Photo Lighting Secrets for Better Blog, Etsy and Ebay Images (D225)

Seems like everyone has a blog these days. Add to that, all the creative people with Etsy shops and sellers on eBay, we all need amazing images. Whether it’s for fun or profit, compelling pictures draw readers and shoppers in and encourage them to stay longer. Blurry, pixelated, overexposed, and just plain bad images can send people running for the hills (or at least clicking away from our site).

So how do you make your images stand out from the crowd? How do you capture photographs that enhance your writing and help tell the story of your blog, your creative projects, or your products?

MY LIGHTING SOLUTION FOR COMPELLING IMAGES

Certainly I don’t have all the answers and not too many secrets either, but I can tell you what has worked for me in creating product photography images that people remark about. And according to Seth Godin, that’s what we want, to create something remarkable that people will remark about.

I used to use a large white seamless backdrop with two Westcott softbox lights for almost all of my studio images. While I got the images I wanted, the set up and tear down were too much to manage for smaller, daily shots… and for bloggers and Etsy shop owners, you don’t really need all that. So I found something quicker, easier, and portable.

I’m sure you’ve heard of portable lighting studios… before I found mine I had heard of them, even created a makeshift one, but nothing ever quite worked out. I’ve even read DIY tutorials for making your own lightbox, but most of the ones I’ve seen don’t travel well or stand up to daily wear and tear from frequent use.

So my “secret” for getting great images is my portable lighting studio complete with 2 high-output lights with retractable legs, 2 colored backgrounds for contrasting light or dark objects, a mini tripod & nylon diffuser screen for balanced lighting. I thought it’d be fun to take pictures of the pieces of the lighting studio with the lighting studio… so below you can see the lights and mini tripod.

This is something so simple to use and yet so few people have them. Regardless of your camera, DSLR or point and shoot, you’ll be able to see immediate improvement in the images you take… even if you’re not an expert in lighting. Since the lights are constant and not flash, you can use trial and error to see what you like best.

MY GIFT TO YOU
I believe EVERYONE should have one… in fact, I’m in talks with my OpenSky team to plan a webinar or live chat so I can show you exactly how I use it. The last thing I’d want is for you to buy it then not use it. We don’t need more stuff sitting on our shelves unused… we need things that will make our life easier.

So, stay tuned the next couple days as we work out the details on the live chat training. If you have any questions now about how to use a portable lighting kit, let me know and I’ll include them in my planning! If you already know you need this, go ahead and get it now… then send me a note. I’ll make sure you have a front row seat to the upcoming training.

For more sample images from my portable lighting studio, check out these previous articles:

1. The Most Important Message From WPPI For Photographers Is…
2. You Are Your Own Miracle Drug
3. Custom Project Designs: All About Me

Manual: Page 11
Images: Gray Photography – lighting geniuses.