautiful close up shot of the tube ... really nice work.  Love the "Stonehenge" looking 4 post support ... no way somebody might think its part of the item (and I mean that sincerely ... in train pics with track I state "track not included" because you never know, I showed a fried egg cooking in a cast iron skillet once, yep "egg not included", you never know, huh?!?)

[krazzykats]

1 Medium card box
2 Sheets of baking or wax paper
2 Sheets of aluminium foil
1 White sheet of paper
Ruler, x-acto knife, glue

[fern*wood]

Does anyone remember the silverware seller that used to post here that took all her photos on a bathroom rug with fake peaches beside them?

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Does anyone remember the silverware seller that used to post here that took all her photos on a bathroom rug with fake peaches beside them?

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I don't remember that one ... but I do remember the seller that took ALL of her pictures on the fully set formal dining table ... on top of the fancy dishes ... including shoes.

And the one who took their pictures on the closed toilet seat or back of the toilet tank.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Does anyone remember the silverware seller that used to post here that took all her photos on a bathroom rug with fake peaches beside them?

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Don't recall the peaches but I do recall the mat (and she's still using it)

eta: I don't recall her posting here but I do remember her from the old PSB days

[mr_lincoln]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Does anyone remember the silverware seller that used to post here that took all her photos on a bathroom rug with fake peaches beside them?

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... before my time ... yech to the photo shoots on bathroom rugs ...

[Anonymous]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

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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 🙂 🙂

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Been there done that. It's usually the color of my phone case reflecting, if not my shirt. I keep a spare white t-shirt with my lighting gear at all times.

[fern*wood]

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@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:

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@fern*wood wrote:

Does anyone remember the silverware seller that used to post here that took all her photos on a bathroom rug with fake peaches beside them?

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Don't recall the peaches but I do recall the mat (and she's still using it)

eta: I don't recall her posting here but I do remember her from the old PSB days

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Oh, I didn't know she is still using that.  She was given a lot of criticism over that, but obviously didn't care, and it must work okay for her.  Yeah, it was the PS board--I forgot that is where I used to post.

[go-bad-chicken]

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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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FYI The "process" as you call it is commonly referred to as "product photography". Using that term for the purposes of doing research on the internet will generate the most results. 

There has already been a great amount of really good methods and suggestions given within this thread by fellow eBay sellers, I would start there. I will just add that the easiest and cheapest place to acquire white foam board is Walmart. They offer Elmer's white foam boards (20" x 30" with semigloss finish) for $ 1.77 each. 

Or you can spend $ 15,000.00 and get one of these babies. Expensive yes, but very cool. Oh yeah the camera, tripod, and computer are not included in that price.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCjo15b4dU

[byrd69er]

Mr. Lincoln....

Your train photo is more than excellent!!

Is the track included?

Here is one of the first tube photos (error) that encouraged me to experiment with macro vacuum tube photography.  This was a shot for an eBay listing that I received several nice comments from people who viewed the listing. I'll be selling some of the results of the experiments on eBay, this winter. The results are astonishing. Nobody is doing the process I came up with.  Private sale buyers have asked for more.

They are no longer experiments. I have a system now.