It's NOT just the CAMERA !!!!

Hi,

OK, I had a few minutes last week, and decided to check

out CraigsList and"see whats goin on". I used to find some

work of of C/L, but for the last year or so it seems to be

a haven for wannabees and scammers, but it's interesting

and sometimes there's something worthwhile.

Anyway, one of the postings was for somebody looking for

a student, intern or someone with a "good camera" to take

a series of product photos of power toools.

I replied, and said that while I wasn't a student or intern,

I was a professional, my prices are competetive, and that

I have been shooting products for many years, and directed

her to my website (tricky how I sneaked in those blue letters, huh)

to see some of my work.

Well, this "Self professed advertising & packaging guru, expert and

bon-vivant" (who sounded like she was 12) responded since this

was ONLY for the PACAKGING professional photographs WEREN'T

NECESSARY, since people only throw away the packaging anyway,

and well, they're JUST tools after all.

Can you beleive this.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually by major corps.

to design, photograph, refine, test, study and otherwise tweak

packaging so that it makes the most impact within it's segment.

But this person knows better, and all she needs is a good camera

for the packaging photos.

Well, I did a test. For image # 1, I took a "good camera" one of my

older, mid-range Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras, approx.

10 MegaPixels, and took a product from one of my clients, and

shot it on a piece of white paper, using only the built-in

flash and the basic camera controls.

Here's the result, basic, but shot with a

"good camera." The sad part, is that this is

accepteble to many people that just don't

know any better.

Now, for the fun part.

Since I shoot a lot of tools like this for the South

American Division of some major tool

companies, I like to think I kinda know what I

I'm doing. I shoot almost all of the basic images

as "silos" on a white background so that they

can be put on other backgrounds as needed.

This next shot shows the basic rig I use for

suspending the drill, which allows me a lot

more flexability in lighting and angle.

(they're VERY specific about the angle)

Now, this rig is something I have to set-up, and

varies depending on what I'm shooting. But it does

take a bit of knowledge and some time to set it up.

The next shot shows the overall set up with the

tabletop set, the camera, computer and some

of the lighting. If you look closely at the monitor,

you can see the drill.

Now, here's where we "deviate somewhat"

I have been doing this for a looooong time.

I'm not a "student or intern", so I can make use

of what I have available.

Most "students or interns" are not going to have

the equipment I have. Not unless Mom & Dad

are very well off.

For the final image I used my usual, "Up to"

49 MegaPixel (yes Martha, 49MP, and it's not

available at Brands Mart) equivalent, digital

scan back, and approx. 4500 watts of

continuous lighting. (yes, thats 4500 watts,

my electric meter is whirling like a dervish)

Here's a version of the final delivered image.

It was a 65 Mb file, at 300dpi, and will be

appearing on South American packaging soon.

As far as image quality, there's no comparison.

While I may not have convinced the woman I was

e-mailing with, fortunately, I have a great group

of clients that know the difference, and can appreciate

the difference.

I saved her e-mail address, and I'm going to send her a link to this blog post.

I'll let you know if anything happens..

Till next time. As my Dad always said, If you can't be good, ya gotta

be good at it !

C-ya