Commercial Product & Speed, Special Photography Help Needed

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haunted4life

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Am looking to set up a studio with a few of my friends from scratch. We are going to specialize only in Product Photography enhancing it with Speed & Special Effect Photography.

We will be shooting Products and adding in elements such as Shadow, Smoke, Water, Sparks, Fire, Bubbles, Ripples, Mist, Glow, Splash, Drop, Break, Burst and so on. After some post processing this would be made into Web content, Catalogs, Brochures, Flyers and so on. Very few posters and such if any.

The size of the Products would be a Maximum of about 1.5 x 1.5 Mtr and a minimum of about 100 x 100 mm. Products of Different Texture, Leather, Matt and Gloss Bodies.

I need help with pretty much everything such as but not limited to

1. Camera (Camera with HD Video is preferred)
2. Tripod
3. Lens
4. Filters
5. Flash
6. Lights
7. Domes

I do understand it’s not about the Kit but the Photographer, but at the end of the day you still do need your kit to get you where you want to go with it. Especially when you’re looking to do it for commercial reasons. Other than the space we have nothing else available at the moment.

Total Budget is about 5000 USD, The lesser the better but we don’t want to cut any corners and are ready to spend a little more if needed.

Any and every help or advice is much appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.
 
Hi & welcome

I'm no expert in this field of photography but I would say that if it is for commercial purposes then IQ is crucial and here a full frame camera may be advantageous.

1. I would go with the Nikon D600 or Canon equivalent (6D?). If you need to cut cost on the camera then a high end crop sensor could be ideal or a used full frame (most likely to be a Nikon D3 or Canon 5D Mk II for example)

2. Any firm tripod would do for studio, it doesn't need to be a Gitzo. I would recommend a Manfrotto 055 series carbon fibre tripod (055CXPRO3). You'll need a head to put on this of course.

3. A lens will be down to you personal style. A 35mm or 50mm prime with a max aperture of 1.4 will give a shallower depth of field which can add creativity when set down all the way to f/1.4. Both Canon & Nikon do a 50mm f/1.4 (Nikon 50mm f/1.4G for example). For a bit of extra reach (when required) then a mid range zoom is a good idea. Something like a 24-70 (FF) or 17-55 (cropped sensor). The Nikon 24-70 f/2.8G is a solid workhorse, popular, pro level lens but pricey. The Canon 24-70 L MkII is nice but again pricey.

4. Filters, I don't think you need any filters for studio product photography. I can't think of a reason why you would need them, a polarizer maybe.

5, 6, 7. A strobist set up is always a good idea for this type of photography. Off camera flash units etc. but I personally have no experience of using strobist gear but there will be people here who can advise you better.

Hope this helps.
 
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Digifrog said:
Hi & welcome

I'm no expert in this field of photography but I would say that if it is for commercial purposes then IQ is crucial and here a full frame camera may be advantageous.

1. I would go with the Nikon D600 or Canon equivalent (6D?). If you need to cut cost on the camera then a high end crop sensor could be ideal or a used full frame (most likely to be a Nikon D3 or Canon 5D Mk II for example)

2. Any firm tripod would do for studio, it doesn't need to be a Gitzo. I would recommend a Manfrotto 055 series carbon fibre tripod (055CXPRO3). You'll need a head to put on this of course.

3. A lens will be down to you personal style. A 35mm or 50mm prime with a max aperture of 1.4 will give a shallower depth of field which can add creativity when set down all the way to f/1.4. Both Canon & Nikon do a 50mm f/1.4 (Nikon 50mm f/1.4G for example). For a bit of extra reach (when required) then a mid range zoom is a good idea. Something like a 24-70 (FF) or 17-55 (cropped sensor). The Nikon 24-70 f/2.8G is a solid workhorse, popular, pro level lens but pricey. The Canon 24-70 L MkII is nice but again pricey.

4. Filters, I don't think you need any filters for studio product photography. I can't think of a reason why you would need them, a polarizer maybe.

5, 6, 7. A strobist set up is always a good idea for this type of photography. Off camera flash units etc. but I personally have no experience of using strobist gear but there will be people here who can advise you better.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your reply that really Helped. We actually were looking at a Canon 6D or 7D. Lens is something we are not so sure of yet, which seems pivotal in the whole budget scene at the moment.

Also quick question, Since the whole shooting is going to be indoor, do I really need to care about how the Tripod weight and such much. Can I stick to something like Sunpak Ultra Series, I know its just a difference of about 100 bucks or so, but still.

Again thanks so much, you say this aint your area of expertise but you seem pretty well versed to me :clap:
 
Apart from photographic equipment have you considered the cost of everything else. Such as Insurances ie third party - Income Tax- Travel expenses ( you will have to go to clients) -Accountants-Solicitors for contracts etc -Wages- Holiday Pay( you have to save for that )- private medical insurance (you can;t afford to be ill for too long) - pension fund- banking charges -living expenses- rent on studio premises-advertising- time getting contracts -etc. You will also have to consider the time to produce the effects your thinking of ie production costs (printing) and no doubt wait for payment if your product meets the clients specifications. You will also have to prepare a portfolio showing what you can do at your own cost to present to prospective clients

Are you sure Product Photography will cover all of these? That is if you can get on board big companies to do work for them, many will have their on board photographic people or already got contracts with studios.

Not saying don't go for it but do put on a good business head first. I would say don't limit yourselves to just Product photography it severely limits any other ways of making money from photography. By all mean specialise but be prepared to accept any kind of work, its the bread and butter photography that pays the bills.

My top tip would be research first to see if there is a market for what you intend to do.

Makes you think doesn't it.
 
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If you go down the Canon route then the TS-E45 would be the classic lens for products within the size range you specify.

For triggering the various events you mention (splash, drop, break) then I'd be looking for one of the specialised controllers....maybe a CameraAxe (US) or a GlimseCatcher (European). Both are quite intuitive once you've had a play with them.

Bob
 
I'd look for a medium format camera, probably a Fuji GX680 and a digital back. As you're not doing high resolution stuff, and the camera is in the studio you'll be able to tether the back to a computer for critical focussing and instant review. The GX680 will give you movements, to allow you to keep everything sharp without having to stop down massively. The early backs aren't huge resolution but that won't matter if you're not printing huge.

Rather than a tripod I'd use a camera stand, they're like a huge, heavy tripod designed for studio use.

For your budget you could get a load of heavy duty professional gear which once would have cost tens of thousands of dollars, or pounds and will stand up to the rigours of professional use.

Lighting wise I'd get studio flash rather than handheld flashguns, more power, the ability to use better modifiers (big softboxes etc) and mains powered.

If you want to be really flash you can shoot tethered into Capture One, and use Capture Pilot so your clients can sit and watch the shots arrive on an iPad.
 
markmullen said:
Lighting wise I'd get studio flash rather than handheld flashguns, more power, the ability to use better modifiers (big softboxes etc) and mains powered.
Click to expand...
Do you think there's a reasonably priced studio flash that's fast enough for the Op's "drop, break and burst" requirement, Mark ?

My Elinchrom's are about 1/2000 sec. and that's far too slow to catch things shattering or bursting without seeing movement blur. A typical Speedlite pulse is 10x faster (down at 1/20000-1/35000 sec) at reduced power levels.

Bob
 
Welcome to TP :)

This all sounds quite technical and specialist. It will certainly be about both knowledge and kit. It's a bit chicken and egg, and you need one to build on the other.

So two questions: does any of your group have a good level of knowledge around studio lighting? And can you post or link to the kind of image you'd like to create, with particular reference to the splash/burst/drop aspect?
 
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