Always Learning Something New - Product Photography

I have a very unique job. While my main focus is software development and website design, I always end up learning something new with every client. In the past, I have learned about the propane industry, FOREX currency trading, real estate, antiques, mortgages, and senior housing to name a few.

I've also learned many new skill sets from each unique project. I learned ASP.NET and C# programming while doing my first social networking website. I can't even count the number of new things I learned from working on Famesource. Two recent projects have required me to learn even more. One project involved heavy Flash and Flash Media Server programming. I've never done anything related to Flash, so this is a very interesting endeavor.

Another project involves me taking some product photos - a task I usually leave to a photographer. It's not easy taking pictures of products. Today I went to Office Depot to buy foam boards and went to Home Depot to buy lights. I ended up getting some kick-ass 100W Daylight Halogen Lights. These things are BRIGHT! I only bought 2, but now I realize I need at least 4 to get a well-lit box. I came home and assembled the whole thing with tape and started taking pictures. Turns out, it's not that easy. I don't have a professional grade camera - just a 6 megapixel Exilim. I don't even have a small tripod, so I had to use books and other small things I had around my room to hold the camera still.

Here's what it looks like so far (with a bit of Photoshopping to increase contrast and adjust levels. I didn't remove the background):



You can see my orange Exilim in the bottom corner of the phone. Even with all the touch-up it's obvious that I don't have enough lighting (though it is bright as hell when you look at it through human eyes). I look forward to taking more product pictures and maybe having it bring in enough to warrant the purchase of a professional camera and a better lighting studio. It's definitely fun!