Spot Lights Lamps
How to get better lighting for taking product photos?
I take photos of items that I sell on Ebay, but the lighting in my house is so bad that I am forced to use the flash. The downside of this is reflection from the flash and non-uniform lighting (bright in the middle, darker at the edges). We have those 'energy efficient' bulbs installed throughout our house, which produce just enough light to navigate in the dark (and probably save a whole 50 cents per month).
What can I do inexpensively to get better lighting so that I don't have to use the flash? Higher watt bulbs? Spot lamp? What type of bulbs give better light; white, clear, flourescent? I'm using a Canon PowerShot A75 digital.
Natural sunlight isn't a viable option because I do most (if not all) of my work in the late afternoon or early evening, when the sun is on the opposite side of our home's larger windows.
Its not so much the strength, or type of light thats important here - you don't want any direct, harsh light to shine on your products.
What the previous answer says about using diffused light - that is your best bet.
Professional photographers use whats known as a light tent. Buying one could be expensive, but making one of your own is not as comlpicated as you would think, and once you've done it, you can quickly take professional looking product shots over and over again.
A light tent is essentially any setup that uses material that surrounds the object to be photographed almost completely. This material is usually transluscent - the aim is to shine your lights through the material, the material will diffuse the light and prevent harsh reflections from appearing on your objects.
Use any framework you like and create an enclosure surrounding a work area a bit bigger than most of the objects you will photograph. You can leave a hole or space for the camera somehwere, or if your tent is conical, the camera can take pictures from the top looking down.
As for lights, one light can be sufficient - you can buy a 150W bulb (any is ok...digital cameras can correct the white balance), and experiment placing it at different angles and distances from your tent. If you feel the light is uneven, you can shine two from either side of your tent. You should never need more than two (depending on shape of your tent).
I'll provide some links to get you going on making light tents, or at the very least, see photos of other people's setups:
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