Having a pretty decent DSLR camera will always help capture the best photographs. But you need to be well aware of the right settings. Other than that, you may not have the output from your DSLR camera that you have always wanted.
But look, there are a good number of DSLR cameras out there. Not all the cameras come with the same setting. So, it is important to be well aware of the DSLR model you have. Then you can determine the right setting and capture it.
Here you will find the most common DSLR camera settings for product photography that you won’t mind knowing.
What Is the Importance of Camera Settings in Achieving Professional-Looking Product Photos?
Think about what will happen if you don’t input the correct camera setting and start capturing photographs! This won’t be very good, either. So, that’s why digital cameras come with a good number of settings for taking different types of photos. Also, we should enable the setting before pressing the capture button.
White balance is one of the key things every photographer should maintain while capturing images. But this won’t be properly done unless there are the right camera settings. The manual mode will allow you to have more control over the camera configurations. So you should be quite mindful about that.
Beyond that, you should also take into account the overall brightness and other relevant factors. Then again, the proper brightness of the images demands the proper settings. If you are on a mission to take visually appealing product images, there is no way to avoid these types of settings.
The task of product photography should not be done carelessly. If this happens, the images will not be able to generate the sales. The same goes for the brand visibility as well. So overall, camera setting is essential in achieving professional looking images.
Most Common DSLR Camera Settings for Product Photography
We will approach the more advanced from the most basic ones. Now there is a long list of camera settings that you can enable in the case of product photography. But here we shed light on the most common of them so that you can’t mess up.
ISO Settings
It is always recommended to keep the ISO settings as low as possible. This will help you capture the best of photographs. There are people who think that going with the higher ISO setting can help them capture good images. But this is actually not right. However, you can start at the ISO setting of 100 and then can adjust it based on your requirements.
Shutter Speed
Keeping the optimal shutter speed is the best thing you can do when it comes to DSLR camera settings. Now the question is, what is the ideal shutter speed you should keep? Well, similar to the ISO settings, you should start with the lower shutter speed settings. And then again, you can always increase the shutter speed based on the requirement of the product images.
Aperture
You need to focus on the products sharply with your camera in hand. But this won’t be possible unless you keep the aperture setting in the proper way. But how do you do that, right?
The images’ brightness and aesthetic quality are greatly affected by the aperture, which is an adjustable opening in the camera lens. A smaller value, such as f/1.8, indicates a wider aperture, allowing more light in and producing a shallow depth of focus.
This effectively reduces the depth of field, allowing you to focus on your subject while creating a surreal blurred backdrop. When the f-stop is greater, like f/8 or higher, the aperture is narrower, and the depth of focus is deeper, making everything look crisp.
Landscapes or collecting detailed product features benefit from this. With an understanding of aperture, you can adjust the quantity of light that enters your camera and adjust the focus area to capture the image you want.
White Balance
The white balance option is essential since it controls how colors look in your photographs. It basically compensates for the lighting’s color temperature, making sure whites look white. Several white balance choices are available on cameras:
The most practical setting for most situations is auto white balance (AWB), yet it can be tricked by artificial lighting and produce undesirable color casts on occasion.
Light sources such as daylight, shade, tungsten, and fluorescent are all represented by presets. When the light is constant, they function properly.
Using custom white balance, photograph a white or neutral gray item in the same lighting as your subject for the most realistic colors. After that, the camera will use this as a reference to get the white balance just right in your shots.
Focus Mode Settings
To get clear product photographs with your DSLR, you need to adjust the focus mode. Three primary choices exist:
Works well with stationary objects while using single autofocus (AF-S/One-Shot AF). Half Pressing the shutter button locks focus until you push it again, allowing the camera to focus once. This product is ideal for use in still life settings since it will not move.
Select continuous autofocus (AF-C/AI Servo AF) while dealing with items that may undergo slightly different movements. Holding the shutter button halfway down allows the camera to continuously change the focus, guaranteeing clarity regardless of little movements.
The most control is available with manual focus (MF), but it takes practice to master. To get the lens in focus, you have to turn the focus ring. Perfect for close-up shots of small objects or when autofocus is having trouble focusing because of harsh lighting or reflections.
Make sure your product photos are sharp and professional by learning about these focus modes and what they’re good for.
Final Words
Get the most out of your camera by shooting in manual mode. To get crisp shots with little noise, use a low ISO and a high f-stop to get the most out of your camera’s depth of field. Find more about diffused lighting to get even illumination and utilize a tripod for stability. Never forget that these are the groundwork environments. You can learn to take stunning, professional-grade product photos with some practice and experimenting.