In my blog post last week (Product Pictures Part Deux), I dropped a quick suggestion that really deserved more time than I gave it, so I am dedicating an entire series to the cause.  Before I linked to my second GIMP tutorial, I said that the most important tip for making your product pictures look great, is to start with great pictures.  Now, most small business owners are not photographers, neither am I, but I like you need to be able to take good pictures for the web.

So will briefly talk about the three equipments essentials to photography for ecommerce as I see them.

#1 Essential - Lighting

Lighting is an incredibly large field in photography with lots to learn and lots to buy.  Fortunately for you, there are some basics that can change your photography right away.

First, you need to know the difference between hard and soft light.  Basically, hard light is direction, strong, direct light.  This lighting condition emphasizes lines and creates striking shadows, usually this can emphasize imperfections and puts a “spotlight” on irregularities.  Soft light on the other hand is diffuse, glowing light which downplays irregularities and softens corners.  Usually, soft light is most flattering for product shots.  There are lots of ways to take a direct light source, like a lamp, and make it soft, like a lamp shade.  Basically, you can either reflect the light, or you can diffuse the light.  Even just bouncing the light off the wall will help you more than you could imagine.  For a little more consistent result, you can buy a light diffuser kit.  Any photography specialty shop near you will have a wide selection of diffusers.  I bought a three piece diffusion kit which included a nine way diffuser with light stand for around a hundred bucks.  For a similar result I have heard that a thin white bed sheet can produce a similar result for just a few dollars.  Of course, you lose some convenience, but that’s up to you and your budget.

Secondly, the best lighting is balanced lighting.  One lamp is good, but two are better.  Two lamps are great, but three is fantastic.  Two competing softened sources will reduce distracting shadows and provide a compelling picture, but three lamps where one provides light from the back will produce a beautiful glow which inspires trust and looks very professional. See the basic lighting diagram below.
University of Wisconsin