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 p.1 #8 · Product Photography - what do I need to take product pictures of a baseball bat? | |
Off the top of my head, you'll need great lighting and space to display or suspend the product with enough space behind it to isolate from the background (unless you're going to cut it out in post).
You can get mounts for a tripod to hold a light, check amazon. If you plan on doing this for any length of time, buy light stands, they're all over facebook marketplace and B&H for cheap. Having the right stuff for the job does make a difference in workflow and ease of use.
I use AD200 Pro 2's for all sorts of stuff because they're small, light and pretty powerful. Frankly you probably don't even need that much flash if you're doing products in an indoor/studio space. I've used TT600's in smaller soft boxes for general products in the past with no issue, and they're dirt cheap (and brand agnostic). Constant light might be a better option starting out though, as it's easier to adjust lighting and reflections on the fly. Constant lights are also pretty inexpensive, but you need to be sure they're adjustable for brightness, and maybe color temp too.
I agree with the other person that suggested using a studio space and renting their lighting. I also agree with the person that suggested coordinating a professional product photographer within the budget and observing/learning from them. Personally, I'm not comfortable charging for something I'm not fully confident in. I'm still doing free head shots and portraits for friends and coworkers because I don't feel like my game is up to where it needs to be to charge, but that's just me personally.
I'm guessing lighting a bat will be a challenge, I've had similar issues with things like golf clubs, which are also long, narrow and round, so the light doesn't really hit them well and they're a pain to display/suspend. You may also run into issues with the reflections on the coating of the product that will need to be managed by softening the light or using reflectors/bounce cards, but maybe not.
I've seen people use fishing line and a couple light stands with extension arms to suspend things for photos, even heavy stuff like rifles or backpacks filled with bubble wrap, but I've never tried it myself. I would guess that you'd need a fair amount of space, and also a ton of patience as the item swings/spirals back and forth until you get it balanced just right for each shot.
You could also just stand it on one end, at an angle, leaning against something, but then doing so will require a bunch of post work to remove the stand or whatever it's leaning against. Might be better to look at doing it in an environment that fits the product if the client is open to it, think leaning the bat against a bench in the dugout of a local baseball field, etc. and just lighting that with a flash or two to simulate sunlight or whatever look you want.
Bottom line, I'd be cautious about taking payment, from or through a friend, in exchange for something like this that you're just learning. Nothing at all wrong with stepping outside your comfort zone and learning something new, while also making some cash, but I'd be very careful about managing expectations and what you commit to. Also, usage of the pictures, as someone else mentioned, becomes a huge thing. You'll want to negotiate that in advance. They are probably assuming that they pay you $2k for a bunch of photos, and they now own those photos to do with as they want. That may or may not be an agreement you want to get into, I'd research that a bit.
You could ask to borrow one of their products to shoot (or go get a bat somewhere), and experiment with it, take some photos as examples, watermark them, and show them as demos. If they like the results, then write up an agreement for the full production.
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