When I first started photographing product images back in 1997, I worked for an advertising agency and had the luxury of an expansive studio with a high ceiling, and a large 8 foot camera stand. One of my biggest jobs was photographing Simms Fishing products and clothing. My predecessor photographed the garments flat on the ground so I took over the tradition. The large format camera (film in those days) was perched high above the ground on a camera stand and the camera was angled parallel to the ground. A ladder was needed to view and photograph the garment below. Stylizing the garment at ground level took a toll on the back because it required bent knees and bending over a large area. Additionally, the constant ladder climbing became somewhat dangerous after hours and days of shooting.
Because of these drawbacks, I switched over to shooting all the garments on homemade mannequins. This was a great physical relief because stylizing was done vertically and the camera could be placed at eye level. No more bending over, no more ladder climbing. However, after about 10 years of photographing garments in this style, I found I am tired of the stiffer look that comes with a mannequin. I now prefer the looser look of a garment photographed “flat”.
Currently I work out of a small home studio. I don’t have the luxury of a high ceiling, and I like to minimize my time on ladders. Fortunately, digital has made things easier and I now angle my work area so that it is no longer sitting flat on the floor. This also allows me to angle my camera so that I can use a longer lens and still fit under an 8 foot ceiling.
I use a large piece of plywood angled at about 45 degrees (a smart level is handy) and cover it with foam and a non-slip pad used for rugs. The angle puts my work area at a more comfortable level and the pad gives some friction to the garment so it stays in place. The foam also allows me to use push pins to stylize and further attach the garment to the work area.
My camera is placed at the same angle as my work area. Although I still need a ladder, its use is minimized because I tether my camera to my laptop so that I can view my images at ground level. I keep shooting and stylizing until I am satisfied with the look of the garment. My final image is then shot from the ladder and camera with a CF card and then later uploaded to my desktop. This method also shortens my production time because I don’t have to wade through all the reject images that are on my laptop as backup.
If you want to see more examples of my product images, check out Mountain Khakis website at http://www.mountainkhakis.com/?gclid=CIGhobi4y60CFQSFhwodIHO4fw.
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