Help needed to improve pictures

[k100danny]

Hi I am new to this forum decided to join as ive been looking at getting into photography for a while, not only for myself as a hobby but also to help my business. Right down to my questions

I own my own vintage clothing business and we sell a lot of clothing online but find that when photographing items our picture quality is not great (i use a fuji finepix point and shoot) I understand that simply buying a better camera and not really knowing how to use it will not help me at all so i plan to learn.

basically we photograph all clothing on a friend who kindly models for us but as she works full time we can only photograph in the evening and even in summer we find the light is quite dark in our office, all photographs are taken against a white background. We are looking to buy anything way may need within reason and learn what we can to improve our pictures.

What would you recommend for us, i have been told that we would require some sort of lighting to achieve consistent pictures, what would this cost us?

How long would it take to learn the basics so i could produce quality images?

I have found out then a competitor of ours uses a canon 400d and have been told they also use some lighting (im not sure what) and they produce very high quality images , this is a standard we would be looking to recreate.

below is a link to their myspace page they have pictures on there ,i hope this is ok to put on the forum please remove if this violates any terms but please ban me i am only looking for advice.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=37722779&MyToken=7d6f8d6c-8194-4ba9-b7ad-3223b1113cde

any advice anyone could give me would be great.

[lostmysnorkel]

Hi Danny and welcome to our forum.

I understand that simply buying a better camera and not really knowing how to use it will not help me at all so i plan to learn.
Smart move - and you've come to the right place!


basically we photograph all clothing on a friend who kindly models for us but as she works full time we can only photograph in the evening and even in summer we find the light is quite dark in our office, all photographs are taken against a white background.

Why?
Why don't you get outside, into a local park or somehwere? This time of year you should have enough light to keep shooting till 8 ish - and you have unimited 'sets' in which you can show off the clothes.

To shoot fashion inside, the way you ask about, would require investing in equipment, space (I'd be surprised if your office has a large enough clear floorspace to do the job properly) knowledge and a bucket load of experience.


What would you recommend for us, i have been told that we would require some sort of lighting to achieve consistent pictures, what would this cost us?

I would be looking at two or three flash heads, these can range from hundreds each (Bowens/Elinchrom etc) or, depending on your camera, two or three hotshoe guns that can be fired wirelessly.


How long would it take to learn the basics so i could produce quality images?

It depends on your current state of experience and knowledge - however, shouldn't your images be BETTER than your competitors?

I have found out then a competitor of ours uses a canon 400d and have been told they also use some lighting (im not sure what) and they produce very high quality images , this is a standard we would be looking to recreate.

Well, bully for them. In the right hands, your camera will produce better and if you don't mind me saying, you should be aiming to surpass their images, not recreate!

below is a link to their myspace page .

Ican't get in to see it as I am not a member....however, the decision as to whether it stays or not will be down to the thread's moderator.

[lostmysnorkel]

Oops, forgot to ask.....where are you based?

[k100danny]

Thanks for the reply. We are based in yorkshire, uk.

I agree you should allways try to surpass what your competitor is doing but i just meant acheiving consistent good quality images.

shooting outside would be an option but we sell on average of 200 items a week, this requires our kind model to get changed ect and it would involve us taking a lot of items out with us to shoot ect.

I have looked around at various sites and reviews of entry level dslr's but i dont want to just spend a lot of money and not really need what im buying, ive looked at the nikon d40 because of price and some of the reviews ive seen on youtube ect saying that the lower megapixels count can actually be a benifit to a beginner.

I think that lighting will have to be a part of our set up in the near future as its quite grim in yorkshire and when winter comes i would like to maintain the same quality of picture. we operate from an office with stockrooms ect and we have (what i would consider) quite a fair size unused space approx 10 feet by 12 feet, would this be enough room to use lighting?

how would a continuous light work for us as ive heard this would be the cheapest route to go down.

if you could give me any recommendations on books to read ect that would also be great. Thank Danny

[lostmysnorkel]

yep, continuaous lighting would certainly be an option, but they do get very hot and so does your model.

As for prices, keep an eye on eBay - there is a huge price-difference between the cheap and cheerful and top-of-the range.

Also, a background roll in the colour/s you want to use - so that you can shoot full-length without unsightly skirting boards and carpet tile showing.

I would look for a kit of three lights for white background shoots. Portaflash (Jessops own brand) is quite good value for money, and the 336 range should be powerful enough for your space.

As for megapixels and beginners, it really doesn't matter - whether you have 6Mp or 20 Mp, a beginner is a beginner.

If you are only gonna use for the web, then pixel count don't really come into it as your images will be compressed so much.

I have a Nikon D70s as a backup, 6Mp and will function with a set of studio lights. I have had images published double-page in a glossy mag from it so even that would suit your use and the added bonus of being high enough res to use in brochures etc.

Before stumping up a lot of cash, browse ebay - there has been a lot of 'new' models from all the major manufacturers recently, so some of the older models (like the D70s) are going for next to nothing.

It would get you started at least, once you get used to the studio, you will then be able to make a more informed choice if you feel the need.

[lostmysnorkel]

Oops....forgot summat agin!!!!

Why not post some images up in the relevant thread and we might be able to help you improve with what you've alread ygot.

[SMP]

It might actually be more cost-effective (and time-saving) to hire a studio for a few hours at a time - usually you'll get all the equipment you need and help on-hand for much less than the cost of buying all the gear (and learning how to use it!) yourself.
Or see if any forum members around the yorks area fancy doing you a good deal on some pro shots! :ok: