Good Lighting Makes The Difference

A key element in improving sales is having better pictures.

There are a lot of little things you can do to improve the look of your pictures and the picture content. A clear, uncluttered background is always best. Items on a hanger, displayed against a door or wall is fine. Spreading clothing out on the floor is okay if you can get above the item to take the picture. Long angles distort the view and are, therefore, not the best. Putting clothing on a mannequin may be better than displaying flat or folded. Using a live model can improve the look of the picture but some people may have issues with the item being worn by someone else... even if it is already a used item.

The most important thing, though, is good lighting. This is more important than an expensive camera! In fact, most modern digital cameras (anything produced within the last 5 years or so) will take great pictures as long as there is good lighting.

The biggest mistake people make is to mix light sources. An open window with streaming sunlight may seem like a good idea but if you have incandescent lights in the room and/or your use the camera's flash along with it the results can be poor. It may surprise you but more of the wrong light might be worse than not enough light.

Not having enough light is, in itself, a problem of course. Our eyes see better than the camera. We adjust easier. You may think you can see the item just fine but the resulting picture from your camera may be dull and lacking in detail.

Having multiple sources is best but you must position them correctly too. You need some shadows to produce definition but you don't want too many shadows, areas that are too dark, or the direction of the shadows changing the feel of the image. Consider the "Frankenstein" effect when a face is lit from below!

If nothing else is available take your items outside to photograph. Don't put them in direct sunlight. Light shade is better.

And, believe it or not, there is good, affordable, lighting you can use to dramatically improve your pictures.

The key to good pictures really is lighting. Don't mix light sources and have the right "color" of light. For those who are on a limited budget and/or don't have room for a professional setup there are affordable alternatives available.

You can buy fluorescent lights with a 5000K rating (that's the "color" of white, basically). Of the generally available types 5000K is closest to natural sunlight. Do not by "sunlight" or "daylight" bulbs as these make things look natural to your eye but are not really as close to natural sunlight as you might think. It's a little confusing but just be sure to get 5000K bulbs. If you are not sure, ask.

Most larger hardware and building supply stores will stock these but some, including smaller stores, may have to order them. They are slow sellers so they may be on higher shelves or racks out of normal view.

For smaller items, like jewelry, shoes, patterns, crafts, dishes, etc., you can get two of the aluminum reflector clamp lights. Clamp them to a couple of chair backs and pull the chairs up to a table where you position your items to photograph. Use the twisty fluorescent bulbs and remember to get 5000K!

For bigger items, like dresses on a hanger or mannequin you can use shop lights. There is a portable unit on wheels but they run between $400 and $600 and you'll need two so this may be out of limits for many. They are nice, though, because they move up and down, extend and rotate. And they can do double duty when working on the car!

Watch for them at garage sales, auctions, and on Craig's List or FreeCycle. Even used these will do the job for you.

But with a little ingenuity and the right parts you can make your own. Cheap shop light fixtures are often found on sale for under $10. Two of these and four 5000K four-foot fluorescent tubes will do the trick nicely.

Use a 6 foot length of 2x4 attached to the center of a 16x16 inch piece of 3/8 inch plywood with a couple of screws and maybe a small right-angle shelf bracket to stiffen it and you have a stand on which you can mount your shop light. Mount the light vertically so it extends at least 6 inches above the top of whatever you are photographing. It's okay for the metal shop light unit to extend above the 2x4.

Position these stands about three feet in front, and a little to the side (about 45 degrees) of your mannequin. For best results one light stand should be slightly closer than the other.

Do not use your camera's flash with this setup and remember to eliminate other sources of light. With 5000K bulbs (either shop lights or claps) you should notice significant improvement in your pictures immediately.

The next step is to improve the steadiness of your camera. An inexpensive tripod, often available for under $30.00, and a cable release, optional with most cameras, helps greatly. A cheap alternative: rest your camera on a pillow bent over a chair back.

Good pictures don't have to be expensive!