Hi there, I make childrens clothing from home and sell them on ebay. I’ve seen pictures of models where the background is completely white. I’d love to take these kind of pics but cannot invest alot in lighting. Are there any possible DIY solutions for lighting?
Posted in Do It Yourself (DIY)
It’s easy to set up your own studio. A white background is just a white wall. Modern digital cameras make the whole operation a lot less costly than it used to be.
You will work with has mentioned either a white wall or you can use a white sheet but you will want to make sure that there are no shadows. You can find two small inexpensive flashes that will slave (tripped by the one on your camera). You would want flashes because these are balanced for daylight. See the links below for what might work for you.
If you choose to use house hold incandescent light bulbs (150 watt ) these will have a warm cast (yellow) but can be fixed in photoshop.
If you choose the 150 watt lamps check Home Depot and look for the metal bell shaped housing with a spring loaded clamp on them. You can then clamp these to a chair or something like that to use as your “light stands”. Do not keep these on all the time because they get very hot!!! You can use the lamp bell for the above “flash heads” also.
Have your model (child) stand about 3-4 feet from the background (white sheet, wall etc) and put the background lights facing the background (not your model) at a 45 degree angle. This will eliminate your shadows for you.
Also another source for you to sell your work at is this place:
Hope this helps you,
Kevin
You can simply use a white wall and a simple point-and-shoot camera. It would help if you are a little bit knowledgeable in the use of Photoshop or Microsoft Photo Editor. Simple adjustment of the color, contrast, and white balance can make a big difference on a photo.
Do you really want to stick with an indoor photo? You might like to have your clothes worn by real children and photograph them outdoors. Then, you wouldn’t need to invest in lighting ‘coz sunlight would be an excellent source. Well-lighted areas make really great photos.