Buying and selling Product Photography today on the Internet is a piece of cake. Heck, you can even sell that cake online! But first, you need to have a nice photo of the product you are selling. And sure, a quick cellphone pic of your item may be all that is needed. But if you really want to dazzle prospective buyers, it is desirable to present your product in the best possible light. This means getting a high-quality image made by a professional product photographer.
If the product is relatively small, setting up for a product photo can be fairly simple. For instance, a small folding table will do nicely. And it may be desirable to fashion some sort of display that the item can rest against. This can be a group of rocks, stones or blocks arranged so as to give support and dimension to the item. Many photographers will use a white sheet as a table cover, then run the sheet up against the wall behind the product for a nice background.
Props are also a great idea to bring more interest to the product image. For instance, if you are photographing a coffee cup, you could spread some coffee beans around the cup. Or perhaps the item for sale is a camera. Setting various objects such as lenses, filters, or camera bags near the camera can be help catch the eye. But remember: less is more in this instance. The eye needs to go directly to the object of the photo.
A DSLR or mirrorless camera will render the finest image for helping sell your product. Mounted on a tripod for stability, the camera can be placed at whatever height or angle desired to get the best shot. Using a macro lens is preferred and the aperture can be wide open to give a blur to elements near the subject or stopped down to bring the entire scene into focus.
Finally, and probably the most crucial accessory for product photography is lighting. One can employ natural light, continuous auxiliary light or flash, or a combination of these. And the light sources need to be muted with diffusers or reflectors so that the light won’t be too harsh. Lighting should be subtle, but sufficient to reduce shadows and fully light the subject.