Clothing Photography Setup?

Hello,

I've been asked to photo some clothing for a local self employed lady. The clothing will be on a mannequin, raised up against a white wall (I don't own a backdrop). I have 3 flashes with stands, 2 umbrellas and 1 brollybox. I'm not sure the best way to photograph the clothing and I don't know what sort of soft lighting setup would be best. The clothing is Muslim style robes in a variety of colourful patterns. Should I place an shoot-through umbrellas either side and a bare flash pointed at the wall? How would you do it? I will be using a Nikon D7100 and a 16-85mm lens.

Thanks in advance.

With digital imaging, you have all the possibilities. Trial and error will be your best friend. Take your time, set-up the lights, shoot a sample, view it on a computer and then you can start working on the lighting. There is no recipe, it's all work. You move a light out a bit, get the other one closer. watch for contrast UNTIL you are happy with the result. Then it's just a question of changing the clothing from the mannequin, making sure the outfits are well ironed out and they fit the mannequin perfectly.

Enjoy the session and hopefully the pay.

I'm not asking for a lot of money because I've never done this before but yes, i am charging. I don't have the luxury of viewing it on a computer until I get home so have to check the LCD and histogram only. What about white balance? leave it on flash? Should I position the mannequin away from the wall to soften any shadow? Trial and error will be a big part of this, yes.

Sounds awesome gohan. Good luck with that.
You could always rig up a different colour sheet as a backdrop but, like the clothes, make sure it is pressed and has no creases.
Don't forget to share some of the results with us.

Get the mannequin away from the wall to minimize the shadow effect (but if you use soft enough lighting, the shadow should be bearable).
Remember to lower the camera to waist level to prevent distortion of the mannequin. Fashion is best shot from waist level unless you want the large shoulder thin legs effect. Some fashion photographers shoot from lower than waist to exaggerate the legs and make them look longer and the model thinner.

gohan2091 said:

Hello,

I've been asked to photo some clothing for a local self employed lady. The clothing will be on a mannequin, raised up against a white wall (I don't own a backdrop). I have 3 flashes with stands, 2 umbrellas and 1 brollybox. I'm not sure the best way to photograph the clothing and I don't know what sort of soft lighting setup would be best. The clothing is Muslim style robes in a variety of colourful patterns. Should I place an shoot-through umbrellas either side and a bare flash pointed at the wall? How would you do it? I will be using a Nikon D7100 and a 16-85mm lens.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I did some street shooting once





A) Even though I am not a professional photographers, what I can deduce from my shots, is that for professional shoot.
. Shoot RAW. You can do a lot of manipulation in PP - NR, WB, Exposure, colours etc.
. Isolate the background, Keep the mannequin at least a foot or two away from the wall.
. Use at least 3 flash - left, right and bounce from front, so that there are no apparent shadows.
. Experiment with flash position, so that there are no bright spots or reflections. If you detect them, then use a diffuser.
. I have found that the 16-85 VR is not as crisp as my kit 18-55 VR-II; especially at the long end; which matches the 35mm F1.8 and the 50mm F1.8, if used between F7 and F11 (primes at F4). If you have any of these primes, consider using them.

B) Muslin can give a lot of moire at some angles, so check your shots, and if there is, change the angle a bit at a time, till it is not there.

C) If you have a laptop, then load View NX-II and take it with you to the shoot. Nothing can beat review at the site (and re-shoot if necessary).

Marcel said:

Get the mannequin away from the wall to minimize the shadow effect (but if you use soft enough lighting, the shadow should be bearable).
Remember to lower the camera to waist level to prevent distortion of the mannequin. Fashion is best shot from waist level unless you want the large shoulder thin legs effect. Some fashion photographers shoot from lower than waist to exaggerate the legs and make them look longer and the model thinner.

Click to expand...

Ah that's a very good tip, to shoot from waist level, I didn't know that!

aroy said:

I did some street shooting once

A) Even though I am not a professional photographers, what I can deduce from my shots, is that for professional shoot.
. Shoot RAW. You can do a lot of manipulation in PP - NR, WB, Exposure, colours etc.
. Isolate the background, Keep the mannequin at least a foot or two away from the wall.
. Use at least 3 flash - left, right and bounce from front, so that there are no apparent shadows.
. Experiment with flash position, so that there are no bright spots or reflections. If you detect them, then use a diffuser.
. I have found that the 16-85 VR is not as crisp as my kit 18-55 VR-II; especially at the long end; which matches the 35mm F1.8 and the 50mm F1.8, if used between F7 and F11 (primes at F4). If you have any of these primes, consider using them.

B) Muslin can give a lot of moire at some angles, so check your shots, and if there is, change the angle a bit at a time, till it is not there.

C) If you have a laptop, then load View NX-II and take it with you to the shoot. Nothing can beat review at the site (and re-shoot if necessary).

Click to expand...

Nice pics @aroy

I was going to use two flashed umbrellas either side at 45 degrees and one to light the wall behind but you think I should use the 3rd light in front? What lighting ratio do you think would look good for clothing? 2:1? I have found my 16-85mm to be sharp, but I do have a 50mm prime that I'll bring along.

I"ve taken a few product shots like this. While I don't have a bust or mannequin, keep the item a ways away from the white wall/background to avoid shadowing.

One speedlight will be on the floor or lower to light the background.

Use the two flashes behind modifiers at about 45 degree angles in between the camera and the clothing.

This was my result.


Tennessee Titans shirt by Detroit Imagery, on Flickr

That looks good @carguy but what about the lighting ratios? should the two light modifiers at 45 degrees be at the same power? or one brighter than the other (like 2:1) ? What do you think? I'm worried that having them at a 1:1 ratio would result in a flat image.

I had the two behind modifiers at the same power. Will probably need to experiment depending on your positioning and equipment you use.

Some of you asked to see some examples so here is the website that I'm taking the photos for. Only shot about 30 items so far, there will be more and not all are on the website but you can get an idea here

They have come out quite well.

@aroy, Thanks, it's my first time. Any areas I need to improve on?

gohan2091 said:

@aroy, Thanks, it's my first time. Any areas I need to improve on?

Click to expand...

You seem to have done quite well on your own. Carry it on.