Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

SUPPLIES & RESOURCES

EQUIPMENT • Gaffer’s tape (1" x 10 yds., • Etsy
white) or painter’s tape • Standardized shop
• Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Savage seamless background platform. Each Etsy shop
• Canon 24mm-70mm f/2.8L II
paper (26" x 12 yds., No. 50 has a similar look.
USM
white and blue mist) • Free to join; fee of 20
• Canon 24mm-105mm f/4.0L
• Utrecht art wood panel (20" x cents per item and
IS USM
24", 1.5" cradled profile) transaction fee of 3.5% of
• Canon 50mm f/2.5 Macro
• Microfiber cloth the item price
• Vello RS-C2II wired remote
• Goodsie
switch for select Canon 3-pin
RESOURCES • Built-in shop themes with
cameras
Equipment ability to customize shop
• Bogen Manfrotto 3001 with
• B&H: bhphotovideo.com without having to code
an extension arm and 3-way
• Calumet: calumetphoto.com • Plans start at $25/month.
pan/tilt head
• Adorama: adorama.com • Squarespace
• Impact Hook Beak Duo Flex
• K&M: kmcamera.com • Robust platform. Website,
Clamp
blog and e-commerce are
• Spring clamps, 4" and 6" Postproduction integrated.
• Photoshop Elements • Plans start at $8 for one
REFLECTORS & BOUNCE
• Photoshop Creative Cloud product and $16 for 20
• 5-in-1 Collapsible Reflector • Picasa (free): picasa.google.com products.
Disc (32") • Shopify
Online shop options
• 6 foam core boards (11 x 14 • Supadupa
• Big Cartel
x 3/16") • Easy-to-use shop
• Easy-to-use shop
templates for a unique templates for a unique
PROPPING & BACKGROUNDS web shop
web shop
• Sticky Tack or kneaded rubber • Plans start at $9.99. You • Free for up to 12 products
eraser can try out a free shop with a 3.6% transaction
• Acrylic square cubes with five products. fee. More product plans
start at $9.

© Craftsy and Sympoz Inc.

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Sympoz Inc. d/b/a Craftsy is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by or in any way officially connected with any of the products featured in this video. All product and company names, logos,
brands, or other trademarks or images featured or referred to in this video are the property of their respective trademark holders. The use in this video of the products and any protected intellectual
property is used for illustrative purposes, and no commercial claim to their use, or suggestion of sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement, is made by Sympoz Inc. d/b/a Craftsy.
 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

ISO, APERTURE & SHUTTER SPEED

ISO LIGHT CONDITIONS NOTES

100 Best image quality. Least amount of digital noise.

Bright light, sunny day outdoors
200 If in low light, use a tripod.

400 Shade or low natural light, after sunset Good general place to start

Use this if you want to handhold your camera in

800 Dim indoor light
low light.

1600
Watch out for digital noise.
3200 Artificial light, night scenes, very low natural light Use higher ISOs for faster shutter speeds, so you
can handhold your camera in low light.
6400

Note: It’s not recommended to use ISOs higher than 6400.

APERTURE NOTES SHUTTER

NOTES
SPEED
• Considered “fast” because in low
1 second +
light it will allow you to use a
1.4 faster shutter speed ½
• Widest aperture • Slow shutter speeds
• Very shallow depth of field ¼ • Will show motion blur and/or
camera shake
2 • Great for blurring out
1
/8 • Tripod recommended for slower
backgrounds shutter speeds
2.8 1 • Quotation marks denote full
• Great for low-light conditions
• Creates atmosphere seconds (1 second = 1”)
4 1
/15

5.6 • Middle-range depth of field

1
/30

8 • f/5.6 is a great place to start • This is the slowest shutter speed

1
/60 recommended for handholding
11 • Creates a large depth of field your camera.
• Good for freezing motion
16 • Great for “catalog style” product 1
/125
photography to ensure everything • Fast shutter speeds
22 is in focus
1
/250 • Good for freezing motion
• Ideal in bright light situations
1
/500 • Use a higher ISO for faster shutter
speeds in low-light conditions.
1
/1000 +

© Craftsy and Sympoz Inc.

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 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

BEST PRACTICES
Throughout the class, these important tips for product photography are mentioned. This checklist is a quick
helpful guide to give you direction when composing and editing your images. Try to hit each point with your
photographs.
1. Have sharp, in-focus images. It’s important to have sharp images so customers can clearly see your
product. Blurry images do your products an injustice and don’t look professional.
2. Have good quality of light in your photos. Bright, well-lit photos are much more appealing to a buyer’s eye.
Your products will be shared, pinned, and liked more, but more importantly, they’ll be purchased more.
3. Show off the details! Since your buyer can’t reach through the screen and explore your item, showing
details helps give them a better sense of the quality, and unique features of your product.
4. Provide context by showing the use and function of your product. It’s helpful to show clothing on a model,
rings on a finger, artwork on a wall, etc. Use can differ from function. For example, a mug can be used for
liquids or pencils. Be creative! Showing all the uses of your product appeals to a wider audience and gives
you better chances for sales.
5. Show the scale and size of your products. Props help buyers understand the size of your product. Keep it
simple. Use props that tell a story and make sense with your product. Even simply using hands provides a
human element and sense of scale.

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 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

SPECIAL THANKS
A special thanks to all of the online product shops that shared their photos and their products with us for the
purpose of this class.

Jenny Topolski: J. Topolski, jtopolski.com

c Jen Pepper: Pepper Sprout, peppersproutdesigns.com

Cal Patch: Hodge Podge Farm, etsy.com/shop/hodgepodgefarm

g Kaelin Tillery: Counter Couture Design, countercouturedesign.com

Meaghan Caulfield: Alexandra Kate Jewelry,

etsy.com/shop/alexandrakatejewelry

Jody Dyer: Blackbird Tees, blackbirdtees.com

Photo Credit: Meagan Abell

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 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

SPECIAL THANKS

Erin Dollar: Cotton & Flax, cottonandflax.com

Katrina d’Autremont: Photographer, katrinadautremont.com

Nguyen Le: Knit Knit, etsy.com/shop/knitknit

Michael McDowell: Mudpuppy, etsy.com/shop/mudpuppy

Julie Hollifield: H & Field, etsy.com/shop/holliandfield

Regina Groleau: Oh, Albatross, etsy.com/shop/ohalbatross

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 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

SPECIAL THANKS

Elisabeth Socia: Earth Below Sky

Julie Pinzur: Mokuyobi Threads, mokuyobithreads.com

Margaux Kent: Peg and Awl, pegandawlbuilt.com

Noëlle Burke: Xenotees, xenotees.com

Lindsey Stone: Clean Getaway Soap

Jessica Marquez for PS I Made This, psimadethis.com

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 Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez

SPECIAL THANKS

Jessica Duthu: Strawberry Moth, etsy.com/shop/strawberrymoth

Juan & Anna Donado: Goose Grease, etsy.com/shop/goosegrease

Romi Hefetz: Romi Ceramics, romiceramics.com

Laura Sarota: Mama Made, etsy.com/shop/mamamade

Jessica Marquez for May Luk of Take Me Homeware,

takemehomeware.com

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