A Few Helpful Hints when Photographing Items for Advertising Following these simple hints can help make the items you advertise look their best. M.A.D.’s graphics department can reduce (and, in some cases, enlarge) photos and can crop images to remove unwanted items, but we cannot make a fuzzy image appear sharper. Holding the camera steady and having adequate lighting will help you capture the sharpest possible image. • Check the settings on your camera.Be sure to set your digital camera on the highest or best resolution if you have that option. When snapping a photo using the auto focus setting, press the shutter release down halfway, pause a second or two to allow the camera to focus, then press the rest of the way down to complete the shot. • Keep your camera straight and consider the background.Make sure the camera is level in relation to the object. Using a tripod (or some object on which to rest the camera) will help in holding the camera steady and level. Case pieces, such as chests, dressers, etc., often benefit from an angle shot, showing part or all of the side as well as the front. Be aware, however, that some distortion will result from an angled shot, especially if you hold the camera above the object and shoot down on it, or below and shoot up, as may happen with a tall item. For rectangular items, such as paintings, shooting straight on will minimize distortion of the rectangular shape (see comments below on lighting of paintings). Be sure to check the area around the object. Having the plainest background possible, ideally in a color that contrasts with the item, will ensure that viewers can focus on the object you intend and are not distracted by “stuff” in the background. • Make sure to have the best possible lighting.The flash on your camera may be adequate to light a small object; however, if you are photographing a large piece, more general lighting will help to keep illumination as even as possible. To minimize shadowing, place lights on both sides of the item. Adjust the angles of the lights to achieve the best possible lighting of the object. Take photos both with and without flash and compare the results. If photographing a painting or an item with a glass pane, shooting straight on may result in a flash “hot spot.” It may be possible to avoid this by turning off the flash and using supplementary lighting, set off at angles from both sides of the object. Photographing outside on a cloudy day (chosing the least distracting background possible) is sometimes an option that will yield good results. |