Product photography
- Started
- Last post
- 17 Responses
- rodzilla
Any pointers on taking pictures of hats? Having trouble with the fabric puckering/folding in on itself. Its hard to stuff the hats because I am shooting on a white plexi and you can see the shit inside it in the reflection.
Any ideas/ tips?
- akrokdesign0
how about use a big white sheet. or do you need the reflection?
- akrokdesign0
if you going to do clipping path on the images, you select. why don't do the reflection in photoshop instead. of course, the real one looks better.
- yeah, has to be the real one.
rodzilla - Cant reflect inside of cap unless he changes angle.JayCee
- i see. :-)akrokdesign
- yeah, has to be the real one.
- pylon0
So how's your lighting, or is the main problem just the puckering with the fabric?
What type of hats? The glass bowl is a sound suggestion if you've got one that's the right size.
Are your hats sitting directly on the plexi?
Are you shooting mostly from a top-down perspective or do you have a huge sheet of plexi to shoot on to avoid getting any other background?
- boobs0
Did you fall for that old "we want you to shoot this on shiny white plexi trick?" That's the one the old art directors always pull on the new guys that pretend they're hot shit...
- epete220
i do that type of stuff
- epete220
Fill the hats and bags with some type of material so it appears full. Get manakins if you can for the apparel. I would also suggest setting up some Black,50% grey and white points because you will be doing some serious color correcting. Expirement with and with out the flash. Flash for me causes major problems. Also make sure you iron or press shirts if your doing apparel.
- rodzilla0
the main problem I am having is the puckering. The hats I am shooting differ in types of fabric. The twill hats are pretty structured in their form. Some of the hats are made up of microfiber so these are the hats that giving me tons of pucker and wrinkles.
They also all have keyholes/velcro closures so stuffing them gives me an issue when shooting the back of the hats. Also stuffing them
gives me issues with the reflection.The studio is kind of a make shift studio. We have some two professional lights, but the piece of plexi isn't huge so its difficult.
This is tough, it was much easier to shoot on the black plexi.
- Tungsten0
If you have the budget you should hire an off-figure stylist. They have all kinds of crazy tricks to make fabric behave itself.
If not I would suggest first steaming the hats to release the wrinkles, then stuff it inside with synthetic wadding (holds shape better than cotton). Usually if there are and dimples left we pick them out one by one from the outside with a narrow pin. If you are still having problems try helping out your stylist by lighting it with less contrast by adding more fill with white cards. This will fill in the shadows in those dimples and make them less noticable.
Good luck
- doesnotexist0
get a white sheet and put plexi over the sheet.
- Tungsten0
I just read above that you have to show the back of the hats with an opening, so my above post about the wadding won't work. Instead pick up some flexible silver tape (2") it has thick tinfoil on one side, and adhesive on the other. If you line the inside of the hats with it you should be able to mold the hats any way you want without seeing the tape.
- rodzilla0
- that looks good. photoshop the dent out of the front and you're goldenepete22
- For that angle the wadding should work. I don't think you'll see it.Tungsten
- would you suggest lighting from the front though, or light from right/left sides?rodzilla
- there is actually bubble wrap under the hat that I had to photoshop out. this view is easyrodzilla
- its the damn keyholes that eff me.rodzilla
- Tungsten0
^^^ You hardly ever want to light a product from the front. For the above angle, have a softbox aiming at the hat from the back left, and let the shadows fall forward. This will give you some nice shape and texture. Then start filling it in from the right with white card. If the card isn't doing enough (like on a dark or black hat) add a second softbox on 3/4 power from the back right and use whitecard to fill it in from the front.
This will only work for the angle you posted and will probably have to change when you shoot the back of the hat.
- Elezabet0
i can't understand why you ppl want 2 make it so hard!!!! Don't you ve any idea about zone system!!!!!
- Tungsten0
- Where were you when i needed this? Thanks alot tug. It's all your faultepete22
- hey tungsten is this as good a result as the classic 3 point lighting?airey
- it's a lot more subtle and soft. good for catalogue and websites when showing true colour on the merch is importantTungsten
- nice diagram. we actually have our table/product placement directly against the wall.rodzilla
- I'll have to push it out away from the wall.rodzilla
- is the wall part of your background?Tungsten
- If not, move it away from the wall so you have room to move your lights aroundTungsten
- thanks, I appreciate all of your help. Gotta go take care of my daughter. Temp of 102, its the first temperature too.rodzilla
- Finally down to 99.
rodzilla - Hope she's alright man.Take care.Tungsten