A Lesson on Lighting – Updated

Earlier in this series, I did a few posts on the benefits of using natural lighting for your photo shoots (check the archives if you haven’t seen these yet).  But what about shooting with artificial lighting, say in a light tent or a light box?  Or how about just adding some supplemental lighting to your tabletop or floor setup?  Choosing the right lights can make all the difference in any of these situations.  So today I’m going to give you some lighting basics, help you to be a smarter shopper and even give you my recommendation.  To keep things as simple (and as brief) as possible, I’m only going to be covering “Compact Fluorescent Lamps” (CFLs) today.  These bulbs have become pretty popular, and they’re nice for photography because they’re cool enough that they won’t set fire to your light box like a halogen or incandescent bulb can!

What’s a Watt?

Don’t worry about it!  Seriously, a watt is nothing more than a standard unit of power, just like a second is a standard unit of time.  In terms of choosing lights for your photography, it’s pretty much meaningless unless you’re trying to save a few pennies on electricity.  A watt is a measure of how much electricity a bulb consumes, and it has nothing to do with how much light is produced or what that light looks like.  The only thing you need to know is that generally, for a particular type of light, “more watts = more lumens.”

Lumens?  Huh?

Want to compare different lights?  The first step is finding the “lumens” rating on the packaging.  You don’t need to know this, but a lumen is a measure of “luminous flux.”  That’s a measure not of how much light is emitted by a bulb, but rather how much of that light makes it to a specific target.  Need more details?  Just ask – I’ll be happy to oblige.

But all you really need to know regarding lumens is that “more lumens = brighter light.”

What Does “Color Temperature” Mean?

Simple…

Lower temperatures = more yellow = warmer look

Higher temperatures = more blue = colder look

Here’s a pretty picture saying the same thing:

So what’s a “Daylight Bulb”?

There’s really no such thing!  Think about it.  Look at the color temperature graph above.  Look at the difference in color temperatures at different times of day.  Now confound things even more with different times of year and different weather conditions.  Think about it some more.  Picture yourself outside at the beach at sunrise or sunset versus mid-day.  Or just go outside right now (if it’s during the day) and look at the sky in several different directions.  Does it look the same?  No way!

The best a bulb can do is to provide light at a specific “correlated color temperature” (CCT, for short).   The CCT is simply an approximation of the color temperature as our eyes perceive it.  So a 5500K bulb can only be a “daylight bulb” at a particular time of day, during a particular time of year, under a particular set of weather conditions.

But it’s a start!

Full Spectrum Bulbs Are Good, Right?

Absolutely!  If you can figure out what that really means.  “Full spectrum” means all the colors of the rainbow, plus a little infrared and ultraviolet.  Sunlight is full spectrum, as this spectragraph shows:

Are there any lights that actually match this spectrum?  NO!  That’s a pretty straight-forward answer, right?  Okay, let me expound on that a little bit.  Umm … NO!  Sorry, that’s all I got.  Some lights do cover a wide range of wavelengths (colors), but unless you can find a spectragraph for those lights, you really have no idea what you’re getting.  Seeing “Full Spectrum” written on the label is not enough!

What the Heck does “CRI” Stand For?

CRI is short for “Color Rendering Index.”  It can be important when you’re shopping for light bulbs for your photography.  It’s an old and somewhat obsolete standard, geared more toward video production, but it’s the best information we have available right now that represents how closely a light can reproduce colors in comparison to an “ideal” (whatever that means) light source.

Don’t pay too much attention to CRI values, other than these two considerations:

• All else being equal, a higher CRI is better than a lower one, and anything above 90 is good for our purposes.
• The difference between a few CRI points is meaningless, so don’t get hung up on comparing between values like 89 and 91.

Are “OttLite” Bulbs Any Good?

Well, yes and no.  There’s really nothing wrong with them.  But they’re not that special either.  There are plenty of CFLs on the market with equal or better specs.  Although the OttLite website isn’t very informative, and their packaging and labels are pretty useless, I did manage to get my hands on some data for the three CFLs that they offer.  To save you all the trouble of searching for the information, here are the specs for their “brightest” bulb, the 25EDP2R.

• Luminous Flux – 1300 lumens
• CRI – “Above 90”
• CCT – “Between 5000 and 6000”

The specs for CRI and CCT are a bit vague, so I asked the OttLite folks for more detailed information.  Nada.  I also asked for a spectragraph on these bulbs (to see how they compare to natural light), but they told me that the information was proprietary. Oh well.

Okay, So What Do You Recommend?

Well, a lot depends upon your specific application.  But you can’t go wrong by following these three simple guidelines:

1. Get unstuck from the “brand name” mentality.  Buy based on what the product does, not what it’s called.  Generic acetylsalicylic acid is a better bargain than Bayer aspirin, right?
2. Learn what’s important about what you’re buying (luminous flux, CRI and CCT) and compare that information between bulbs.
3. If you can’t find this information on the packaging or the website, don’t buy the light.  Period.

Luckily, there are a lot of options, and now that you know what’s important you shouldn’t have any trouble finding appropriate bulbs for your photography needs.  If you want me to point you in the right direction, I prefer bulbs manufactured by Alzo digital.  The company offers quite a variety of products and their prices are very reasonable.  If fact, I offer one particular Alzo bulb in the “supplies” section of my Etsy shop.  Here are the specifications:

• Luminous Flux – 1300 lumens
• CRI – 91
• CCT – 5600K

If this doesn’t suit your needs, other Alzo bulbs can be purchased directly from their website or from any number of online retailers like Amazon.com.  Or, if you decide against Alzo altogether, there are plenty of other options.  You just need to do a little research, compare some specs, and make sure you’re getting the most for your money.

Until next time … Happy Shooting (and Shopping)!

A Wintry Scene

Just thought I’d share one of my more popular shots this season, a Northern Cardinal surrounded by snowy branches.  Looks great on the fireplace mantel!

How to Shop for a Camera

NINE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

I often see in the Etsy forums people asking for advice on buying a new camera.  While others’ experiences and opinions can be quite valuable, most of the responses simply state what the writer is currently using, along with some verbiage like “I love it,” or “it’s a piece of crap.”  Unfortunately, those responses rarely include the reason the person feels that way.  Responses like this one are also pretty common — “I use a Canon PowerShot.  It’s fantastic.”  Of course, it’s never mentioned which of the 28 currently available PowerShot models they’re using!

So by now you’re probably thinking to yourself … OK, smart-ass, what camera do YOU recommend?  Well, I don’t.  What I do recommend, however, is thinking about what you’re planning to photograph, learning about the features important to that type of photography, and then doing a little research into what camera best fits your requirements.  Today I’m going to help you do just that!

But I’m going to start out with a disclaimer that the things that I say are important (or unimportant) when choosing a camera assume we’re talking about product photography for your online shop.  If your main interest is shooting your child’s soccer game, or sweeping vistas, or parties and weddings, then you’re in the wrong place (although you still might learn something interesting).  This discussion is also limited, for now, to compact (point & shoot) cameras.  If you’ve  already read this, and still believe a dSLR is the right choice for you, then you’ll have to wait for my upcoming “How to Shop for a dSLR” article.

Look online at the “specifications” page for any camera and you’re likely to see a list of 50 or so individual points.  Which ones are important?  Unfortunately, there really is no consensus on this.  But I’ll give you a list of nine that you really should pay attention to and use for comparisons.  So let’s get to it, starting with a simple list of features that do NOT matter, should not be considered and should make you go elsewhere if a salesperson starts telling you about why you need them.

1. Resolution (number of megapixels) — You’ll be hard pressed to find a camera on the market these days that doesn’t have a high enough resolution for your website or online shop images.  8, 10, 12 MP … it really doesn’t matter.  Learn why here.
2. Digital zoom — You shouldn’t be using it anyway, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s 4X or 6X or 8X.
3. 37 different shooting modes — Granted, having a camera automatically adjust some settings based on what you’re shooting can be helpful.  But there’s absolutely no need for “foliage mode,” or “pet portrait,” or “toy camera effect.”

Next, a look at what IS important, and what you should make an effort to learn about before deciding on a particular camera.

1. Custom white balance setting — Learn why here.
2. Image stabilization, vibration reduction, etc. — Whatever it’s called, you need it!  But turn it off if you’re using your tripod.
3. Sensor size — Although there are exceptions, in general bigger is better.  Bigger sensors usually allow you to shoot at higher ISO settings with less noise.  All else being equal, shooting at higher ISO means that your shutter speed can be faster, so you’re less likely to have motion blur problems. Sensor size is usually measured as a fraction, so a smaller denominator means a bigger sensor.  For example, the sensors on the Canon PowerShot A490 and Nikon Coolpix S3100 (1/2.3″) are smaller than the sensors on the PowerShot G12 and Coolpix P7100 (1/1.7″).

Lastly, here’s a list of a few “debatable” items, important to some but not to others, depending on how you shoot.

1. Maximum aperture — Larger apertures (lower f-stop values) can be very beneficial.  They let you play with depth of field a bit, and can provide a little more flexibility in low-light situations.  But the advertised maximum aperture on most compact cameras only applies when the lens is zoomed all the way out.  Zoom in even a tiny bit and that number is meaningless.  So if you’re going to make maximum aperture a deciding factor in picking your next camera, make sure you understand how it relates to the focal length of the lens.
2. Manual control — I personally wouldn’t buy a camera without a manual shooting mode.  And if you dedicate some time to learn how to use it, then you’ll never regret having it.  But for those of you who know up front that you’ll never have the time or inclination to shoot in full manual mode, then just leave this feature off of your “must have” list.  If the camera you purchase has it, great.  If not, you’ll probably never miss it.
3. Noise reduction — If you have relatively powerful image editing software, with good noise reduction capability, then you don’t have to worry about this feature.  But if you’re planning to use images with little or no post-processing, then the camera’s built-in noise reduction performance becomes important.  Do a little research, or better yet, go to your local camera shop or big box store and ask the salesperson for a demonstration.

There you have it.  Nine points that should make you a better-prepared camera shopper.  Good luck with the hunt, and as always, let me know if you have any specific questions.

Until next time … Happy Shooting!

Get the Blur Out – Revised

This was such a popular article when I originally published it, I thought I’d make some minor revisions and get it back out there for those who may not have found it in the archives.  Enjoy!

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Okay, let’s face it.  Blurry Etsy product photos are pretty darn common.  I see them, you see them, and potential buyers certainly see them.  So why would anyone bother to post them, when getting clear, crisp images takes not much more than a little time, effort and patience?

Realistically, books could be (and have been) written on this topic, but you’re not looking to become a professional photographer, right?  You just want some quick and easy tips to make your photos better so you can go about the business of doing what you do – creating your special items.  So I think what I’ll do is briefly touch on a few points today, and then get into more depth on each of them in future posts.  But first, a look at a few examples of images created using good technique:

This first photo is of a wire wrapped ring created by Danielle (Etsy shop SimplyCharmed21).  Look not only at the detail in the stone, but also in the foreground portion of the wire wrapping.  Notice also the simple yet interesting background and a very appropriate depth of field for the subject.  Overall, a nicely done and very pleasing photograph.

This second photo is of an historic colonial outfit for American Girl dolls created by Patti (Etsy shop PattiKuz).  Despite the fact that Patti (who happens to be my wife) took this shot hand held using a six-year old point-and-shoot camera, she was able to capture the fine detail of the fabric, stitching and even the doll’s hair.  Also notice the excellent color rendition of the dress and apron fabric as well as the doll’s eyes.

So, how do you get great photos without any of the far too common blur problems that seem to plague many Etsy sellers?  Following these simple steps will get you well on your way:

Learn how to use your camera

That’s right, spend a rainy Sunday afternoon with your favorite beverage and the user’s manual.  Learn what settings can be adjusted, what they do, and how they affect the finished image.  And experiment – it’s free!

Shoot big, finish small

You have a 6 or 10 megapixel camera, right?  And since you just read the manual, now you know what that means.  So put that new knowledge to use.  Other than filling up your memory cards quickly, there’s not much downside to shooting larger than you need.  Now you can take a step back away from the subject and not worry about perfectly filling the frame, since you can crop to size later.  Keep your files bigger than Etsy can handle – it’s better to resize to make them smaller than to try to enlarge them to fill a decent portion of the screen.

Move yourself, not the zoom

When you zoom in using your camera’s lens, you’re reducing the depth of field (a topic for another day).  If all else is perfect, that could give you some great effects, like in the ring photo above or in my raindrops photo.  But it also makes it a little more difficult to get your intended target in focus.   Better to take a step or two forward (but not so far forward that you mess up what I just told you above).

Never, ever, use your camera’s “digital zoom” feature

Did I mention not to use this feature?  In fact, check your user’s manual to see if there is a way to disable it.

If your camera has any sort of image stabilization feature, turn it on

You really want me to explain that one?  Seriously, though, read your manual to see if your camera has this feature.  If so, you can turn it on and leave it on for most hand held shots.

Turn the ISO setting up, a little

A higher ISO setting makes your camera’s sensor more sensitive to light, so your shutter speed can be faster.  But don’t go too high, or your images start to look “grainy” or “noisy.”  I think with most cameras you can set it at 200 and forget it (for Etsy product photos).  If you’re going to the pool or beach, don’t forget to turn it back down to 100 or so (or put it back in Auto).

Manual mode

If you’re lucky enough to have a camera that has full manual control of the shutter speed and aperture, learn how to use it.  It’s not that difficult, and it gives you so much more flexibility and greatly improves your chances of taking quality photos.

Use macro mode, if you really need it

Taking a shot of a small item like a piece of jewelry or a detailed wood carving?  Sure, use the macro-mode feature (but still keep your distance a bit).  Taking a picture of a full-length dress or a piece of furniture?  Turn it off.

Use a tripod

Don’t have one?  Go buy one!  Seriously, get yourself something to keep your camera steady.  It doesn’t have to be a carbon fiber mountain climbing expedition tripod – it just needs to be steadier than your caffeinated hands.  One of those little flexible tripods whose name includes that of a large ape would be perfect for most applications.  Oh, and when you use your tripod, turn off the image stabilization.  Also, it’s a good idea to use your camera’s self-timer feature when using a tripod.

Check images on the camera’s display

The display is not only there so you can see what you’re shooting, it’s also there to allow you to review your shots.  So use it.  No, it’s not going to show you exactly what your final image will look like, but it’s better than nothing.  If they look bad here, they’re going to look a lot worse when you view them on your computer.  And if you’re going to re-shoot, might as well be sooner rather than later.

Delete and start over

So you think you’re all finished taking pictures.  You have all your images uploaded to your computer, and you’re about to list your item for sale.  But wait, that one doesn’t look quite right.  No problem, you say to yourself.  I’ll just use it anyway, since nobody will notice.  What, are you crazy?  Or just lazy?  Get off your butt and go take some better shots!

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Until next time, happy shooting!

These Guys Can Shoot

It’s been a while since I did one of my “Things I Like” posts, so I thought I’d put one together using some great product photography examples I found from fellow members in the “Men of Etsy” team (tag “menofetsyteam“).  These guys not only make and sell a variety of cool items, but they do a really nice job with the photography as well.  Be sure to check out their shops (just click on the shop name hyperlinks).

Before I get into the discussion about the individual photos, I want to let everyone know that there will be a teamwide sale from July 17 through July 24.  Just search for “boysofsummer” to find participating members.  Also use the “boysofsummer” coupon code to get your 15% discount.  Now, on to the photos…

From GalloGrotte

Why it works — There is often debate about whether hands (or ears, feet, etc.) should be included in product photos.  In this particular case, there’s no room for debate.  The tips of the fingers (not the whole hand), coming from the corner of the frame, provide a good sense of scale without interfering with the subject.  You’ll notice that the fingers are not dominant and don’t draw the eye.

What I might have done a little differently — Tried a darker, richer background color.

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From TAGSMITH

Why it works — White backgrounds, if done properly, can make a dramatic statement (especially if the entire shop is done the same way).  That’s just what you get here … variations in color, texture and depth of the luggage tag set nicely (and with realism) against the cleanliness and simplicity of the background.

What I might have done a little differently — Put some humorous text on the ID card (just to see if anyone notices).

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From blkphoenix856 

Why it works — There’s more to the photo than just the subject.  The rough wooden blocks and smooth stone have nothing to do with the bracelet, but they add a lot of depth, texture and interest to the photo.

What I might have done a little differently — Used the “levels” tool in my editing software to add some dimensionality.

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From jerryswoodworks

Why it works — This is just a nice, soothing combination of colors, textures and patterns.  The wine label and wooden block suitably complement, yet don’t detract from, the bottle stopper.

What I might have done a little differently — Cropped a little more off the bottom and right side of the image to bring more attention to the handle of the stopper.

*****

From bradgoodell

Why it works — Good background choice, striking arrangement, realistic reflections and good use of the rule of thirds.  Not much else to say!

What I might have done a little differently — Adjusted the lighting to make the back edge of the table a little less prominent.

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From AdornmentsNYC

Why it works — The background pattern and texture really add interest; the visibility of the background through the crystal is an added bonus.  The components are nicely positioned within the 1:1 aspect ratio frame.  Overall, a pleasing arrangement.

What I might have done a little differently — Lowered the camera angle a few degrees to add a bit more perspective.

*****

That’s all for now.  Happy Shooting!