It’s no secret, digital marketing is here to stay. With the rise of the online world, we’ve seen changes to the way we shop. In fact, many of us order online far more often than we purchase in-store.
Because of these changes, product photography is on the rise. Imagine yourself browsing in two different online stores. One features sleek, professional-looking images and the other has grainy, out-of-focus, and poorly lit images. Which shop would you gravitate to?
There’s no question, right? The quality of product photography will always directly influence the consumer. Get it right, and you’ll be able to display the true value of the product. Get it wrong, and you’ll lose clientele. Or worse, you’ll have clients sending back products because they don’t look the same as they do in the images.
As with most things photography related, lighting is key. If you are a product photographer, a handy tool to have would be a light tent. Here’s why.
Get the right effect, every time
One of the most difficult challenges in product photography is achieving the right lighting effect. Without stable lighting, shadows can be a huge problem. You want to eliminate these along with any reflection from your subject object. You also want to make sure that the colours of the product are accurately shown in the photo.
A lot of photography equipment is usually required to accomplish the perfect lighting. You may need to purchase expensive backdrops or diffusers to achieve the effects you’re after.
However, there is a much easier way. Using a light tent for product photography is the latest innovation that is now easing the jobs of modern product photographers. This unique kit will enhance the quality of your photography shots making shadows a thing of the past.
Why use a light tent?
In the past, before light tents were in existence, photographers would have to set up a studio which was specifically designed to accomplish such work. If you have only ever used ambient or natural light when photographing, you’d know how inconsistent and unreliable it can be. By using tent kits, lighting for your shots will stay consistent, so you don’t have to worry about overcasts or shooting only when daylight is available.
With a light tent, you are scaling down the entire process required for a product shoot session. Your working environment is a lot easier and more comfortable to work with, and your lighting options are already provided (and sometimes installed directly into the light tent). It will help you capture products with bright, high-quality photographs every time.
Light tents are commonly used to take pictures of products for e-commerce: websites, eBay, Amazon, Etsy shops, Shopify, Instagram, social media, portfolios and more. Whether you are an amateur or a professional photographer, light tents are great for anyone wanting to get into product photography.
If you’re new to the game, it’s uber helpful to get all your gear (the gear you need to take professional quality photos and videos) in one handy kit. For beginners, we recommend the Hypop ‘Studio Buddy’ Photo Tent. It’s 28 inches tall and contains two strips of LED lights.
To really lift your product photography to pro levels and stand out from the crowd, you can’t do better than the Foldio Studio Tent Range. These are priced a little higher than the Studio Buddy, but there are a couple of options to choose from. These are the Foldio1, Foldio2, and Foldio3, with the 3 being the newest model.
They’re 10”,15”, and 25” inches tall, respectively. Each comes with LED light strips. Extra Halo bars can be purchased for the Foldio3 to really eliminate any pesky shadows.
How to set up a product photo shoot
With light tent kits being totally portable, you have the option of setting up a product photo shoot anywhere you choose. If you’re lacking space, most tent kits are compacted into the box you can carry around and can be stored easily. Follow a few simple steps, and you will be up and running in no time.
Light tents are super easy to put up. Our Hypop ‘Studio Buddy’ range folds open in the shape of a cubed net and attaches via the velcro strips on the sides. The Foldio range is constructed using built-in magnets, which allows for a more convenient and efficient way to set up your tent.
Both ranges include background colours for you to interchange between depending on your preference. Simply select a background colour from the ones provided, place your product into the tent and start shooting. You can even create your own backgrounds by using the provided backdrops as sizing templates.
You may want to use a concealed support to suspend your product above the surface. Using something like our Foldio360 allows you to take 360-degree photos and videos of your product.
And that’s it! With a light tent studio kit, you can be shooting quality photos in just a few minutes!
All the advantages in one handy package
As well as the ease of use, there are many advantages to be had when you use either the Hypop ‘Studio Buddy’ photo tent or the all-in-one Foldio studio set.
The lights produced are spread evenly inside the tent. This ensures the image of the product does not lose any details. It helps create a much more pleasing image of the subject by eliminating the undesirable effects that shadows generate on a photo. This will save you time and the worry of having to edit images digitally.
Probably the greatest advantage to any tent kit is its portability. The design is such that tent kits can be seen as an ‘on-the-go studio’! The light tent can be assembled without any difficulty. It can then be dismantled and stored quickly and easily.
An affordable solution
With kits starting at only $100, professional product photography is now accessible to anyone and everyone as much as it is cost-efficient! Rather than having to hire expensive photographers to take professional product photos every time you release a new product, you can take equally high-quality photos yourself.
Conversion is the name of the game here. If clients like your images, they’re more likely to buy your products. Making the initial outlay for a tent kit well worth the investment.
Don’t have a professional camera? That’s no issue considering that most smartphones such as iPhones and Android devices have advanced cameras inbuilt; saving you time when if you’re running a fast-paced business.
Whatever the image you need to capture, there is a tent kit available to help you achieve that perfect shot. They come in a variety of sizes to suit the product you want to photograph. Browse through our product photography section on our website to check out what light tents and accessories we have in stock.
Get snap happy and let us know how you get on in the comments below!
