Of Doll- and Product- Photography

Just the other day I read a blog post by Sandra of Junikate on the subject of “Puppografie“.
And started thinking, I had to finally deepen my knowledge in all aspects of photography. Sure, I have a good camera and have been am snapping photos for a while now. Nevertheless, it is an entirely different endeavor, attempting to make reasonably professional photos e.g. for my etsy shop. Sure, if one has enough patience and a little luck, a fairly good-looking picture can be taken eventually. But in the long run, I wanted to gather more knowledge about photography and thus take targeted impact on my results.

Dolls- & Product- Photography

So I started researching on the topic of dolls & product – Photography for beginners …:

Of course there are a number of good books on the subject.
Just recently for a start I have read this two:

“The Busy Girl’s Guide to Digital Photography: A Really Useful Introduction to Taking Great Photos” by Lorna Yabsley
and
“Crafter’s Guide to Taking Great Photos” by Heidi Adnum:

The first one is more focused on the technicalities and camera operation in general, it first of clarifies many basic options and then discusses peculiarities of different cameras.
The latter, however, shows mostly concrete examples (among others has a whole chapter on Dolls & Toys) with many images and ideas, thus shows the many possibilities of creative product photography. In addition, an entire chapter is devoted only to the post-processing of photos taken with corresponding photo programs.

But if you still, after reading various books about it, want to delve deeper into the subject and maybe  even begin to like this new hobby, it is always worthwhile to take a photography class.
Often very affordable and also locally based is a class at the local community college, if they happen to offer a photography class right now. Often also smaller Photography Stores offer workshops and courses. These may not specifically refer to product photography, but it is still worthwhile to get started, especially for learning the basic concepts and functions of your camera in order to finally switch from automatic to manual mode.

If you want to specialize in product photography, there are many sources of information and classes online. On Craftsy for example, there are a lot of Online Classes – not just about photography, but also for passionate amateurs cooks and bakers, as well as on knitting and sewing, and much more ….
I can recommend the class by Caro Sheridan “Shoot It: Product Photography Class“ which I myself have already taken. Even if you think you are already taking quite good pictures, there is always something to improve on and learn. The course is also not too technical or lengthy and therefore a good introduction to the whole subject.

Also the class “Product Photography at Home” by Jessica Marquez touches the issue of product photography made easy and how you can effectively implement it at home. Also at the moment there is a 50% discount with deals on different classes, so you should check them out soon, if you want plan to enroll:

You should also remember, while you’re already looking at video classes, to search You Tube for relevant tutorials. These may not be as detailed as the above-mentioned online classes, but do often offer a glimpse of the endless creative possibilities of product photography.

Also the equipment you use is not without significance. Of course, the cameras of the latest generation of smartphones are pretty good nowadays and you can make them work especially with the help of apps creating impressive good photos.
But if you really like photography and want to make truly professional images, at some point you will have to get a good dslr camera. I am shooting on my beloved Canon EOS 600D. But there are also other manufacturers with comparably good cameras in a similar price range. Which of the brands you do preferred is probably more a matter of taste and habit. Really big differences do not exist between comparable models.

Whichever way you choose, always remember to have fun with what you are doing. Especially digital photography means to begin by experimenting and learning by doing – at least you can shoot as many pictures as you like and then delete them at any time afterwards easily.
So get your cam and simply start shooting… now!

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