So i want to get a picture of every yoyo in my collection but i also want each picture to look good.
Im not well versed in photo taking so was looking for some tips to get better and get some decent photos.
Will post the angles im taking pictures of below.(string is just to hold in place)
What is a good set up and very cheap set up to have for yoyo pictures.
Im using a samsung phone so quality is fine but any tips for settings or lighting etc.
I am by no means an expert photographer, but I know my pics come out better when I experiment with light sources, and their distance/ position relative to my subject. Also, creative angles and staging, as well as focal lengths can really create a nice unique shot.
Don’t place the camera up close to the subject. Phone cameras are very wide-angle, and placing them close to the subject will severely distort it. Place the camera a couple feet away and then use Photoshop (or whatever) to crop around the subject and let the high resolution preserve whatever detail you need.
Make sure your light source is in front of and/or above the subject, not behind it. You are painting your subject with light, and you can’t do that if the light source is behind the subject. Also, the best images come from having a space where the available light is bouncing around the space and producing diffuse illumination. Shadows are fine for establishing some nice contrast, but high key lighting with very dark, pronounced shadows is hard to control and makes it difficult to tweak the image in software to make the colors look good without hue shifts.
I recommend investing in a good book on the basics of photography (optics) and image composition.
For someone just starting to get into photographing their yoyos I always recommend something like this:
It’s just a simple soft box that will fit on your desk and has its own light source and diffuser sheet to soften it up a bit. Of course a setup like this only really allows for one type of photo, but maybe that clean white backdrop with soft base shadow is what you’re going for. Similar to the product photos you see on YYE.
You can also buy versions of this without the included light. With those the whole ceiling will be a diffuser material and you can use any light source you like as long as it’s powerful enough. Or just bring it outside and use the sun.
As was mentioned above, shoot at the longest focal length you have available. Wide is dynamic and creative, but I get the sense you’re looking to capture more standard product shots.
This photo for example was shot at 105mm:
Natural light! Take it outside on an overcast day.
Based on your pictures I think you’re after the cup and profile of each. Those would look
better on a nice dedicated surface, outside.
Artificial light needs to be in a light box. Check out @bheinz63 photos for examples. This is nice as your setup doesn’t need to move.
Try portrait mode if you want to add a more artsy feel to the pic. Portrait mode just adds a boca to the background.
Good rule of thumb is light —> camera —> subject. I took this picture with my phone on top of my bed. Avoid using any software zoom (you can always crop later), but make sure to play around with distance and the physical zoom lenses if your phone has them to get the right framing and avoid shadows.
After editing (tried to get a more accurate representation of what it looks like irl colour wise):
I prefer to take my Yoyo photos in nature. You get better lighting most of the time and the background can be apart of the photo. I also like to take photos at places I visit.
Here are a few that I have taken recently.
you definitely don’t need a fancy set up to take good photos. i use an iphone 11 pro max and a lightbox i built myself from copy paper and sticky closet lights from amazon. $15 total investment (outside my phone that ive had for years now), and a few minutes of my time lol. the lightbox is just within a cubby of one of my cabinets. i no longer use the lights on the side, just the ones on top. if i wanted to improve the lighting i would probably buy some wax paper to use as a diffuser to soften the light, but i’m lazy at this point. next thing i’d do is probably just buy an actual small lightbox like the one @GnarlyCharlie recommended.
i take the photos in a very controlled way, then use light room on my phone to edit them for more correct lighting. i try hard to not overhype the photos, just correct the iphones processing more or less.
the other tip I can give when taking photos outside of the lightbox is try to make sure the lighting is either diffuse, or not shadowing the yoyo. also, angles help a lot with getting interesting perspective. again, I use lightroom to edit my photos with the intent of not overhyping things, just highlighting the natural light and color.
