Need Help Taking Proper Photos

I'm sorry but what you are asking for is something for nothing. You want decent product photographs but:
You don't have the money to hire a pro
You don't have the time or inclination to learn how to use lighting equipment, camera settings, backgrounds.
You certainly don't have the money to buy the equipment you'd need

Have you even asked a pro how much they'd charge?

Frugal wrote in post #8949822
...
You don't have the time or inclination to learn how to use lighting equipment, camera settings, backgrounds.
You certainly don't have the money to buy the equipment you'd need

There is not a huge investment needed. One can do quite well with nothing more complex than a few clip on lamps that you can pick up at the Depot for $5 a light and some creativity in location or backdrop. However, some investment in lighting techniques, color balancing, and photo techniques are a must.

I have seen this scenario so many times..Businesses wanting to promote their products/services and skimping on advertising.. Advertising is one of the most essential parts of promoting a business,,you could manufacture the best products on this planet but if no-one knows about it you may as well close up shop.. Photography is an essential part of advertising..

Product photography is a very specialised field and not for the inexperienced.. Shooting anything which includes glass is even more difficult.. You need specialised lighting and a very good grasp of photographic techniques..

There is this silly misconception that if you have a wizz bang DSLR you can get the shots without any training or skills.. It's the guy behind the camera,, not the camera..

Agreed - Glass plus multi-faceted shiny metal. Getting the diffusion and reflections just right can be very trying - something you don't learn from a book. You could do it guerrilla style but you'd really have to know what you were doing.

A knowledge of PP is also a must.

I appreciate all the comments. It is just that our small little company does not have the money to make all of our product without purchase orders. We do not have the space either to house the product after the shooting. Keep in mind, we actually manufacture these light fixtures. we have litterally hundreds upon hundreds of light fixtures AND variants of them. Take one of our wall sconces for instance. It is available 14 different patterns, limitless colors, and others things. http://www.divinelight​ing.net …Wall.aspx?ptype​=3&pid=369 . You can see that the picture I took is of the product just sitting on the floor. Now I do try to take the picture at an angle that will make it appear to be installed. Ceiling fixtures on the ceiling, wall fixtures on the wall. There are also many variants of this fixture I still need to take pictures of once we get an order for them. This is just one item. We have many many more.

Our Current Proccess.... (keep in mind we sell to distributors who buy 100s at a time for new apartment buildings)

We receive a purchase order. Most times these are "hold for release". Meaning we do not manufacture them until the customer actually needs them. Other times the product is needed to be shipped asap. In either case, the product is palletized and shipped whithin a day after being made or thrown on UPS at the end of the same day.

So, because of this, if a product being made is on the list for photos to be taken, one of the first ones completed is brought in to me to take a picture of. We do not have the luxury to wait for a pro to take a picture and get the product back to us so we can ship it. If only we were lucky enough to right next door to this pro.

Feel free to take a look at our website. You can see the horrible shape our pictures are in. Most of which are really tiny, or missing all together. http://www.divinelight​ing.net. I just wish I had the means to take better quality photos. I will research for local pros and see what happens.

Yes I have photoshop... It is CS3 ... But I am not very good at it. I try to remove backgrounds and the edges of the product end up choppy.

If you can't afford a pro, then either you or someone else need to find the desire to learn it, other wise all your money is going to waste. You can buy the greatest equipment in the world and if you have the same desire to learn it as you do right now, then these pictures are still going to look the same. Especially for product photography, there is no simple, here's how to get a great shot tutorial, and its even more difficult to show someone who's not eager to learn.

Here's an idea, contact a pro, see if you can do a consultation with them, pay them to properly set up a "studio". As in put the camera on a tripod, dial in the settings, get the lighting set up and then all you have to do is turn everything on, and hit the shutter. It'll be a more perminant set up that you can't ever touch or move, but it may be the best and easiest option for you. This way you can snap the shot and your done. I don't know if any pro's would be willing to do this, but in my honest opinion, it's your best option.

If you want professional results, then find a professional. Thats the best advise i can give you.

Good Luck.