# I need help!



## 19nash85 (Jul 29, 2007)

Im doing a project for my company that entails getting great pictures of our new product changes.  They will be used for our new website as well as catalogs etc. so they need to be great pictures.  
I will be taking pictures of hi performance car seats (offroad, import car, that sort of car seat)  So they are larger objects to get pictures of.  I have been reading around and it sounds like for a good product shot I would need a light tent.  I will be working with a Nikon D50 with the standard lens.  

What setup would you recommend for everything from lenses to back round?


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## Tom_Tom (Jul 29, 2007)

I don't think you would need a light tent for your car seats. It would probably be a good idea to shoot on a white background and make sure your backgrounds gets plenty of light.

Try using a large light source (soft box) from one side to reveal detail, while bouncing with a large pure white reflector on the other side.

One thing to watch out for would be: Make sure your background light is not too bright or else you will get flaring on the edges of the seats (which would make your photos look cheap)


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## craig (Jul 30, 2007)

Car seats would be fun to light. They all have really nice shapes and textures. The kit lens will more then likely be fine. If you end up doing a lot of this work you will inevitably buy a nicer piece of glass. They photos will have to be as distortion free as possible, so stay away from any thing too long or too wide.

Of course lights are up to you and your budget. Also depends on what the client wants to see. I would shoot tungsten. Two lights will get you started check out http://www.lowel.com/. Leave money in the budget for foamcore, diffusion and grip.

Backgrounds are the least of your worry. You will probably be shooting tight to the seat, so hopefully you will not see too much background. Standard white (not photographers white) or black are the norm. Talk with the client or whatever. They may want to see some colours.

Love & Bass


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## 19nash85 (Jul 30, 2007)

So for a reflector what kind of material are we talking?  Just some white poaster board, white board, foil of sort?


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## Tom_Tom (Jul 31, 2007)

regular foam core would do, Maybe have one side of pure white foam core and cover the other side with foil, that way you have options, the foil might look good.


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## Nikon Norm (Jul 31, 2007)

Nikon has an excellent 50mm f1.8 which is very cheap around $100 and a very sharp lens, would be perfect for this application.

I agree with Tom-Tom that's how I would light it, although instead of foamcore I would have a kicker light to add some stronger contrast lighting to bring out texture and detail. 

If you don't get the background totally white you can use the burn tool in Photoshop to clean up the background.


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## Seefutlung (Jul 31, 2007)

I suggest hiring a pro. You want accurate accounting ... hire an accountant ... you want accurate legal advise ... hire an attorney, you want to construct a building that will pass inspection ... hire a builder ... you want professional looking photos ... hire a professional.

My Two Cents
Gary


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## skieur (Jul 31, 2007)

Seefutlung said:


> I suggest hiring a pro. You want accurate accounting ... hire an accountant ... you want accurate legal advise ... hire an attorney, you want to construct a building that will pass inspection ... hire a builder ... you want professional looking photos ... hire a professional.
> 
> My Two Cents
> Gary


 
I am inclined to agree with Gary.  A Nikon D50 with a regular lens and limited or no experience will certainly not get you there.  Hire a pro.

skieur


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## craig (Aug 1, 2007)

Hiring a photographer may be defeatist. This is a great opportunity. Take it before anyone changes their minds. 

Love & Bass


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## Christie Photo (Aug 1, 2007)

OR....

Hire the pro and watch him/her work for a couple of shoots...  see what they do and what results they get.  Ask lots of questions about WHY specific decisions about equipment and lighting were made.  Then, when it all starts to make sense to you, take on some yourself.

-Pete


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## fmw (Aug 2, 2007)

If you have the right equipment, then I think you or anybody else can get it done with enough time.  It isn't rocket science.  A pro can knock it out in a hurry because he or she is experienced and has equipment that can be used efficiently.  An amateur should be able to knock it out as well - just not as quickly.

If this is a one time shot then tungsten lights would be the way to go.  If you plan to have a "busy" studio, then you might as well buy some flash units and be done with it.  

The camera and lens sound like they would be fine for the project.


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