How To Photograph Objects

You can photograph any small object professionally by using a few tips and techniques. Perhaps you need to photograph a ring or art object for insurance purposes or for a sales brochure.

First, analyze the object and determine which attributes you want to highlight. Then check the angle of the sun on the lens if shooting outside. If your photograph has a person in it and you’re using a flash, be at least 3 feet away to avoid causing any damage to the eyes of the photographed.

You can use a light box to defuse and reflect light on the small object to be photographed. You could buy a light box from a camera store which might be expensive and somewhat hard to make adjustments with. Or you could build one out of materials probably lying around the house, such as cardboard boxes, plastic sheets, tissue paper, pillowcases or bed sheets. By placing a cardboard box inside a pillowcase and placing objects inside to be photographed, you can eliminate shadows. Therefore, you will get a more even distribution of light and a more acceptable photograph.

Without using a light box you have mixed lighting, with overhead lights, shadows, and background reflections that will result in a poor photograph. A big challenge often faced when photographing objects like jewelry or other shiny objects, is how to minimizing reflections. With a light box and a few other techniques, you can make photographs just like the professionals. The use of a tripod is very helpful to minimize movement of the camera. You want to light the object and bring out its natural sparkle without having reflections. The light placement, camera angle and background texture are all very important.